49 “I came to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already set ablaze! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and how it consumes me until it is finished! 51 Do you think that I came here to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 From now on, five in one household will be divided: three against two, and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” (Luke 12:49–53 CSB)
Often when we think of Jesus, we think of attributes like forgiveness and grace, which are good and true. However, there were times in Jesus’s ministry when he delivered hard sayings, declarations that may seem at odds with the meek and mild Jesus of popular culture.
One such example is this passage in Luke. Jesus has been warning about the importance of being ready for the Master’s return, and now he speaks about the fire and the division that he brings to the earth.
You are either with Jesus or against him. If you are with him, you can expect that you will have people come against you, maybe even your closest relationships.
#1: Why Did Jesus Come? Jesus came to judge sin. (v. 49)
Having just warned about being a servant who is prepared for the Master’s return, Jesus goes on to give another sober warning. He tells those who are there listening, “I came to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were set ablaze already!”
Fire is an image that appears throughout Scripture that can carry a couple of ideas. It can refer to the idea of refining, as it takes away impurities. On the other hand, it can indicate judgment.
We have already seen Jesus in the book of Luke, talking about baptism and fire. As John the Baptist was gaining popularity, hear how he describes his ministry:
15 Now the people were waiting expectantly, and all of them were questioning in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I am is coming. I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing shovel is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with fire that never goes out.” (Luke 3:15–17)
In the context of this passage, as Jesus just warned about potential punishment, I believe Jesus is speaking about his judgment against sin and wickedness. We often think of Jesus’s patience and love, which are true. However, we must lose sight of the fact that Jesus is perfectly holy and just.
The Scriptures are clear that the Lord hates sin. He will not turn a blind eye to justice. When we sin, we stand guilty before God’s perfect righteousness.
Sin is such an affront to the holiness of God that Jesus says, “How I wish it were already set ablaze!” Friends, this is not to be taken lightly. Each one of us here this morning is a sinner, and left to our own merit, we stand guilty and condemned before a mighty and holy God.
#2: How Do We Escape the Judgment? Find Life in the Death of Christ. (v. 50)
Jesus says that he has a baptism to undergo. We have already studied that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist at the beginning of his public ministry. So what is he talking about?
Baptism represents death. Hear what he says to James and John when they ask him if they sit on his left and right hand in glory. In other words, these brothers want the preferred seats in eternity.
38 Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup I drink or to be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” (Mark 10:38)
Both the cup and baptism refer to the fact that Jesus willingly went to the cross. Jesus died on the cross or tasted the flood waters of judgment so that we may escape the waters of judgment. He felt the fire of God’s wrath so that we may simply experience the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit. This is the beauty of the gospel.
Why did he do this?
Jesus willingly died on the cross after living a perfectly righteous life and was raised so that we could be righteous. By becoming our perfect Sacrifice, he could be just and justify us, or declare us righteous.
He goes on to say in verse 50 that this work of baptism consumes him, or distresses him until it is finished. Jesus knew that agony that awaited, but the zeal to carry out the Father’s will and his love for his wayward sheep compelled him to the cross.
#3: What is the Result? Hostile Division (v. 51)
As Jesus came to bring the fires of judgment against sin and wickedness, and as he brought the way of salvation through his own life, death, and resurrection, he noted what would happen.
He tells us by asking a striking question: Do you think that I came to bring peace? Many would naturally answer, “Well, of course, Jesus came to bring peace.
In the Jewish context of Jesus’s day, we have discussed that the Jewish people would be expecting a powerful leader who could create a strong political or military unity that would cast off Roman rule.
However, in our day, we are not immune to this. There is a tendency to make Jesus some soft, lovable guy who simply wants everyone to get along. But Jesus will not allow us to mold him into an image of our own choosing.
Thus, he says, “I’ve not come to bring peace but division.” Isn’t this a striking statement from Jesus? As we have already mentioned, Jesus is not only kind and gracious, but he is also the holy Judge. He is not only the sacrificial Lamb, but also the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He is not only the suffering Servant, but also the conquering King.
The problem is that not everyone wants to bow their knee in submission to King Jesus. This is where the division comes in. This idea of division carries the idea of dissension or hostile division.
Jesus did come to bring true peace—true, eternal peace.
What he didn’t do is to bring some superficial sort of peace. He didn’t come merely to unite people under one common political goal. He didn’t come to earth merely to be the Teacher of some moral lifestyle.
He came to earth to gather a people for himself from every nation, language, and tribe, a people who would turn from their foolish ways and follow him as their Savior and as their Lord.
That is the only way to eternal life, and the reality is that many people hate to hear it. In our sinfulness, we don’t want to hear that we’re not good enough and that we can’t pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. Often, people don’t want to hear that we actually are not the masters of our own domain. We don’t get to determine my identity or my purpose in life.
You are either in Jesus or you are against him. Those who reject the gospel are against Jesus and his body, the church. We see this all around us today. We see it in our country, but we also see it in countries, such as China or Somalia.
We should not be surprised when we face backlash for our faith.
#4: What is the Division’s Extent? Our Closest Relationships are Affected. (v. 52–53)
Jesus is letting us know that this division is not simply about “them”—those who are out there with differing cultural backgrounds and political views. Jesus says that this hostile division will be found around the dinner table of your own home. Jesus is warning his followers that we should not be surprised when we face hostility from our own family members. Why would there be this sort of division?
When we actually take our faith seriously and we align our lives with the reality that Jesus Christ is the King of our life, our faith will come in tension with the one who lives with their own ambition as the master of their life.
Verse 53 is actually a quotation from the book of Micah, which describes the extent of Israel’s sad spiritual condition:
4 The best of them is like a brier; the most upright is worse than a hedge of thorns. The day of your watchmen, the day of your punishment, is coming; at this time their panic is here. 5 Do not rely on a friend; don’t trust in a close companion. Seal your mouth from the woman who lies in your arms. 6 Surely a son considers his father a fool, a daughter opposes her mother, and a daughter-in-law is against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own household. (Micah 7:4–6)
How does this apply to this chapter in Luke? Jesus is saying that those who do not repent and follow him are still marked by their sinful hardheartedness, which will produce this sort of animosity against Jesus’s followers. Jesus is warning us that we may have to decide between Jesus and family.
Sinclair Ferguson summarizes the thrust of this passage: “Our salvation was costly to him so that it could be free to us, but it may cost us everything we have.”
Are we willing to place our obedience and devotion to Christ above our devotion to family?
You can watch the full version of this sermon here.
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