"They will be Divided"

“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. 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.” (Luke 12:51-53 ESV)

If you ask most people, especially those caught in the web of charismatics or prosperity teachings, to talk about Jesus, they will tell you about love, kindness, generosity, and such. Which is all true, for those who believe in Him. For those who repent their sins and know Him as their Lord and Savior.

You see, everyone will die, and everyone will live forever. The difference is this: only those who know Christ as their Savior will live in the love, peace, joy, and devotion of Christ. Those who reject Him will live in hell, knowing that they placed themselves there by denying Christ.

In today’s first verse, Jesus asks the question, “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? Is that what you think? Is that what you have been taught? The answer to this seemingly rhetorical question is answered by Jesus Himself. No, He did not come for that reason; rather, He came to divide, right down to the family level.

Isaiah called the coming Messiah the Prince of Peace. In the upper room, Jesus said to the disciples, " My peace I give you, my peace I leave you.” John tells us God loved the world so much that He sent His Son to purchase our salvation. This is all true. But it is true for the believers, those who place their faith in Christ as their Savior.

This division is not meant to be peaceful, as Jesus indicated in Matthew 10:34, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Jesus came to divide believers and unbelievers. We may see this adamant division in our own families. Interestingly enough, Jesus goes straight to the most intimate relationships we have to show the depth of this division. The nuclear family. A place of love and intimacy will be the site of hostile division, that is right, hostile.

Beginning in verse one of this chapter and continuing to our text today, Jesus warns the Israelites to turn away from the false Jewish teachers who lead them away from God, straight to hell. Jesus warned them to fear God and to trust Him as the Son of God. He warned of worldly desires, greed, and coveting, and to come to Him for He alone offers salvation from the wrath of their own sins.

The other thing Jesus makes clear in 12:40 is that judgment is looming. Jesus tells this massive crowd, “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” 

In verse 49, Jesus tells us He will bring fire upon the earth, not only that, but that He wished it already happened,  “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! 

Jesus was also preparing for His own baptism, not of John the Baptist, but a baptism of pain and grief meant for us. The cup He asked the Father to be taken from Him in Gethsemane. “ I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!” (v. 50) Jesus came knowing His mission; it was not a last-minute decision, but a plan within the Trinity, mission of redemption.

Why are these verses so important and applicable today? Just look deeper at the verses. Jesus came to divide, and He is dividing. The rejection of Christ not only continues, but in a biblically founded country, the attempts to silence Christianity are growing exponentially. This division even occurs between parents and children.

The rise of Satan-inspired false teachers is luring millions away from God in greater numbers than the Judaic teachers of the first century. The promise of wealth, the best life now, freedom from debt, preached by these false teachers, appeals to the blind and hard-hearted, who turn with great vigor towards the enemy.

Lastly, the immediacy of repentance and placing your faith in Christ as your Savior is greater than ever before. With one hand, Christ beckons non-believers to Him for Salvation, and with the other, He holds back the wrath against sin. At some point, He will drop both hands.

Everyone will die, and everyone will live forever. Where do you want to be: heaven or hell?

Grace and Peace!