Luke 12:49-53
Not Peace but Division
49"I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! 51Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53They 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."
Jesus has a way of drawing people together...That is what He does...He teaches sharing, helping, and to love one another, including your enemies...But He knew everyone would not believe in Him...He knew He would bring a passion and a zeal to some, and not to others...He knew His presence would bring division, even in families...Some will believe that He is the Messiah, others will not...Some will think He was just a nice man, who preached the gospel for three years and then moved on (the moving on is that what the non-believer has done -Jesus resurrected and is alive)...The division is caused by those who believe in Him and those who don't believe...So when someone tells a non-believer that that He is the Son of God, there can be controversy and not His Peace...
The fire that Jesus brings in His gospel, the truth about Him...There would not be this division, if we never talked about Him...If you are with a non-believer or believers and start a conversation, not about the weather, but on Jesus, controversy and division can easily happen...Most people, it seems to me, think Jesus has a place and a time that He can be discussed, and it is maybe not at work or in many other places...Jesus ought to be strapped to the church, or in one's house...But the Father and the Son are everywhere, like the weather...We can talk about the weather at any time and anywhere, but we cannot talk about Him, anytime or anywhere...What is interesting is God created weather...And He controls the weather...
Jesus is divine, perfectly good, and the truth...How can evil or the wicked be one and have peace with Him?...There will be division between evil and good on the earth, because He teaches the truth...
Jesus makes it very clear, He comes to us to make us think about the spiritual and His Father...He would not have it any other way...We are to have a zeal and passion for Him and His gospel...He does not want us to be lukewarm about Him and what He teaches...This zeal and our passion toward Him can turn others off, who do not believe or want to hear about Him...Our love for His gospel can even turn others off in our families...
He also mentions that He has a baptism to undergo shortly...He is very distressed about it, and will be until it is over...This is His death, He is about to undertake on the cross, for us...He will die on the cross for our sins...His work as our Great Teacher is about done on earth...It will be done when He dies for each of our sins that we have committed or will commit...There is no wonder He has a passion, this fire on earth...To come and die for us and complete a mission of God, as part of the Master's Plan is the best mission ever for man...This should bring passion to our hearts...If it brings no feelings in others out, that division will just happen naturally, because the non-believer does not understand the passion of the Christ, and what He went through for each one of us...Let us rejoice in God's great plan...