Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division

 

 "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!  Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?  I tell you, not at all, but rather division.  For from now on five in one house will be divided:  three against two, and two against three.  Father will be divided 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."

Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is.  And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is.  Hypocrites!  You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how it is you do not discern this time?

"Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?  When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite."

 

- Luke 12:49-59 

 

On Saturday, we read that Jesus taught His disciples, "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.  Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.  And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."  Then Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?"  And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.  Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.  But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.  And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.  But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few.  For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."

 

"I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!"   My study bible tells us that fire references the proclamation of the gospel, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.  It says that this fire both enlivens the faithful and judges the faithless; it both purifies virtue and destroys sin (see 3:15; 1 Corinthians 3:12-15).  

 

"Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?  I tell you, not at all, but rather division."  There are two kinds of peace.  There is a false peace, to which Christ refers.  This false peace is a shallow harmony, that results from ignoring issues of truth.  Genuine peace, my study bible explains, is reconciliation with God, through faith in Christ and surrender to truth.  Genuine peace has division as a byproduct because not everyone wants truth.  In the fallen world, it further notes, divisions are necessary for truth to be manifest (see 1 Corinthians 11:18-19).  

"For from now on five in one house will be divided:  three against two, and two against three.  Father will be divided 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."   My study bible calls these verses a fulfillment of the prophecy of Micah 7:6.  Additional to its literal meaning, which has been experienced in the Church since Christ's time, the separation of the older generation from the younger symbolizes first the rejection of the new covenant by followers of the old covenant, and second the spiritual struggle between our old sinful state and our renewal in Christ (see Ephesians 4:20-24).  

Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is.  And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is.  Hypocrites!  You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how it is you do not discern this time?"   This time, my study bible says, refers to the revelation of the Kingdom of God in the first coming of Jesus Christ.  

"Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?  When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite."  My study bible comments that just as a guilty person would attempt to reconcile with his opponent before facing an earthly judge, even more so should one be reconciled to God in Christ before facing His dread judgment.  

Jesus continues with His themes voiced in recent readings regarding the importance of reconciliation with God as opposed to the world.  In Thursday's reading, Jesus taught, "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!"  In today's reading, He goes further by speaking about the division that He is going to bring into the world.  It is most intriguing that my study bible emphasizes, as does St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:18-19, that divisions are necessary for the truth to be manifest.  This reminds us of the centuries of identification of heresies through various controversies in the Church.  Let us not despair when everybody doesn't just "get along" and there are differences of opinion.  Throughout history, there have been famous "peaces" such as the Pax Romana, or even the Pax Ottomana, which simply meant a kind of peace imposed from above by an empire which offered extreme penalties for anyone who disagreed or preferred not to be ruled by the empire.  This is not the kind of peace that Jesus brings; His is the opposite of such a "peace."  Jesus' peace is through reconciliation with God, but our pursuit of our faith evidently means we might find ourselves opposed to those who are around us, as the "ruler of this world" is not Jesus Christ.  Christ rules through hearts and minds and faith, and each one of us must choose for oneself, as this is a kingdom that asks of us love and trust, not slavish obedience born of sheer force.  God loves all of creation, but does not compel us to love God back.  This is a voluntary action which comes and grows through a response of the heart.  Nevertheless, the fact that we are free beings does not make our need to love God -- the One who has the power to cast into hell -- any less important in terms of the fullness of life in the Kingdom, and the eternal life offered by Christ.  Everything points to the central importance of the reconciliation with God as the power that is above all other powers, the one loyalty that it is absolutely necessary to have in order to realize the blessings of the Kingdom and the life that Christ offers, even an eternal life.  So when Jesus teaches us to reconcile with our opponent before the time, to make our peace with the judge.  This is an admonition warning to use the time of our lives well, in effort to reconcile with God through prayer and a heart that listens and hopes for that communion of love that God invites us into.  So when we face opposite and strife, and difficult circumstances, let us approach such troubles in the light of Christ that is offered to us in His words.  It is not that our lives really need to be trouble free, or antagonism-free, but that we need to approach all such struggles and conflicts with the light of God's truth as our beacon to illumine the way.  The reconciliation we need above all others is with God; this is the first place we need to take care of.  So how we walk through other struggles or conflicts, or even a lack of peace, must be determined by our hearts fully loved in God, in the life of Christ.  This is our beacon, our illumination, the lamp that lights the path for our feet, the number one priority and consideration.  Let us take it seriously in a world that seems to be filled with strife, opposition, and uncertainty.  There is always one place that is our true home.