The Urgency of Reconciliation Luke 12:49-59
Notes
Transcript
Intro -
Intro -
We pick up back in Luke this morning with a difficult section of text.
Jesus in the previous verses has just told his disciples, not to be anxious, don’t worry about tomorrow, for the Lord cares greatly for you.
He then proceeded to tell them to be ready as well.
Be ready for the Lord’s return.
And be diligent in the work the Lord has for them to do because Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
As individuals saved by grace, believers have been given the greatest gift of all.
Believers have also been entrusted with the greatest news of all.
The good news about the kingdom of God.
Jesus goes on to show us today that that good news will cause division during this time on earth and he shows again the urgent need we have to be reconciled to God.
49 “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! 51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” 54 He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? 57 “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? 58 As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. 59 I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.”
Many of our bibles break this section out into 3 chunks.
Verses 49-53 - Different translations give different titles, we must remember that these are placed in the bible to help give us a summary.
English Standard Version Chapter 12
Not Peace, but Division
NIV, CSB,
The New King James Version Chapter 12
Christ Warns of the Costs of Discipleship
New Living Translation Chapter 12
Jesus Causes Division
Verses 54-56
English Standard Version Chapter 12
Interpreting the Time
The NASB gives this section an overarching title -
New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 12
Christ Divides Men
Luke, Volumes 1 & 2 Baptism by Fire
Luke 12 ends with a fiery blaze of judgment and an urgent warning to find safety in Christ before it is too late.
Jesus says some rather shocking words in this passage.
49 “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled!
A very literal translation from Greek of that second statement Jesus says “I wish that it were already ablaze!”
Jesus had been teaching his disciples about his second coming and about their calling to be faithful as they watched and waited for his return.
Now he is making this statement?
We have to understand the image and purpose of fire in the mind of Jesus audience.
William Barclay states, “In Jewish thought fire is almost always the symbol of judgment.”
Then he adds, “However much we may wish to eliminate the element of judgment from the message of Jesus it remains stubbornly and unalterably there”....To encounter fire is by nature a catastrophic, life-changing event.
The judgment that this fire brings can be viewed in two ways, which in my mind are one in the same, depending upon if you connect this verse with the previous verses or the following.
Connecting with the previous verses, it refers to the final judgment at the end of history.
Jesus had just been talking about the need to be ready for the final judgment.
Connected to the following verses, this fire can refer to how the coming of God’s kingdom divides people into two camps.
Robert Fulghum (Borrow It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It [Ivy Books], p. 3) tells the odd story of a fire crew that broke into a house with smoke pouring out of the window and found a man in a smoldering bed.
After the man was rescued and the mattress doused, they asked, “How did this happen?”
The man replied, “I don’t know. It was on fire when I lay down on it.”
That story strikes us as funny because it is so strange. Who in their right mind would lie down on a burning mattress?
You can’t be passive about fire.
You have to deal with it or it will consume you! Jesus’ coming is like a fire.
You can ignore it and you will perish or you can get on the right side of it and it will purify the dross out of your life.
But the one thing you cannot do is to be neutral toward it.
Jesus draws a line that forces us to take sides.
Jesus had come and is in the last stages of His 3 year ministry, his focus is towards Jerusalem and the cross but the fire had not yet been kindled.
Looking back now, from our perspective, we can see this.
But Jesus followers had to ask the question
What is the fire to be kindled and when is it to be kindled?
The context helps answer this question.
Notice that the next verse describes His baptism
50 I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!
Jesus is making a reference to His Crucifixion.
Now think for a moment why this might be a fire that is kindled.
What is fire?
Remember in Jewish thought it is very often judgment.
What did Jesus bear on the Cross?
The sins of the world.
And what did the world deserve from from God?
His righteous judgment.
Peter helps us to understand this in his first letter
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,
What are the wages of sin?
Romans 6:23 (ESV)
23 For the wages of sin is death,
When Jesus was nailed to the Cross, He took our place (cf substitutionary atonement) and bore God's righteous wrath against our sins that had been placed upon Him!
That is when the fire of God's judgment was kindled.
This helps understand why Jesus said "I wish it were already kindled."
Jesus knew why He had come to earth.
What He is saying is He wishes the Crucifixion was already over.
Of course He agonized Gethsemane, but He was always conscious that He had a baptism of judgment to undergo,
which would entail separation from His Father, something that had never transpired in Eternity past.
The ESV Study Bible Chapter 12
Jesus came not only to bring salvation but also to become the “Great Divider” of humanity, as people decide whether or not to follow him.
In the end, there will be peace, but as this is taking place, there will be division.
52 For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
As Christians we are called cowards when don’t stand up for our faith.
But on the other side, when we do, we stand up, we are called to sensitive, that we shouldn’t be making a big deal out things.
One prime example of this and the division Jesus brings just happened just recently with the Olympic opening ceremonies.
Immediately there was backlash against the opening ceremonies as they appeared to represent the Last Supper.
The Olympic committee backtracked, apologized, but then went on to say, it wasn’t meant to be a picture of the Lord’s supper.
Now though the conversation has shifted to - those Christians are too sensitive.
One of the actors though even posted on their social media “The new gay testament”.
Either way - no matter the reaction, people are going to complain how Christians react.
Jesus told us this truth, no matter what, we are never going to make some people happy.
Division will happen, what matters is how we react.
The question we must ask is where are we seeking validation, from men, or from God?
One way we can know we are seeking too much validation from men in this situation is when find ourselves getting incredibly upset about comments denying that we have been slighted.
The truth is that in all situations, whenever we get really upset, it is because we are trying to protect something.
The next time you find yourself angry, ask yourself, what am I really trying to protect?
