Bible study this week will be part 4 of Luke chapter 12

Jesus Came Not to Bring Peace, but Division

[Luke chapter 12, verses 49-59]

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Last week in our ongoing study of the writings of the apostle Luke, we concluded part 3 of chapter 12 with Jesus continuing to teach his apostles and the surrounding crowd, which was evidently of considerable size. “For those who have been given much”, Jesus taught, “much will be required”. The more abilities one has, whether they be natural abilities such as a knack for fixing things or being a really good musician, or of gifts of the Spirit as described by the apostle Paul in 1^st Corinthians chapters 12 and 14 such as healing or evangelism, the more those individuals will be required to use those God-given abilities in service to others as well as to God. Those who fail to do these things are falling short, and in so doing are watering down their own salvation in Christ the risen Lord! Let's not make that mistake, people – keep your eyes on the prize, which is eternity with Christ Jesus. And now let's commence today's study beginning at verse 49.

“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” (Luke 12, verses 49-53)

What was Jesus talking about here? It almost seems that He was rambling around from one topic to another. After all, in one sentence our risen Savior is talking about our responsibility to use the gifts God has given us, and in the next he is talking about bringing “fire on the earth”. I think one strong possibility was that someone stuck their hand in the air and asked Jesus a question, and what we're seeing is his response. It's equally possible that this interaction probably took place at a later time that day, but at the same location. Other than that, the first thing we can take away from the words of our Lord is that he and the eternal salvation he represents will be a catalyst for conflict and a motivation for fighting. The name of Jesus will cause strife and division from within families and even whole countries. Jesus predicted that 2,000 years ago, and sure enough that's exactly what has occurred. The Arab-Israeli conflict is one glaring example of the division and strife Jesus prophesied about. There are people in the church I attend and where I play keyboards who attend without their spouses because their spouses won't come with them. This too is fairly commonplace in all types of Christian church denominations.

“....how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!” As I read this first verse, the main thing I'm seeing is the raw passion and determination of Christ to fulfill his mission on earth. This can be interpreted 2 different ways. The “fire” can be that of the Holy Spirit, meaning this verse is a prophecy of the Day of Pentecost. But that same fire could also be a global holocaust that has not yet occurred, one that is reserved for the Last Days in which I believe we reside. The Book of Revelation refers to such an event in chapter 9, verses 13-16, and I quote: “The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, 'Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.' And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number.” Moreover, the “baptism” that Jesus was referring to was, again prophetically, his crucifixion on the cross which at that point was still more than a year away.

“Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.” There are nonreligious families from which people of faith have come forth, and those new believers can find themselves ostracized by their own families. By the same token, there are religious families who have nonreligious members, and those individuals find themselves ostracized by their religious parents and siblings. There is a truism, 'If you want to get along with people, don't talk about politics or religion.' The divisive nature of Jesus Christ is in large part what that old saying is talking about. And now let's move on to the second part of today's study, beginning at verse 54.

“He said to the crowd, 'When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'It is going to rain', and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, 'It's going to be hot, and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time? Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right? As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled with him on the way, or he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge will turn you over to the officer, and the officer will throw you into prison. I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” (Luke 12, verses 54-59)

Here again we see evidence of the group of Pharisees and Teachers of the Law that closely trailed Jesus, watching his every move and listening to his every word. I admire Jesus for his ability to wait until just the right moment before he lets loose with a verbal barrage that cuts them all to ribbons. Then comes that favorite word of his when describing his adversaries – 'hypocrites'. Yet again we have another example of Jesus' opposition to the religious establishment of his day and time. The Lord is accusing the religious crowd of having selective vision, seeing things they wanted to see while disregarding everything else. Jesus and the message he was preaching did not fit the scribes' and teachers' paradigm because they did not believe he was the fulfillment of the Law of Moses as Jesus had plainly told them (see Luke chapter 4, verses 17-21). Their refusal to believe ultimately resulted in their condemnation when their lives here on earth were over. You can be sure the same fate awaits any person who does not believe Jesus is the Savior of the world. There will be no exceptions.

“You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time? Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right?” Here again Jesus is accusing the Pharisees and others in the crowd who did not believe of not being able to see what was right in front of them – the Messiah, the Anointed One of God, Jesus who is the Christ. 'Here I am plain as day', Jesus was telling them, 'and you still don't believe'. “As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled with him on the way, or he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge will turn you over to the officer, and the officer will throw you into prison. I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” Get yourselves right with God! That's what Jesus meant by these last words. Get yourselves reconciled with God, otherwise you may find yourselves rejected by him when you were expecting an embrace! Settle accounts with your accusers before you go. Otherwise their complaints against you, whether you think they are justified or not, will result in a ruling against you when your time comes to stand before the throne of God for judgment (see Revelation 20, verses 11-15). And if that happens to anyone, that person may find themselves condemned along with all the unbelievers and the demons of Satan. So be at peace with everyone to the greatest extent that is possible, and God will be at peace with you too!