This is one of the more challenging passages in the New Testament because it seems to be contrary to the mission of Jesus, to reconcile people to God. Jesus says here that he came to bring fire and division rather than peace and without proper context, this can be a jarring statement. It is vital to our understanding of Jesus' words to put them into the context in which he is speaking. Remember that this passage is part of his teaching on avoiding the hypocrisy of the Pharisees who prided themselves on strict adherence to the Torah but neglected the care of the poor and powerless. Jesus' teaching has emphasized a kingdom life that is joyfully and fearlessly dependent on God's grace and goodness versus human kinship and bloodlines.
With this in mind, Jesus tells a parable that condemns the "managers of God's house" for not caring for the "servants" who are doing the work of taking care of the Master's home. They don't feed or care for them rather they are lazy and drunk with power and the Master brings down harsh judgement on them for their failure. It is in this context that Jesus tells the hearers that he came bring the fire of judgment and division on them, disrupting the corrupt kinship of Israel's spiritual leadership.
In the OT, fire represented judgement, purification and the presence of God. Here Jesus' judgement on the Pharisees extends to all Christians who care for people in the church. We are all responsible to care for each other as if we were representing Jesus himself. Fire also represents God's work of purifying people to better represent him in the world. Jesus' "baptism" represents the grace of God that brings us into the family and household of God, but His Spirit baptizes us into a process of intense change, heat and pressure that will produce a new creation. We must submit to the fire of God's process. Finally, fire represents the Presence of God. God is not outside the fire rather he is the fire and is with us in all of our trials and circumstances, leading and providing all the way.
Church Recap - Luke 12:49-59
This is one of the more challenging passages in the New Testament because it seems to be contrary to the mission of Jesus, to reconcile people to God. Jesus says here that he came to bring fire and division rather than peace and without proper context, this can be a jarring statement. It is vital to our understanding of Jesus' words to put them into the context in which he is speaking. Remember that this passage is part of his teaching on avoiding the hypocrisy of the Pharisees who prided themselves on strict adherence to the Torah but neglected the care of the poor and powerless. Jesus' teaching has emphasized a kingdom life that is joyfully and fearlessly dependent on God's grace and goodness versus human kinship and bloodlines.
With this in mind, Jesus tells a parable that condemns the "managers of God's house" for not caring for the "servants" who are doing the work of taking care of the Master's home. They don't feed or care for them rather they are lazy and drunk with power and the Master brings down harsh judgement on them for their failure. It is in this context that Jesus tells the hearers that he came bring the fire of judgment and division on them, disrupting the corrupt kinship of Israel's spiritual leadership.
In the OT, fire represented judgement, purification and the presence of God. Here Jesus' judgement on the Pharisees extends to all Christians who care for people in the church. We are all responsible to care for each other as if we were representing Jesus himself. Fire also represents God's work of purifying people to better represent him in the world. Jesus' "baptism" represents the grace of God that brings us into the family and household of God, but His Spirit baptizes us into a process of intense change, heat and pressure that will produce a new creation. We must submit to the fire of God's process. Finally, fire represents the Presence of God. God is not outside the fire rather he is the fire and is with us in all of our trials and circumstances, leading and providing all the way.