Chances

When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village. Luke 9:55-56

I knew something was not right. As I sat down at the dinner table to inquire about my daughters’ day at school, Praise was disgusted as well as her mother. She forgot she’ll have a Math quiz this day that she did not get a remarkable score. Given her parents are both academicians, she failed at our expectations. We expect her to be at her best. We expect her to be prepared every time. We expect her to bring out those As. As my parents told us and as we always say to them, education is our legacy for them. It must have ruined my day or night. It must have planted anger in my heart towards her ways. But I know better. As I asked for her quiz paper, I turned and hugged her, “I love you and nothing’s change…” She deserves another crack. She has my heart for all the chances. As a father, I know at some point she will fail us again tomorrow or next week or next month, and I’ll be there to assure her “I love you and nothing’s change…” and to give her another chance and another and another.

Jesus does this to us. He gives us chances. He gives us opportunities to make it right. The Sons of Thunder knew the opposite. They wanted to call down fire from heaven to consume the inhospitable men and women of this Samaritan village where they are stopping over before going to Jerusalem. They might have the point, Jesus sent an advanced party ahead of them in this route (v. 52). Something was not right. They should have been welcomed but were not. Calling down fire from the sky is rationale. But Jesus knows better. He rebuked the brothers and went to another place. However, Jesus did not rebuke the village which has a bank-vault-like-closed door for them. They failed him yet he is giving them chances. He is giving them another crack. He gave them chances.

We may fail him again and again and again. And Jesus will be there to wrap his arms around us and will give us another chance and another and another.