Proper 15

Preparation

Please begin by reading Luke 12:49-56 in your Bible. If you do not have one at hand, we have provided that text for you at the end of this reflection.

Reflection--The Fire Bringer

We continue walking with Jesus toward Jerusalem; listening to his lessons on what it means to be one of his disciples. As he gets closer to his destination, Jesus’ teaching seems to get more and more direct and forceful.

We get to some teachings, like this one, that really make us uncomfortable. How can we balance the angels’ song of peace on earth at Jesus’ birth with the adult who says he brings fire and division and seems anxious for that fire to be burning brightly? One writer says that “If one were to list ten of the hardest sayings in the Gospels, the first portion of [today’s gospel lesson] would undoubtedly be on the list.”[1]

No gentle parables here! This is not the calm Jesus that comes to reassure us when we are in distress. If we listen we can hear the passion and frustration in Jesus’ voice. What’s going on here?

Jesus is getting anxious for those who hear him to put his words into action. His time for teaching them is growing short. The “baptism” that he faces is the cross. (See Mark 10:38, for example.) He wants to see his teaching bear fruit for God.

But what is this “fire” that Jesus wishes were kindled? Often in Luke fire is a symbol for judgment, “the flames that destroy and refine. … Such a prophetic mission as Jesus has embarked on provokes sharp division — acceptance by some and rejection by other’s. It is a moment of painful crisis.”[2] Fire is also a symbol of the power of the Holy Spirit -- a power that shakes things up and changes them. (Read Acts 2.)

This element of tension and division flowing around Jesus won’t be a surprise if we’ve been paying close attention. It’s been there from the beginning. When Mary and Joseph took the infant Jesus to the temple for the very first time, an old man they encountered there gave Mary this prophetic warning: “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed -- and a sword will pierce your own soul too." (Luke 2:34-35)

Yes, Jesus is still “the Prince of Peace.” Promises of peace fill Luke’s gospel, beginning with the angels’ song. We want that peace immediately and without conflict. Jesus warns us that is not going to be. “Although the kingdom of God is characterized by reconciliation and peace, the announcement of that kingdom is always divisive because it requires decision and commitment.”[3]

Getting to peace requires that walk through the fire. Jesus is a clear dividing point. He calls people to change and sometimes to hard decisions. Not everyone will be with us, or support us, if we make our decision to follow Jesus.

That’s really it, isn’t it? It’s that business of decision and commitment. If your commitment to follow Jesus is deep, there will be conflict. There will be family members and friends who ask “why can’t you be the way you used to be.” Often what they really mean is “why is your commitment forcing me to take a hard look at my life; something I don’t want to do.” Following Jesus may bring conflict with religious leaders too. Certainly Jesus himself had that experience. Being “religious” and really following Jesus can be very different things. For example, I believe that Jesus must weep at the sectarian violence in the world; much of it committed in his name. Many in our own community may also reject us as they fail to understand that the religious rejection and persecution they have experienced are far removed from Jesus.

So yes, Jesus brings fire to the earth. The big temptation is to keep a safe distance away from that fire; for it can painfully burn away things in our lives that need to go. Avoiding that fire is not all that difficult if you don’t take a stand, but that isn’t what it’s about?

What is your decision? Can you say with Joshua “as for me and my household, we will serve God"? [4]

[1] Charles B. Cousar and others, Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV—Year C (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1994), 476.

[2] Ibid., 477.

[3] Leander E. Kick and others, ed., The New Interpreter’s Bible (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995), vol. IX, Luke, John 266.

[4] Joshua 24:15.

    “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?” [NRSV]