In the case of the Olympics, are we upset because we are trying to defend Christ, or are we upset because people aren’t validating our beliefs and experiences of what we take to be mockery and insult?
Division will come, but what matters is where we find our value.
Our ultimate sense of value does not come from the title of being a Christian, but rather from the person of Jesus Christ and who He says that we are.
We are infinitely valued and fully secure because Jesus said that we are, and he died on the cross in our place to prove it.
Should we stand up, YES, but we don’t have anything to prove because as Christians we already know that we are fully accepted and eternally valued by God who created all of us.
10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Division is inevitable, who our attitude and who we seek to please matters most.
4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.
I look at this passage as well though and think, who has division within their own families over Christianity?
I know I do.
Jesus divides on a world stage, but he also divides right here at home, even within our homes.
And it is at home where it really matters most.
It is at home where, when we live our lives for Jesus, seeking to live as he did, love as he loved, that a difference will really take place.
Judaism was a family religion, in which the people worshiped by households rather than as individuals.
Jesus foresaw that his claims would cut across family life, and would necessitate individual decisions.
Jesus said that a decision to follow Him would mean changes in relationships.
Your friends or family may misunderstand you after you start living for Christ.
Some may accuse you of thinking you’re too good for them.
Others may shun you.
In that way, Jesus is a divider of families, friends, and co-workers.
It hurts to be ridiculed or rejected by those close to you, but Jesus said it would happen.
Yes, Christ is a divider of people—but you are united with Him, and He will never leave you.
Your choice to follow Jesus Christ
Some people will not understand;
Still others will resent the change—
But have no fear, He'll hold your hand. —Egner
When we walk with the Lord, we'll be out of step with the world.
Jesus was not content to leave things there, but pressed his listeners to make a decision. He had come to cast fire on the earth—the fire of judgment.
He had a baptism to endure—the baptism of the cross.
His work as Savior and Judge would cause a division that would cut right down the center of the human race.
But which side will you be on?
This was the question that confronted the crowd, that confronts everyone. We are either with Jesus or against him.
When the fire falls, we will either be refined, or else destroyed.
Either we trust in Christ and his cross, or else we ignore him and reject him.
We are either with the people of God, or against them.
Jesus said to the crowds:
54 He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
Jesus told them that they were very good at interpreting their physical environment.
When clouds begin to rise off the Mediterranean Sea, it does not take a genius to figure out that there will be an afternoon shower;
and when the wind starts to blow from the southern desert, hot weather is sure to follow.
Jesus, however, went on to say that they miserably failed to interpret their spiritual environment.
They were missing the signs every good Jew should immediately recognize—
that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies.
It was the time foretold, the center of history—and they were missing it.
As a consequence, the temple was destroyed a few decades later.
Many of the people in the crowds never did understand who Jesus was, or what he had come to do.
It would be tempting to come up with excuses for them. After all, how could they know that Jesus was the Savior until he had finished his saving work?
Not even the disciples understood what Jesus was saying about dying and rising again.
How could anyone be expected to interpret his ministry before the cross and the empty tomb?
Nevertheless, Jesus said they should have been able to read the signs.
They should have seen what was starting to happen and trusted him as their Savior.
If they should have seen it, then we certainly should.
Most of us can look outside and tell if it is going to rain in the near future or not.
We have the testimony of the Gospels, which not only tell us what Jesus did, but also explain what it means.
Then we have the rest of the New Testament to give us the true interpretation of Jesus and his salvation.
We are living on the other side of the resurrection.
God has raised Jesus from the dead.
This is the sign that his sacrifice for sin has been accepted, and that now, through faith in him, our sins are forgiven and we have the hope of eternal life.
See the signs of the cross and the empty tomb.
Understand what they mean.
Trust Jesus for your salvation.
Jesus told them, as he had so many times before, that they needed to be reconciled with God before it was too late.
And the same is true for each of us.
The picture given in the final verses of this chapter are of a person being taken to court.
58 As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison.
In this parable the judge is obviously God and the adversary is Jesus.
The Lord tells them they need to settle with him before they are dragged before God and judged.
At that moment Israel and Jesus were moving toward the final crisis point, yet all they could see was their own discomfort at his teaching.
Jesus was saying, “You are disputing about who I am and my teaching.
You need to be reconciled with me, because we are on our way to the court.
If you do not get things straight you will wind up before the Judge, who is My Father, and he will show no mercy.”
Anyone will do whatever is necessary to stay out of prison, but how many people will apply that same concern and diligence to stay out of hell?
If you are not confident with your relationship with Jesus Christ, waste no time in getting with another mature Christian to discuss it.
Come and talk to me, I would be happy to talk with you.
If you are a believer, consider the urgency of spreading the gospel to your unbelieving friends.
No one knows when we might appear before the Judge, and then it will be too late.
During a training session for soldiers who were about to make their first parachute jump, the sergeant explained how to open the reserve chute if the main chute didn’t open. A private nervously raised his hand and asked, “Sergeant, if my main chute doesn’t open, how long do I have to pull my reserve?”
The sergeant looked directly into the young private’s eyes and replied earnestly, “The rest of your life, soldier. The rest of your life.” (In Reader’s Digest, February, 1982.)
If you have not trusted in Christ as your only hope for forgiveness on the day of judgment, you are like that soldier plunging toward earth.
Either you accept Jesus as your sin bearer and you are reconciled to God; or, you will come into God’s court of justice and pay your own debt, which is eternal separation from Him.
How long do you have to get on Jesus’ side?
The answer is, the rest of your life!
Jesus has drawn the line.
Will you trust Him now before it is too late?