I was reading an atheist website this week that was commenting on this passage in Luke. The atheist said, “Well, if that is Jesus’ attitude then I don’t want to have any part of Him.”
“I have come to cast fire on the earth, and would that it already kindled!” In this sentence in Greek the wording of this passage would be literally, “Fire I came to cast on the earth!” By putting the word “poor” or fire first in the sentence shows the level of intensity that Jesus intended in this verse. I guess if I were an atheist and heard a passage like this I wouldn’t be interested either. But what if I was an atheist and saw Jesus bringing fire upon the earth? Well I guess, as my seminary professor good Rev. Dr. Sundberg says, I hope that I was wearing brown trousers.
What on earth is this passage all about? What about a God of love a God of peace? This passage is quite contrary to that image. Dennis, you have seven kids, you’re a love machine right? I mean you are a loving father. Did you ever get angry at any of your children? Let me ask them, Liz, have you ever seen you father anger? Did he ever inflict any kind of judgment or punishment on you? Well Dennis as a loving father, you are not limited to the emotion of tender, gentle, make peace not war kinds of emotion are you? Well if you being human are not limited to one nature the how can we possibly limit an eternal being like God to one nature? God is love but He is not only love.
Jesus says I have come to cast fire in the earth. Let’s consider this verse in light of the entire Bible not just one line. Where else in the bible to we hear about fire? How about in Exodus? Did God not lead the Israelites through the desert as a pillar of fire? And what about sacrifices made to God in the OT? Weren’t most of the “burnt” offerings? In 1 Kings 18 Elijah calls down fire from the Lord and it consumes the sacrifice. Then Elijah orders that all the prophets of Baal be slaughtered, and they are. And what about earlier in Luke 3:16, “John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water but He who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”
Baptism, fire, judgment? Is it not completely fitting that we held our first Baptism at Word of Life today? Well perhaps I should explain a little further.
What is baptism? Baptism is the Word of God (Jesus Christ Himself) present in the water of the baptismal font. This Word present in the water permeates the life of the one being baptized making them a light to shine for the glory of Christ. The water alone is nothing rather the Word in the water pronounces to the person that they are claimed for Christ upon hearing this promise the Holy Spirit enters the person and delivers to them all that they need for saving faith. The person being baptized comes up from the water a new creation in Christ. Baptism, while witnessing to those watching does not function solely to witness. The only thing that is needed for baptism is water, the Word and two witnesses that promise to guide and direct the one being baptized. The ritual of baptism is a symbol of what will take place all throughout the life of that person.
What is it that is taking place? Well you can’t have a resurrection without a death. I have asked many people but I have never found anyone who has made it or thinks that they will make it out of this life alive. Everyone dies. During our lives we are creeping closer and closer to our physical death. Why do we die? Because God’s judgment has already taken place and each of us has been found guilty of our sin. As a result of this guilty verdict we have been sentenced to death. No one is innocent, no one gets out alive.
But the guilty verdict is not the last Word we hear from God is it. No! There is another. After we are sentenced to death by the law those who have been given saving faith in Jesus Christ at their baptism and have been nurtured in the saving faith in Jesus Christ thus responding to this saving faith in Jesus Christ are then resurrected as new creations and are given eternal life.
Does anyone know how gold or silver is purified? It is done through fire. Heating the metal up so hot that the sludge rises to the top. The sludge is then cleansed away from the metal and it becomes pure. The refining fire that Jesus claims that He has come to bring functions the same way. After our baptisms we live our lives through the refining fire of Jesus Christ. Why? So that Christ can make us into someone that is useful in the service of their neighbor. Then when the refining process is complete, at our physical death, Christ takes what is left, the purity of the new creation and grants them eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven.
This sermon may be hard for some of you to hear.
In our gospel reading today Jesus says, “and would that it were already kindled!” Jesus can’t wait until you join Him completely in the Kingdom of Heaven. After a person is baptized they are a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. So we live our lives in a duality; completely condemned to death but completely forgiven and eternal. Simual ustes et percator, simultaneously sinner and saint.
“I have a baptism to be baptized with, how great is my distress until it is accomplished!” The Greek word “baptidzo” can mean “to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge 2) to cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash, to make clean with water, to wash one's self, bathe 3) to become overwhelmed by God’s judgment.” Jesus is saying that He is going to the cross to be put to death under the Judgment of God; FOR YOU! And He is a little stressed out about it. As a matter of fact He says, “I will be in distress until IT IS Accomplished.” What are Christ’s last words on the cross? Oh yeah, “It IS ACCOMPLISHED!” There is no doubt that when Christ refers to the upcoming baptism that He will face He is talking about going to the cross.
So what about those who are kindled in the fire of the judgment of God and have not been given saving faith? What about the evil, the arrogant and the evildoers who seem to prosper in this life. Listen close because here is the promise Malachi 4:1-3, “4:1 [1] “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.”
Jesus goes on to say in our gospel reading for today “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” The peace that is promised through Christ is the peace found in the eternal Kingdom of Heaven not here on earth. We will never be at peace as long as evil exists in the world. This doesn’t mean that there won’t be times of peace or that we shouldn’t work for peace but it does mean that evil will always seek to destroy and disrupt peace and there will always have to be men and women who are called to protect the peaceful. Thank you Scott for your service.
This is the division that Jesus is talking about in the last part of this passage. When the Word of Christ, saving faith, really takes hold of a sinner they change. Their lives change, sometimes much to the dismay of their family and friends. What do you mean you won’t go to that movie with me? What do you mean that two beers is your limit, you used to drink with me all night! What do you mean you want to pray before dinner and eat together every night? What are you now some kind of pious Jesus freak? Don’t force your religious garbage on me! Take you Bible and thump it elsewhere I am not interested. And these very words may come from your best friend, your mom, dad or mother in law. But notice Jesus says nothing about husband and wife in this passage. He intentionally leaves out division in marriages because Jesus doesn’t will divorce. What God has joined let no man come in between. If you hear someone say and it is said in this day and age, God wanted me to get divorced may wife and marry my secretary, it is a lie and that person is being deluded by the devil. Now I am not saying that when one spouse turns to Christ and the other doesn’t, that division will not arise. What I am saying is that the division that arises is not of Christ. He came to separate the sheep from the goats not husband from wife. This doesn’t mean that divorced people are bad. I am sure that most of you do not realize that Zanny is in fact my second wife. It does means that even in and through Godly people evil will seek to destroy peace.
In God ordained relationships there is always a way but both parties are not always willing. This is a sad commentary on the state of marriage in our world today. And evil even seeks to pervert this God ordained office by legally bringing together same sex partners. This is against the order of creation, in these kinds of relationships St. Paul says in Romans chapter one God will abandon them to the lust and impurity of their hearts, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!
Let each of us pray for the sacred office of marriage in our world today. May God restore to it the purity, honor, and example of the Christian relationship. As husband is to wife so is Christ to the Church.
So Christ beings with Him the judgment of God however to those who have been baptized, thus bestowing upon them saving faith, there is no need to fear. Remember last week’s gospel reading? “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
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Great Message
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