A different spirit

 54When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and destroy them?” 55But He turned and rebuked them [and He said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are;56for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”] And they journeyed on to another village. Luke 9:54-55 Zondervan. The Amplified Study Bible . Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

James and John wanted Jesus to call down fire from heaven to destroy the Samaritans who were considered enemies of the Jews that lived in other parts of Israel. They did not worship in Jerusalem but created their own customs in their land of Samaria. They were considered rebels and were to be avoided. Yet Jesus saw them through the eyes of love and not rejection. He chose to go through their land in spite of potential conflict and harm. Killing our enemies or people who think differently than we do will never win any battle. Violence is not the way of the Master Jesus. He was of a different spirit, the Spirit of God dwelling in him. When God’s Spirit is in our lives, we respond differently to others and seek to lead them to the knowledge of the truth in an atmosphere of love. Love is the most powerful force in the world and can accomplish what violence and destruction can never accomplish. Islam is not a religion of peace but one of submission to Allah. It has been propagated through violence and using the sword instead of the spirit of love. It forces people to convert or be killed. This the same spirit that James and John wanted to see the destruction of people who opposed them. Jesus immediately rebuked them and reminded them that this was not the way of God to treat people who oppose them