Day 364: The urgent choice – Luke 12 vs 49 – 59

49-50 Jesus said: ‘I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!  51-53 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.  From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’

54-55 He said to the crowd: ‘When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, “It’s going to rain,” and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, “It’s going to be hot,” and it is. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time? 57-59 ‘Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.’ Luke 12:49-59 New International Version (English Standard Version link)

Jesus had been warning the people to be careful of the hypocrisy so evident in many of the Pharisees and said that God will one day separate all who lived double standard lives from those who served Him faithfully. Such teaching was bound to start a lot of argument and this seems to be what he speaks of in vs 51-53. Why do you think many people who are not 'church-goers' would find vs 49-50 surprising and what do you think Jesus was referring to?

The common view on the street is that Jesus was ‘gentle and sweet’ and ‘came to bring peace and goodwill’. It’s 'Merry Christmas' and all that fun stuff. Now while there’s some truth there, it's certainly not the whole picture. Among other things, Jesus came as a prelude to the coming judgement day - and the sort of peace He brings would only be brought about by what He would need to go through on the cross. That's the message the people would be sharply divided over, even within families. Some would believe and trust in Christ to save them from sin, others would reject the whole concept of sin, judgement and the need of a saviour. This ties in with what He went on to say in vs 54-59. What was Jesus pointing out in vs 56?

In the verses just before today's ones Jesus had warned of the danger of servants who got tired of waiting for the owner of the house to return, and began to be drunk and beat up other servants. He said when the owner returned he would severely punish those servants who knew what he expected of them, but totally disregarded it. Now he rebukes those who were scoffing at His message for being able to recognize nature's warnings of stormy weather – but unable to recognize what His presence among them meant. His message was 'the Kingdom of God is at hand – repent of sin and believe the gospel's good news of salvation'. What do verses 57-59 imply they ought to have been doing as a result of seeing His miracles and hearing His message?

Just as someone guilty of a crime who is being whisked off to court would want his lawyer to arrange a plea bargain and settle the matter before the magistrate handed down a severe sentence, so those who hear the words of Jesus ought to realize the serious situation they are in because of sin – which are crimes against almighty God – and do all they can to be reconciled to Him before His judgement falls upon them. The gospel isn’t a light hearted message of peace and goodwill to everyone no matter how they live their lives. It is an urgent summons to repent of sin and to obey all that Jesus taught. And it's a message that will bring sharp divisions – even within our own families. Men and women need to choose who they will follow – the world and their own ambitions – or Jesus Christ and His gospel. But if we've chosen Jesus – we mustn't be surprised if we encounter hostility from others who have no place for the message of the cross.