Commentary on the Gospel of
Kind of Spirit
Some of the disciples have witnessed the Transfiguration, Peter has declared Jesus as the Messiah, and Jesus has just spoken about his paschal destiny… but the disciples are still in a narcissistic cocoon: they are fighting about who is the greatest among them; they stop someone from healing people in Jesus’ name because he isn’t one of them; and they now want fire to come down and burn the Samaritan village because it was not hospitable to them… Jesus turns and rebukes them. Some earlier versions of the Bible tell us that he rebuked them saying, “Ye know now what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them” (King James Version, 9: 55b-56). This must become a daily examination of conscience for Christians: “What kind of spirit do I have? Is it one of tribalism, jealousy, violence, and exclusion; or is it one of humility, fraternity, inclusive love, and delight in the other?”
