As Jesus embraces His own fate, refusing to give up on Love, Compassion, and His Fathers Kingdom, He moves towards Jerusalem. Two of His disciples, nicknamed, ‘The Sons of Thunder’ are in the red mist of anger. They react to rejection with rejection. They show their muscles and demand fire from heaven to nuke the Samaritan villagers. They are so full of themselves they think they can pull Gods chain and get Him to do their bidding!
Of course, this is the exact opposite of what Jesus wants from them. His disciples must return blessing for curse and love for hatred. Jesus has to target their whole mind set, and needs to teach them again and again and again what it really means to follow Him.
Piero Ferrucci, when training to be a therapist, was corrected, or ‘rebuked’ by his teacher. He told Assaigioli that he felt it was vital that his clients followed their feelings. His teacher replied firmly, “but you must not follow your feelings. Your feelings must follow you”.
Ferrucci was stunned. His life credo was in tatters. But his curiosity was aroused. In his growth as a disciple, this rebuke was a turning point for him. Jesus uses this method time and again in the gospels. He criticises mind-sets that subvert or destroy the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ rebuke reminds and calls all of the characters in today’s Gospel to their higher self and that this should inform the direction of their life, and their choices.
So why waste time on anger and revenge when other options are readily available? Why dream of personal glory when facing the demands of love are what the world needs? Why kill the spirit and cloak our killing in high sounding words when we can follow what brings life? Why look outside ourselves for permission to be, when our higher self is leading us from within?
We might hear these rebukes as the sound of demolition on the castle we have built to defend our territory. But this is no bombshell from Jesus. His rebuke is disarming, confidential, intimate, loving, kind and full of
invitation.
His words open a door into a room of light, and we can become curious about what’s inside.
Or not…………..
