The Reign of God and Responsibility - A Sermon on Luke 12:49-56 - August 14, 2022
Have no fear, little flock, for it is the Father’s greatest desire to give you the Kingdom… I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! … Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! What a contrast! From the comforting words of verse 32 to the seemingly harsh words of verse 49 and following, it feels as though Jesus has had a complete change of perspective. He has seemingly gone from words of comfort and promise, to words of rejection and judgement. And as he continues with this teaching, he only seems to makes things worse: The household 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. What’s up with this? What is it that Jesus is trying to say to us through this difficult and seemingly contradictory series of teachings? I would like to take a brief