Luke 12:49-53 "Fire, Water, and Peace"

Did you have any awkward conversations on Thanksgiving? The annual debate over cranlog vs fresh cranberry sauce? Did someone strike up some nice small talk about the potential pluses or minuses of the Donald running again? Did someone insist on being referred to by a new gender pronoun? Or did someone refuse to go along with it and make everything weird? There are so many interesting possibilities these days for absolute trainwrecks at the dinner table. When I was a kid, the worst thing that could happen was to mention my aunt burnt the dinner rolls again, or that I couldn’t taste the over-cooked turkey because of the smell of cigarette smoke. 

I hope you were able to avoid all the conversational land mines this year. If you didn’t, don’t worry, you’ll get another opportunity in four weeks on Christmas. Ha.

As we continue to walk verse by verse through the Gospel of Luke, remember this whole passage in chapter twelve is a teaching Jesus gave after He left the worst dinner party ever. That awkward evening at the Pharisee’s house when they were critical of Him skipping the handwashing baptism ritual and He slammed them with six “woes” for being hypocrites and missing the point of everything God had told them. He left that party and came back to a packed house at base camp and warned them about the poison of the Pharisees—to not be intimidated by them. They’ll yell and scream and throw a fit—might even kill you—but they can’t do more than that—can’t kill your soul. Don’t worry about what they say. In fact, Jesus says don’t worry about anything. The more you trust God, the less all the troubles in this world matter. Live in the moment—don’t live in the past, don’t live in the future. Trust God for what you need today. And then He talked about our stuff. Our treasure. How we need to use whatever resources God gives us to do the things He wants us to do—everything really belongs to Him, we’re just stewards of all these things. 

Last week, we talked about what that stewardship is supposed to look like. We’re all servants living in the master’s house. He’s put us in charge of all His possessions. We’re not supposed to get so attached to the things He puts us in charge of that we don’t do what He wants us to do with them. We’re to be faithful and wise servants—not fools. Not to be so distracted by our love of His possessions and so comfortable in this life that we stop hoping for Him to come back.

It was a pretty heavy message last week. Jesus actually threatened the disciples with a beating if they acted like rebellious, selfish, ignorant fools. And if they were wicked fools who hurt people and treated His house (His church) like their own personal penthouse suite—He threatened to cut them in half with a sword.

Not exactly the gentle Jesus meek and mild we’re used to from Sunday school.

And if you thought that message was fun, you’re going to love what He says next. Because now He’s threatening to burn down the whole world. 

Luke, chapter twelve, verse 49…

“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! 

I came to set the world on fire and I wish it was already burning. Yikes!

What’s going on with Jesus? Is He having some kind of a meltdown? Did He lose it because some of the disciples were giving Him attitude? Did Peter roll his eyes at the idea of Jesus giving them a beatdown for acting like fools? Sometimes when I’m up here on Sunday morning, some of you can’t help yourselves—you give me a little stink face when you don’t like what I’m saying. Ha. Jesus knew what they were thinking anyway. Do you think He was just like, “To heck with it—I’m just going to burn it all down and be done with it!”

I’ve definitely heard some bad sermons on this text. Like Jesus was threatening to drop an atomic bomb on the earth. No. That’s not really what He’s saying. Jesus is not having a meltdown. He’s not threatening to destroy the world here. This is actually the exact opposite. This is the Gospel—it just might be the scariest possible way to say it. The gospel according to fire. 

Jesus said He came to cast fire on the earth. Which sounds bad—Fire can destroy but it can also cleanse—purify. Refine. The fire Jesus is talking about here is the fire that brings salvation. His death is the thing that’s going to spark it. Kindle it. After His death and resurrection, the kingdom of God, the ministry of the Gospel, is going to spread like wildfire all over the earth through the apostles. The followers of Jesus will be baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire. Remember the tongues of fire at Pentecost?  

So, Jesus is saying the thing He came to earth to do—the flames of His mission that will consume the whole earth with the cleansing fire of the Gospel and salvation—He wishes it was already burning. He can’t wait until His message of forgiveness is spreading all over the world. 

He also said He has a baptism to be baptized with, and He’s going to be in absolute distress until it’s accomplished. First fire, now water.

What do you think this baptism is? He’s talking about the event that starts the fire. 

Romans 6:3-5 is talking about this baptism where it says, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.”

