The answer is: Call down fire from heaven

Luke 9:54 - The vengeance belonged to God, it was not for them to attempt it and so Jesus rebukes them.

In Luke 9:54, when James and John, also known as the Sons of Thunder, suggested calling down fire to deal with an unwelcoming Samaritan village, it highlights not just their fiery temperament but also a deeper lesson on grace and mercy. The Samaritans were viewed with suspicion by Jewish communities at that time, a bitter rivalry steeped in centuries of prejudice. So, it’s understandable they felt a strong desire to take action against perceived slights.

However, Jesus’s rebuke offers a pivotal teachable moment. He reshapes their perception of power; rather than exact vengeance, He embodies compassion. It’s a reminder that the realm where divine retribution might have been acceptable is now colored with love, turning the typical Jewish expectation of a fiery response on its head.

This moment echoes the stories of prophets from the Old Testament, such as Elijah, who also called fire from heaven (1 Kings 18:36-39) but did so in a very different context as a display of God’s struggle to reclaim Israel’s hearts. When Jesus instead chooses a path of compassion over destruction, it embodies the central message of the New Covenant—that love triumphs over anger.

It’s also interesting to consider that Samaritans played a significant role later in Jesus's parables, especially in the Good Samaritan story (Luke 10). This cultural backdrop reminds us that mercy transcends cultural and tribal boundaries and that the very community one might dismiss could have a rich potential for lessons in love and humanity.