Luke 12:49-56
This is a surprising passage!
Is not Jesus the prince of peace? Did he not come to bring peace, ‘to guide our feet into the way of peace’ (Luke 1:79)? Did not the angels announce when he was born, ‘peace on earth among those who he favours’ (Luke 2:14)?
And yet, as Simeon holds the baby Jesus in his arms, he says to Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed – and a sword will pierce your own soul too’ (Luke 2:34)?
And here Jesus says, ‘Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. (Luke 12:51-52).
And he goes on to say that even the most foundational unit of society will be split apart, that families will be divided.
So who has Jesus come to divide?
Is it rich from poor? Has he come to so shake up the order of things that the rich and powerful will oppose him and reject him? And is his kingdom for the materially poor?
That would tie in with the song of Mary: ‘He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty’.
It would tie in with Luke 6: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, who are hungry now, who weep now’ and ‘woe to you who are rich, who are full now, who are laughing now’.
And if that is the case, if we are working for the Kingdom of God should our task and focus – and many Christian leaders would say this – be to work for the overthrow of established systems that embed injustice so that the poor and the voiceless and the powerless are liberated. And of course, if we do that, then we will face opposition, because ‘the powers that be’ will resist.
I was struck by how several commentators took this passage to be saying that.
But the division that Jesus is bringing is deeper than that.
It is not between rich or poor, good or bad, religious or non-religious – but between those who can see what the coming of Jesus means and those who do not.
The ‘time’ that Jesus speaks of is ‘Kairos’ time, opportunity time. It is the time for decisive action.
Jesus challenges his listeners. He tells them that they are, as someone put it, ‘weather wise, but kingdom foolish’. They are spiritually blind.
And we can be experts in meteorology, economics, politics, international affairs, climate and yet be blind to God, fail to see God’s action in the world.
And Jesus speaks of how this division will come – through fire and through the baptism that he is to be baptized with.
And he tells us how he is ‘stressed’, although probably better translated as ‘pressed in, weighed down, totally preoccupied’ until he has done this.
This is a surprising passage!
Is not Jesus the prince of peace? Did he not come to bring peace, ‘to guide our feet into the way of peace’ (Luke 1:79)? Did not the angels announce when he was born, ‘peace on earth among those who he favours’ (Luke 2:14)?
And yet, as Simeon holds the baby Jesus in his arms, he says to Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed – and a sword will pierce your own soul too’ (Luke 2:34)?
And here Jesus says, ‘Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. (Luke 12:51-52).
And he goes on to say that even the most foundational unit of society will be split apart, that families will be divided.
So who has Jesus come to divide?
Is it rich from poor? Has he come to so shake up the order of things that the rich and powerful will oppose him and reject him? And is his kingdom for the materially poor?
That would tie in with the song of Mary: ‘He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty’.
It would tie in with Luke 6: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, who are hungry now, who weep now’ and ‘woe to you who are rich, who are full now, who are laughing now’.
And if that is the case, if we are working for the Kingdom of God should our task and focus – and many Christian leaders would say this – be to work for the overthrow of established systems that embed injustice so that the poor and the voiceless and the powerless are liberated. And of course, if we do that, then we will face opposition, because ‘the powers that be’ will resist.
I was struck by how several commentators took this passage to be saying that.
But the division that Jesus is bringing is deeper than that.
It is not between rich or poor, good or bad, religious or non-religious – but between those who can see what the coming of Jesus means and those who do not.
The ‘time’ that Jesus speaks of is ‘Kairos’ time, opportunity time. It is the time for decisive action.
Jesus challenges his listeners. He tells them that they are, as someone put it, ‘weather wise, but kingdom foolish’. They are spiritually blind.
And we can be experts in meteorology, economics, politics, international affairs, climate and yet be blind to God, fail to see God’s action in the world.
And Jesus speaks of how this division will come – through fire and through the baptism that he is to be baptized with.
And he tells us how he is ‘stressed’, although probably better translated as ‘pressed in, weighed down, totally preoccupied’ until he has done this.
The fire is the coming of the Holy Spirit, which he will send after his death and resurrection.
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| Moses and Burning Bush. C12th. St Catherine's Monastery, Sinai. |
Above is an image of an icon of the burning bush.
In the Old Testament story, God appears to Moses in a bush that burns but is not consumed.
That is appropriate for us today as we celebrate this evening the feast of Mary, to whom this church is dedicated. And I will speak then about the connection of the burning bush to Mary in early Christian imagery and thinking.
But this morning I simply note that Moses does not run from the fire, but takes off his sandals and draws near to the fire
The fire is the symbol of the presence of God, of the power of God, of the Spirit of God.
On the day of Pentecost when the Spirit came, he came with tongues of fire.
And the fire that Jesus brings is the fire of the Holy Spirit: that purifying fire of the Spirit. And we are invited to draw closer to the fire, to allow the fire to come into us – and to reveal and consume our disobedience to and lack of trust in God our Father in heaven, our hard heartedness, our pride and self-justification and judgementalism and resentment (that is a big word and it is easy to become resentful: of how I have been treated, of how things have worked out, of people who have more than me) and exploitation of others and our self-centredness.
And the division is between those who see the fire and draw near to the fire, of those who take off their shoes in the presence of the fire, becoming vulnerable – and those who are blind to the fire and walk from the fire.
And the baptism Jesus speaks of is the baptism of his death. It is where the world and the fire meet. Jesus becomes one of us, and he does not just take off his shoes - but his royal robes. And out of love for us he plunges into death and hell for us.