When we’re baptized, we’re connected to His death and resurrection.

When Jesus was baptized in the water by John—that’s when He was connected to our baptism. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. Jesus didn’t have anything to repent of—He did that for us. The Father spoke from heaven and said, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” The Holy Spirit descended on Him like a dove. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—all present while Jesus stood in the water for all of us. Jesus took all the sin of the world on Himself, starting at His baptism, and carried it all the way to the cross so it could die with Him. He’s the only one who stepped into the water of Baptism clean and came out dirty. Your baptism was different, John said, “I baptize with water but Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.” At your baptism, you’re connected to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—so you can be cleansed of your sin and receive eternal life. Become a beloved child of the Father, cleansed and redeemed by the Son, and sealed by the Holy Spirit and fire. 

Luke, chapter twelve, verse 49…

“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!

When Jesus says He’ll be in distress until the baptism that lays ahead of Him—He means the bloody baptism of the cross and the glorious resurrection from the dead. He’s looking forward to it. He had set His face toward Jerusalem. He knew what was coming. He wanted to get it over with. Looking forward to it might not exactly be how He felt about it. But He couldn’t wait until His mission was accomplished. By the way, this should probably give you chills—the word Jesus uses here in “how great is my distress until it is accomplished,” the word for “accomplished” is the same word in John 19:30 when Jesus is on the cross and says “It is finished—it is accomplished” before He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is finished! 

The Gospel of John also talks about how water and blood flowed from His side on the cross when He died. Sacramental language: body and blood of Communion—water of baptism.

The cross is the baptism of blood and water that set the world on fire. 

Verse 51…

Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 

Jesus says He didn’t come to bring peace on earth. 

But. But. But the Christmas cards say “Peace on earth!” Linus said, “that’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown—Peace on earth, good will to men!” Why is Jesus saying that’s not the deal?

So what about where Luke told us in chapter two that Jesus did come to bring peace, The angels said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

But then Matthew also quotes Jesus saying, “I did not come to bring peace but a sword.”

So what’s the deal? Peace or no peace?

When Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, the crowd will be singing “Blessed the Coming One, the King, in the name of the LORD! In heaven peace, and glory in the highest!”

But then later in the same chapter, Jesus weeps for Jerusalem because the people did not know “the things that have to do with peace.”

Peace or no peace?

How can we make sense out of all this? Peace on earth—I didn’t not come to give peace on earth. Which is it?

I think you already know. 

Jesus does bring peace on earth for those who give Him their ear. For those who listen and believe—for those who are people of His kingdom. Those who live under His reign. Under His protection. Everyone who’s waiting for Him to come back and are trying to do what He told them to do in the meantime. Everyone who trusts Him. Everyone who worships God and Loves people. All of us who joyfully believe that Jesus has promised peace between us and God. Something only possible because of the bloody baptism of Jesus on the cross—the baptism of fire where He took the full wrath of God for all of us and burned away all the sin that would have dragged us to hell. He marks us as His own in baptism—we live in His peace that passes all understanding by faith. So that’s the peace He brings.

But it’s peace that brings war. 

The mark of that cross in baptism, the same thing that gives us peace with God, makes us an enemy of the world. In other words: we have peace with God, but that creates all kinds of conflict with the world because it’s at war with God and anyone who’s with Him. The world hates you because God loves you. 

Having peace with God puts us at war with the world. And it’s going to make some Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas parties pretty awkward. 

Verse 53…

For from now on in one house there will be five 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.” 

Did He leave anyone out?

I’ve heard really bad sermons on this text, too. Like it’s about us rejecting our family. 

Here’s the deal: When we say grace in Jesus’ name, someone’s probably going to be offended. Oh well—say it anyway. Grace is offensive. To follow Jesus might mean we have to choose Him over our family if they reject Him. And if they reject Him hard enough, they’ll probably reject us, too. Which is not cool. It’s heartbreaking. It’s the opposite of peace—but it might be what has to happen to faithfully follow Jesus and have peace with God. 

We are not to hide our faith to avoid making waves. Don’t put your light under a bucket. If you deny Jesus in front of your family, Jesus will deny you in front of His. You don’t want that. Jesus will say later, the time is going to come when members of your own family might betray you—father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters (everyone at that holiday party)—there will be times when the world hates Christians so much, unbelievers will turn in their own family members and have them killed. 

