And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, will you that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elijah did?
All Commentaries on Luke 9:54 Go To Luke 9
Cornelius a Lapide
AD 1637
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? They show themselves to be indeed Boanerges, or sons of thunder, for with excess of zeal they would destroy these Samaritans, because of their inhospitality and refusal to receive Christ. They remembered how Elijah had destroyed those who had been sent by Ahaziah to apprehend him ( 2 Kings 1:10), and they knew that Jesus was mightier than that prophet; and if fire was sent from heaven to protect Elijah from harm, and to consume the Jews, who had come to take him, how much more deserving of punishment were these Samaritans, who had refused to receive the Son of God.
Wilt Thou that we command? For as S. Jerorne goes on to say (Epist151), "The command of the Apostles can effect nothing, unless by the permission and will of God." They therefore seek from Christ, as from a Judges , justice, and the punishment of the wicked, according to their deserts.
