Luke 12:49-53 Division

Luke 12:49-53 (Evangelical Heritage Version)

49“I came to throw fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already ignited. 50But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is finished! 51Do you think that I came to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52Yes, from now on there will be five divided in one household: three against two, and two against three. 53They 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 her mother-in-law.”

Division

I.

I wonder if it would have been appropriate to use one of the other choices I have for the sentence that is called the “pulpit greeting” than the one I chose. At every sermon time I give a pulpit greeting before reading the sermon text. The pulpit greeting is always a verse from scripture—maybe one of the verses of the text, but more often some other portion of Scripture. I don’t know whether you notice them much at all, or even think about them as I speak that verse. Many of the ones I use are from the letters of St. Paul. Can you guess what word I didn’t know whether to use in today’s pulpit greeting?

In today’s Gospel Jesus says: “Do you think that I came to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division” (Luke 12:51, EHV). Now you know what word Paul uses in just about every one of the pulpit greetings I use to start a sermon: peace. Jesus says he did not come to bring peace, but division.

So are we wrong every Advent season when we marvel at the angels announcing “peace on earth”? Are all of Paul’s verses that speak of “peace” that are used by many pastors for pulpit greetings wrong? Is the Christian church in general wrong by talking about the peace Jesus brings?

Not at all. The “peace” spoken of by the angels, by Paul, and by Jesus himself in other places, is not peace between nations or the kind of peace people often think of. Jesus came to die so that our sins might be forgiven. That’s what gives true peace—peace between the sinner and God.

“Yes, from now on there will be five divided in one household: three against two, and two against three. 53They 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 her mother-in-law” (Luke 12:52-53, EHV). Though Paul and the angels announced peace, Jesus says he also brings division.

It’s not hard to understand how this happened in the families in the early Christian Church. Old Testament Ceremonial laws with their rites of sacrifice gave ample evidence that a Savior from sin was necessary. Every day there were sacrifices that needed to be made. The Great Day of Atonement solidified the fact that every single individual needed a sacrifice for sin—even the high priest of the people. That should have pointed people to the Messiah as One who would take away their sins and give them a new relationship with God—give them “peace” with God.

It didn’t happen that way. The people were under the authority of a foreign government. Rather than looking at an eternal future, they saw the present oppressive foreign rule as the greatest issue. They wanted a political Messiah—they wanted one who would restore the kingdom of Israel to the prominence they once enjoyed under King David and King Solomon.

So it happened that some in Israel welcomed Jesus as the Messiah the Old Testament prophecies promised, but those who clung to traditional Judaism insisted that Messiah hadn’t come yet. To them, Jesus was a tremendous disappointment. There might have been unity in Jewish families in the past, but for those who recognized God’s promised Messiah in Jesus, Jesus became the point of division.

“I came to throw fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already ignited” (Luke 12:49, EHV). It’s pleasant to sit outside around a fire, or around a cheerful fire in the fireplace on a cold winter’s evening. But fires get out of control. It hasn’t been so cheerful to constantly hear air quality alerts due to wildfire smoke for most of the summer—the last few summers, in fact. Fire can be destructive; ask anyone who has experienced the loss of property, and they will tell you how bad fire can be. But fire is also important in the refining process. Metal is routinely heated with fire to burn off the impurities. So also, Jesus disciples are tempered and purified by the fire of trials and tribulations.

“I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is finished!” (Luke 12:50, EHV). Jesus knew that his death on the cross was what was necessary to finish the job of God’s plan of salvation. He was ready to get that work underway, even though he knew it would be difficult and distressing. God’s plan simply had to be completed, even though some would harden their hearts in unbelief and reject Jesus.

“Do you think that I came to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division” (Luke 12:51, EHV). Jesus has removed the division between you and God. Even if your own family is divided for and against Jesus, it is important to stand up and be counted as one who belongs to Jesus.

II.

Division doesn’t just happen among families. It even happens in the church. God spoke about just that through Jeremiah in today’s First Reading: “I have heard what the prophets who prophesy lies in my name have said. They say, “I have had a dream! I have had a dream!” 26How long will this be in the hearts of these lying prophets? These prophets proclaim the fantasies of their own hearts” (Jeremiah 23:25-26, EHV).

