My colleague Toby Sumpter offers these additional thoughts on the disciples as “friends of God”:
“When Jesus tells His friends about the ‘fire falling.’ it’s hard not to think of Pentecost. Jerusalem is a new Sodom, but this time the judgment falls with even more potential for escape and mercy first. Of course the Christians still end up fleeing the city, but first it gets filled with tons of ‘angels’ warning, preaching, proclaiming until one of them, Stephen, gets murdered, and then the Christians flee and the city is ready for destruction.”
That fits the Upper Room Discourse, since Jesus is talking about the gift of the Spirit throughout John 13-16.
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