Time after Pentecost - Lectionary 20
Luke 12:49-56 (NRSV)
Jesus brings fire on earth
"I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, 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 her daughter-in-law
and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."
He also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, 'It is going to rain'; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, 'There will be scorching heat'; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
SERMON
As most of you know, I’m a good news preacher. I look forward to opening up the Bible and reading the good news words of Jesus and then preparing a devotion or sermon that will fill us with joy.
So you can imagine my shock when I opened up the Gospel of Luke this week and read the words of Jesus. He said, “I came to bring fire…I am under stress…I have come to bring division…You hypocrites!”
Whoa…Aren’t you glad that we are Christians and unafraid to preach Law and Gospel? Today, Jesus introduces a whole lot of law, and we’re charged with finding the good news in the midst of it.
After reading today’s scripture, one of my Facebook friends stated, “Jesus sounds pretty crabby!,” and I am inclined to agree. But, I also know from experience that just because one is crabby doesn’t mean one is not also telling the truth!
So where is the truth in the midst of Jesus’ crabby statements? Where is the good news, in the midst of the bad? How do we reconcile the angel’s words, “Peace on earth and goodwill toward all people,” with Jesus’ words, “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.”
Division?
As human beings we don’t tend to appreciate stress, division, or conflict. Most people that I know prefer to keep the peace at any cost. When we see injustice, sometimes our tongues stick to the roofs of our mouths. When we see the wicked, oppressing the weak, we often think somebody should do something, but we step into the shadows hoping that somebody doesn’t mean us. When we are offended, we often nurse the wound deep inside our hearts, but we rarely speak up for ourselves demanding the respect and reconciliation that we deserve.
See, as human beings it occurs to me that we will settle for a false peace. This week someone told me, “I just don’t say anything because I fear that I will get too emotional.” Another friend told me, “It’s because I’m Norwegian; I don’t do conflict.”
Ah! Jesus knew that whether we are European, American, African, Asian, or Australian, human beings will often choose a false peace, rather than fighting for the real, lasting, and just peace that God truly wants for our world.
Perhaps this is why our Lord said, “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed!”
I don’t know about you, but I rarely think about the fact that Jesus could be stressed. In the church we tend to maximize his divinity and minimize his humanity. But, as a human being, Jesus did experience stress in this world.
He was stressed out as he observed our attempts to maintain a false peace. He was stressed out as he awaited his own end in the name of securing real peace. He was stressed out as he witnessed the injustice and division in families and society and he was further stressed out as he imagined the division that was to come after his death and resurrection.
See, fire and stress are not always negative. Sometimes they can accomplish positive ends. For example, fire is known to purify. It cleanses and it sterilizes. It makes space for new growth and new opportunity. This is why fire fighters will actually set fires preemptively in forests or prairies in order to cleanse the forest floor, eradicate disease, or steer an out of control fire away from homes and businesses. Fire is not always bad. Sometimes fire burns away the dross and leaves pure gold or silver behind.
See, Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection set a fire burning…A fire that illuminates the false peace and real division between human beings.
At the very formation of the Christian Church there was division. Families were divided as some chose to remain Jewish and others chose to put their hope for salvation in Jesus. Communities of faith were divided when some said only Jews could become Christian and others said that Jesus died for the Gentiles too.
But, these weren’t the only divisions magnified by Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. As a result of the fire of the Holy Spirit, Christians began to boldly illuminate the divisions between the just and unjust, the wicked and the virtuous, the weak and the strong, the humble and the proud, the powerful and the powerless, and the needy vs. the greedy.
Today, Jesus’ fire continues to illuminate real divisions even amongst Christians in the 21st Century as we deal with the reality of discrimination in the church. Even those of us who know and love Jesus have been guilty of the sin of discriminating against another Christian and non-Christian brother or sister on the basis of race, Christian denomination, religion, national origin, color, sex, age, political affiliation or even ability level.
To make matters worse, we also find that as Christians we experience division even as we attempt to share the good news that Jesus lived, died, and rose again to save us from our sin and gift us with eternal life. Sometimes, we find that people are not receptive to our message and it hurts or humiliates us!
Dear ones, there is Gospel—or good news—today! The good news is that Jesus lived, died, and rose again to bring real and lasting peace to our earth. The good news is that as God’s partners in service to humanity we are called to speak out-- and act up--against false peace and work toward real and lasting peace and justice for all of God’s children.
The good news is that as we speak out we are not alone. The Apostle Paul said, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.”
The good news is that we know that Jesus is even now interceding for us at the right hand of God and that LOVE is the catalyst that brings about true and lasting peace.
The good news is that as we love God and neighbor as ourselves, we will sow the seeds of real peace and justice everywhere that we go. These are seeds that will be watered, fertilized, and harvested by Christ in this world and in the world to come.
Ultimately, the good news is that we can trust Jesus to work in us and through us to bring about real peace.
This is today’s good news message! In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.
INVITATION
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