Sons of Thunder - James &
John
Special
request of Mrs. Dru Arnold
And
it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he
stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, And sent messengers before his
face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make
ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he
would go to Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw this, they
said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and
consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives,
but to save them. And they went
to another village. (Luke 9:51-56)
A young Jordanian lieutenant (a flight student of mine) once said: "When
you fight the Israelis, if they expend all of their armor and artillery rounds,
they will then call in lightning strikes against the enemy." I doubt the
theological soundness of that charge, but it does express the dreaded power of
lightning.
The Voice of our God is compared to the sound of Thunder. It is a mighty Voice
which man could not abide unless enabled by the Holy Ghost. There are many
voices in the world, but only one Voice of Thunder from on High. No other voice
can be heard over that of God's thunderous Voice.
Thunder results from the great heat of the lightning bolt (approx 55,000
degrees Fahrenheit and five times hotter than the sun's surface) as it
instantly heats the surrounding air in its path. The acoustic shock of
lightning as the air rapidly expands due to this heat manifests itself in the
sound of lightning. The lightning bolt, like God's Word, comes down to earth
and returns in precisely the same path of its coming. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth
even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
(Matt 24:27)
When we consider that God is a "consuming fire," this comparison of
God's Word to Thunder makes sense. 28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom
which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably
with reverence and godly fear: 29 For our God is a consuming fire. (Heb 12:28-29
, see also Deut 4:24)
If Thunder represents the Voice of God, His Great Power and Purpose is
comparable to Lightning. 1 Give unto the LORD, O ye
mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength. 2 Give unto the LORD the glory due
unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. 3 The voice of the LORD is upon
the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters. 4 The voice of the LORD is
powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. 5 The voice of the LORD breaketh
the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. 6 He maketh them also to
skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. 7 The voice of the LORD divideth
the flames of fire. 8 The voice of the LORD shaketh
the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh. (Psalms 29:1-8)
In our introductory text from Luke 9, we read Jesus sent His disciples ahead of
Him to a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for His visitation
there (on His final trip to Jerusalem to be offered up). The village refused to
receive Christ because it was apparent that He was enroute to Jerusalem. The
Samaritans were hostile to the Jews and did not desire to receive any who
befriended them. And when his
disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command
fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? Jesus rebuked these two: Ye
know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For
the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. God is too big to deal in trifles of
rejection. Those who reject the King, do so to their own detriment, for no one
receives the Kingdom without the King. We teach and preach the Gospel of
Christ to all. It is not our concern to award or punish those who accept or
reject that message.
These two disciples, James and John, were brothers. John was the disciple for whom
Jesus had a particular love and affection - in fact, his name 'John' means to
receive the grace, or love, of God. John would be the longest to live of all of
the disciples having written the last Book of the Bible (Revelations). Jesus
also had given these two, James & John, a particular surname - Sons of
Thunder! And Simon he surnamed Peter; 17 And
James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them
Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder (Boanhrgevß Boanerges) (Mark
3:16-17)
Since the Word of God is so often compared to Thunder, it must have been a
conspicuous distinction to be termed by the Savior as "Sons of
Thunder." Conceivably, this distinction resulted from their fervor in
preaching the Gospel as well as their proclivity to call fire down on a city in
Luke 9.
Would we all not desire to be the Sons and Daughters of the Thunderous Voice of
God? In actuality, all who claim their adoption as sons and daughters of God in
Christ should bear this same distinction as sons and daughters of Thunder if we
are adamant in sharing the Gospel and Word of God with others.
Just as there is great power in thunder caused by the great heat of Heaven, the
Word of God has great power to sever asunder the soul and spirit. For the
word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb
4:12)
In addition, like thunder and lightning, God's Word always accomplishes His
purpose and returns to Him via the same route of its coming. So shall my
word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but
it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing
whereto I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11)
Does our voice of faith bear the character of thunder?
Thunder comes from heaven
Thunder is formed unseen in the clouds of Heaven. God's Word comes from on high
and may not always be fully understood by us. But regardless of our
understanding, we must know that the Word of God is True and Immutable.
Thunder is not timid
No power on earth can still the Voice of Thunder, or of God. It matters not
what powers or majesties are beneath the clouds of lightning, lightning does
not hesitate to thunder forth. So must the sons and daughters of thunder be
ready to speak out on matters of the moral law and the grace of God in
Scripture. Thunder is no respecter of persons. Its bolts strike wherever the
conditions of electrical charge direct them.
Thunder is not subject to our
management
Thunder is God-sent and not subject to the will of man. Though we may thunder
the Word of God, in reality, our voices are not even a whisper if we speak our
own wills and not His.
Thunder is formed by heat and
light
The fervor and fire created in our hearts by the Gospel is the progenitor of
our speaking out even under perilous conditions. That fervor and fire is also
the offspring of brilliant light caused by the Lightning of God's Word.
Thunder most often comes during
stormy skies
On clear summer days, it is less likely we will hear the thunder of God's
Voice. The sun is bright, our hearts are light, and our needs seem negligible.
But when the storm arises and our way is treacherous, God's Lightning Thunders
in the way, and we can both see and feel the heat and light of His Word, and
our own depravity before it.
Thunder leaves clean air and
clearing skies
Emersion in God's Word clears our souls and leads to hope and joy!
If we look about us, we see the storm clouds arising on the dark horizon of the
world. If we erect the Lightning Rod of God (our Lord Jesus Christ) above
our heads and lodgings (just as Israel brushed the blood of the lamb on
their door posts and lintels) we shall not be hurt by the lightning that is to
come.
