“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! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three.” Luke 12:49-52
Devotional Thought For The Day
Nothing really is completely simple. Of course Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He seeks to give His disciples His peace [Jn. 14:27]. Because “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them” [2 Cor. 5:19], we now are justified by faith and have “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” [Rom. 5:1] This is the greatest act for the cessation of conflict in all of human experience. God is now reconciled to us – we who through our sin are in bitter rebellion and struggle against Him and His good and gracious will for mankind. [2 Cor. 5:18,19] We are now invited to be reconciled to Him through faith in Jesus Christ, by receiving the great redemption which He has provided for us. And those who are thus reconciled to God become “peacemakers,” eager to reconcile with those who sin against them and eager to avoid giving any just cause for animosity and hatred by their behavior.
It was not without price. The Prince of Peace speaks of the “baptism” that He came to accomplish – His bitter suffering and death under the wrath of God for the sins of the world. This was His purpose and mission – and the mere thought of it caused distress even for the eternal and almighty Son of God! His sufferings and agony of soul were real – bearing the guilt and punishment for the whole world, for every human being, for every sin, and this meant suffering forsakenness of God. We are barely able to scratch the surface in grasping this immense dispensing of cosmic justice. But it was for us, for our redemption and salvation that He came and suffered – as Isaiah makes crystal clear [Is. 53]. And His great distress brings us greatest peace and joy, eternal rejoicing in the gracious love and mercy of God!
But His coming also brought “fire” to the earth, and division. So long as there are two sides that are unalterably and bitterly opposed, what is good for the one will be evil for the other. And the ultimate good for the one means the death of the other. So wherever good prevails evil is losing, and wherever evil prevails, goodness and love are losing. The obvious and consistent message of Holy Scripture is that God is good, and also that God is Almighty. Though in His mercy, compassion, and love, and for the sake of His loving and patient will for human beings to repent and to be given new life in His gracious forgiveness and salvation, He endures the continuation of this present fallen world, He will not capitulate to evil but will ultimately destroy it. This is the “fire” that Christ brought with His coming – now, “he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” [Jn. 3:36] It is not because of sin that people are damned, but because of their unbelief and rejection of God’s gift of salvation, their persistent choice of evil and rebellion against God and their insistence that they be granted the freedom and the right to go to hell.
Those who are “baptized” into Christ Jesus, who believe in Him and have become His disciples, also have a “baptism.” We are already part of the conflict, the conflict between good and evil. It is just that as Christians we have changed sides. We have been joined to Christ’s side. This is problematic – good does not seek the destruction of human beings, but rather the rebirthing, restoration, and renewal of human beings; evil, on the other hand, seeks precisely the destruction of human beings, especially the annihilation of those who oppose, challenge, and threaten evil by hindering its goals. So, humanly speaking, the battle looks one-sided, as if good must fight with both hands tied behind its back, because good refuses to fight evil with evil. Evil has no such restraints. Hence, our immense frustration at the apparent prevalence of evil, and our fearfulness at what our fate might be. So we must remember Who is on the side of good, Who is good, and we must remember what He has done for us in defeating evil and what He has assured is coming in regard to this great cosmic conflict – His complete victory and the utter defeat and destruction of all evil.
So we should not find it surprising when we experience division and conflict even in the “one house” that we live in, and especially out there “in the world.” Understanding is essential to planning, surviving, and even thriving in our daily encounters with others, especially those who remain in darkness. We too have a “baptism,” a life-plan and mission in this world, to bear witness to God’s love in Christ Jesus by word and by lifestyle, and to also suffer with Christ for good and for His Name. It is fine for us to also have “distress” in all of this; it is a daunting consideration to also lay down our lives for the sake of good, the ultimate good of God’s gracious will that all be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. He will give us strength and courage as we also pray, “Nevertheless, not my will but Thine be done.” The “fire” is already here, and greater “fire” is soon to come. Just as Noah found safety and salvation in the gracious promises of God, so will we. Even so, come Lord Jesus!
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for suffering the just wrath of God for our sins, the conflagration that has abolished human guilt and sin. Thank You also for calling us to be Your disciples, for Your gift of Holy Baptism that cleanses us from all sin and clothes us with Your righteousness. Thank You also for the wisdom and understanding that You provide for us in Your Word; help us to grasp and internalize this wisdom and light, and to live in courage and faithfulness as Your disciples. We look eagerly and longingly for Your certain judgment and the cessation of all evil and conflict, when You return in glory. Keep us safe and secure until that day. Amen.