And so there will be those who come to Jesus, who recognize that we need a Saviour, that we need forgiveness and who are ready to receive the gift of life that he offers; and those who are blind to our sin, and blind to our need, and blind to Jesus and walk away from him.
And this choice to die to self and follow Jesus will, for a time, bring disunity.
This is the division between those who put Jesus Christ in the centre of their lives, who put their trust in him, and those who do not.
In some places the division is very obvious.
It was in the Soviet Union under communism, where people who became believers were informed on, sometimes by members of their own families.
It is in many countries today.
Those who accept Jesus are seen to betray their country, their families, even their sanity. And so they can be tried as ‘enemies of the people’, ostracized and mocked, or locked up in psychiatric units.
And even in our society today, with its pursuit of unity through 'tolerance’, but a ‘tolerance’ that is based on moral relativity (who can say what is right and wrong?) and therefore can never bring real peace, any who might proclaim an absolute that Jesus is Lord, that the Bible as understood by the people of God is the word of God, that there is such a thing as objective right and wrong, that there is a decision that we have to make, will be – at the least – questioned with some hostility.
Jesus came to bring division. He came to set people against each other. He came to be the rock that we build upon or the rock that falls on us. He came as the fire that came into the world which we either come to or run from.
But there is one more important thing that needs to be said.
In the Old Testament story, God appears to Moses in a bush that burns but is not consumed.
That is appropriate for us today as we celebrate this evening the feast of Mary, to whom this church is dedicated. And I will speak then about the connection of the burning bush to Mary in early Christian imagery and thinking.
But this morning I simply note that Moses does not run from the fire, but takes off his sandals and draws near to the fire
The fire is the symbol of the presence of God, of the power of God, of the Spirit of God.
On the day of Pentecost when the Spirit came, he came with tongues of fire.
And the fire that Jesus brings is the fire of the Holy Spirit: that purifying fire of the Spirit. And we are invited to draw closer to the fire, to allow the fire to come into us – and to reveal and consume our disobedience to and lack of trust in God our Father in heaven, our hard heartedness, our pride and self-justification and judgementalism and resentment (that is a big word and it is easy to become resentful: of how I have been treated, of how things have worked out, of people who have more than me) and exploitation of others and our self-centredness.
And the division is between those who see the fire and draw near to the fire, of those who take off their shoes in the presence of the fire, becoming vulnerable – and those who are blind to the fire and walk from the fire.
And the baptism Jesus speaks of is the baptism of his death. It is where the world and the fire meet. Jesus becomes one of us, and he does not just take off his shoes - but his royal robes. And out of love for us he plunges into death and hell for us.
And so there will be those who come to Jesus, who recognize that we need a Saviour, that we need forgiveness and who are ready to receive the gift of life that he offers; and those who are blind to our sin, and blind to our need, and blind to Jesus and walk away from him.
And this choice to die to self and follow Jesus will, for a time, bring disunity.
This is the division between those who put Jesus Christ in the centre of their lives, who put their trust in him, and those who do not.
In some places the division is very obvious.
It was in the Soviet Union under communism, where people who became believers were informed on, sometimes by members of their own families.
It is in many countries today.
Those who accept Jesus are seen to betray their country, their families, even their sanity. And so they can be tried as ‘enemies of the people’, ostracized and mocked, or locked up in psychiatric units.
And even in our society today, with its pursuit of unity through 'tolerance’, but a ‘tolerance’ that is based on moral relativity (who can say what is right and wrong?) and therefore can never bring real peace, any who might proclaim an absolute that Jesus is Lord, that the Bible as understood by the people of God is the word of God, that there is such a thing as objective right and wrong, that there is a decision that we have to make, will be – at the least – questioned with some hostility.
Jesus came to bring division. He came to set people against each other. He came to be the rock that we build upon or the rock that falls on us. He came as the fire that came into the world which we either come to or run from.
But there is one more important thing that needs to be said.
I realise that we live in a pluralist, multi-cultural society, and that there is a real danger when you have different groups making absolutist moral or religious claims.
But there is something that Christianity different to others who make absolutist claims.
Those who receive Jesus as Son of God, who choose him, come to him and submit to him, are called to love their enemies, to pray for those who hate them, and to be willing to suffer so that those who are enemies of God will come to know the love of God.
The terrible shame of the Church, the people of God, is when we have power and we persecute those who are opposed to us. That is when we are furthest from Jesus who loved us and died for us.
The glory of the Church, the people of God, is when we are prepared to suffer at their hands out of love for them. That is when we are closest to our Lord.
And the hope of the Church, the people of God, is that one day – through our coming to the fire, faithfulness and prayer and obedience and preaching and suffering and serving and giving - every knee will bow and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ really is Lord.
And when that day comes there will be true peace.
Those who receive Jesus as Son of God, who choose him, come to him and submit to him, are called to love their enemies, to pray for those who hate them, and to be willing to suffer so that those who are enemies of God will come to know the love of God.
The terrible shame of the Church, the people of God, is when we have power and we persecute those who are opposed to us. That is when we are furthest from Jesus who loved us and died for us.
The glory of the Church, the people of God, is when we are prepared to suffer at their hands out of love for them. That is when we are closest to our Lord.
And the hope of the Church, the people of God, is that one day – through our coming to the fire, faithfulness and prayer and obedience and preaching and suffering and serving and giving - every knee will bow and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ really is Lord.
And when that day comes there will be true peace.
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