We still need to say grace. They might reject us but this is not about rejecting our family and friends. We still need to show them grace. Still need to make peace wherever we can. Tell them about God’s grace—about God’s peace—things they can only know if they know Jesus. Like the bumper sticker used to say: Know Jesus, know peace. No Jesus, no peace. So we still have to tell them, even if that makes dinner awkward. No matter where we are. Even if it goes against community standards and your account gets blocked. Stay in the places where you can offer grace and peace until they kick you out. Jesus is warning us—if we’re with Him, some people will be against us—and it might cost us. It’s definitely going to cause some less than peaceful moments. 

But that doesn’t give us a license to be jerks. I feel like I need to clarify this point. 

If people get mad at you because you want them to know Jesus is who He says He is. If they get offended because you dare to let them know He died to offer them peace with God—He set them free from slavery to the world and sin—if they reject Jesus and reject you because they find the Gospel offensive. Well, that’s one thing. 

But if they get mad at you because you’re a jerk, that’s not the same. It’s not persecution when the cashier says “happy holidays”—it’s not your duty to spit “Merry Christmas” back in their face. Say it, don’t spray it. It’s not your job to make sure everyone knows all the things you’re sure God hates. It’s not your job to accuse people of sin. It’s not a Christian response to unbelievers to be grossed out by the way they act or the way they dress, or to get mad at them because they believe all the world’s lies. Do you remember the ministry of Jesus? How often He was accused of hanging out with sinners?

I’ve known people who didn’t invite family members to Thanksgiving or Christmas because they thought they acted or looked too much like sinners. You know, the kind of sinners decent Christians don’t like to have around. Jesus didn’t seem to have that concern.

So, that’s not what Jesus is talking about when He says His Gospel will cause division. We’re not supposed to be the ones rejecting people. 

You have heard it said, “love the sinner, hate the sin,” but I say unto you, “love the sinner, hate your own sin.” Show them the same grace Jesus showed you for all your sin, and let God work on them in His own time just like He did with you—for when and how they should repent and confess their sin. I’m not saying we ignore sin. We’re all sinners. Sin is the real problem in the world. Jesus is the only solution—we need to offer them His promise of grace and forgiveness, Let God work on changing their heart once they join us in the church. 

So don’t act like a jerk to unbelievers. They’ll have plenty of reasons to hate your stinkin’ guts without you handing them a bunch more. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, know that it hated me first.” Let them hate you for loving them. Let it hate you for offering them peace. 

The closer Jesus gets to Jerusalem, the more things are going to heat up. The fire is going to be kindled. Jesus is walking straight for the cross. His bloody baptism. He came to cast fire on the earth, and He’s not going to rest until it is finished!

Everyone who follows Jesus follows Him to a cross. Your cross will probably look very different than His but it will still include laying down your life for others and praying for God to forgive the people who hurt and attack you. It’s not going to be easy. 

On the night before the crucifixion, Jesus celebrated the Passover with His closest friends. It was the biggest holiday feast in their culture. It got a little awkward when Jesus said, “one of you is going to betray me.” Have you ever noticed what their reaction was? They all wondered if He was talking about them. How strange is that?

This is the season of Advent—a time when we look back to when Jesus came to earth as a baby, and at the same time look forward to when He comes again at the end of time. In our Communion meal, we look back to the Last Supper when Jesus said to do this until He comes again—but we also look forward to that marriage supper of the lamb when Jesus sits us in a place of honor at His table and serves us in a heavenly feast. Kind of like how we’re between the feast of Thanksgiving and the feast of Christmas. 

We remember what has happened before. We look forward to when it will happen again. We live in the middle—a time of “now, not yet.” Peace and no peace. We come to this time of Communion looking forward to a day when we will truly have peace with all our brothers and sisters. For now we have peace with God because of Jesus. We celebrate a time of peace that passes all understanding because we live in a world that doesn’t know what peace is. 

At this meal we’re about to celebrate together, we will say grace. The words of grace that truly offer peace with God through the forgiveness of sins that is only found in Jesus. You will remember that you have betrayed Jesus by the things you have done and things you have left undone. You will also receive His peace—the peace Jesus gives you: not as the world gives, but the peace of knowing your betrayals have been forgiven and you have been invited to His table anyway. Grace and peace—and fire. AMEN