That kind of division in the church is not just confined to the early Christian church and disagreement by the rabbis of Judaism with the followers of Jesus. The Christian church throughout history has been plagued by false prophets. Some Christian teachers today focus on prosperity or society rather than on the need for forgiveness. Others try to make forgiveness a pact, where Jesus does his part and the sinner does the rest. Still others claim faith is a choice on the part of the believer, rather than a free gift of God. Then there are the cults like the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Latter Day Saints try to make people think they are Christian, when in fact they deny the Trinity.

But even looking at corporate church bodies doesn’t get to the heart of division among Christians. How willing are you, as an individual Christian, to stand up and be counted? When Christianity is being mocked it’s easy to remain silent. Rather than condemning un-Christian and anti-Christian behavior, it’s tempting to join in rather than being teased yourself. It’s easy to say “my faith is a private matter” so that you are never forced to make a public confession. How solid are your loyalties if you refuse to stand and be counted?

III.

Perhaps you find peace in your faith. You have been redeemed by Christ who has done everything for you. You understand that there is nothing left for you to do for your salvation. The prophet Amos said: “Woe to you who are complacent” (Amos 6:1, EHV). While Jesus has done everything for your salvation, those who think that means they can choose not to do anything are complacent. Today’s Second Reading reminds: “You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood in your fight against sin” (Hebrews 12:4, EHV). The message of full and free forgiveness in Jesus doesn’t give you peace with yourself, it gives peace with God.

God doesn’t want you comfortable, or complacent, as you wallow in your sinful way of life. He wants you to be comforted. As long as you live in this world there is plenty that still needs changing in your life—things that need purifying—so don’t get too comfortable.

All too often the comfortable Christian apologizes for what the Bible says, or tries to soften the impact of God’s condemnation of sin. The comfortable Christian wants to ignore the godlessness of the world, rather than make the difficult choice of standing up for the truth.

In the chapter before today’s Gospel reading Jesus said: “For this reason the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles. Some of them they will kill and persecute’” (Luke 11:49, EHV). Those who stand up for the truth of God’s Word can expect difficulties in proclaiming the Word of God.

Jesus said in today’s reading: “I came to throw fire on the earth” (Luke 12:49, EHV). God’s Word doesn’t make a person comfortable, it convicts sin. That makes the natural self distinctly uncomfortable. The Christian who is speaking all of God’s Word—both Law and Gospel—often experiences persecution before having the chance to announce that God dealt with that sin and gives peace in its place. At such times we take comfort knowing that we have clung to the truth and have spoken the truth. The rest—we leave to God.

IV.

Division. The more willing you are to stand up and be counted, the more you can expect hostility. It will come both from the unbelieving world and from those who are from the uncommitted church—those who are complacent and who don’t want you to disturb their false ideas of peace. If you are growing in your faith as you dig deeper into God’s Word, or showing joy by witnessing, or growing in the grace of giving, or challenging what society thinks is normal, you might be thought of as overzealous.

When such divisions confront you, whether from within or without the church, follow the directive of the writer to the Hebrews: “Let us run with patient endurance the race that is laid out for us. 2Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who is the author of our faith and the one who brings it to its goal” (Hebrews 12:1-2, EHV). Jesus was counted a sinner so that you and I could be counted righteous. He was made uncomfortable—all the way to the cross—so we could be comforted when the Heavenly Father welcomes us to our eternal home.

Don’t be afraid to be counted when there is a division, whether you are in the three against two side of things, or the two against three. Every week we confess our sins here in the worship service. We confess that we deserve God’s punishment, both now and forever. Every week the pastor announces the forgiveness that Jesus won as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.

When troubles come your way, remember that Jesus warned of division. Remember that any trouble is a purifying fire from God for you. There might be times when you are intimidated, or when your Old Self would rather crawl into a hole than confess your faith, but stand up and be counted. Remember that Jesus brought division as well as peace. You have real peace with God because the Lord Jesus was counted for you. Amen.