“I Came to Bring Division” –Jesus
Elaine Poproski Download: Audio
Sunday Reflection
Read Tamara Hiscock’s reflection on this sermon called, “When Silence Is Betrayal” on the Sunday Reflections blog.
Sunday Scripture Reading: Luke 12:49-56 (NRSV)
49 “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Read more…
Looking to Sunday
by Elaine Poproski
Remember Christmas? When we talk about Jesus who is the Prince of Peace? Remember Mary’s great song in Luke 1 (we call it the Magnificat; it begins with the words, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour…”)? Remember how we light Advent Candles week after week leading up to Christmas and we name them hope, peace, joy, and love?
You’ll want to remember all that when we read together the end of Luke 12 this Sunday, when Jesus says, “Do you think I’ve come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!”
What?!
This passage we’re considering on Sunday is a great example of why we need to be careful of claiming the Bible is straightforward and easy to understand. The Bible does tell us that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. But it also tells us that Jesus brings division.
The words Jesus speaks in Luke 12:49-56 are harsh and seem so unlike the kinds of things Jesus usually says. Especially in Luke’s gospel. It’s not that Luke’s Jesus isn’t straightforward in His expectations of people; it’s not that Jesus shies away from saying hard things to people – especially the Pharisees and other religious leaders; it’s just that He more often seems to focus on talking about loving each other and showing us how much we’re loved by God. But both Jesus who is the Prince of Peace and Jesus who brings division are biblical. So we wrestle with the words and we ask the Holy Spirit to give us understanding.
I wonder if any of us have experienced the kinds of division or disunity Jesus is warning us of in this passage in Luke 12. Have you ever lost friends because you are a Christian? Have any of your family relationships been negatively impacted by your choice to follow Jesus? How do you understand that kind of brokenness of relationship when Paul was so clear in Ephesians 2 that Jesus came to break down dividing walls? As you prepare for Sunday, I invite you to read Luke12:49-56 a few times and consider how these words challenge or encourage you in your life today.