“I have come to set the earth on fire and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three, a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” (Luke 12:49-53 New American Bible translation)
OMG! This scripture verse flies in the face of all we have come to know as the message of Jesus Christ. “To set the earth on fire?”, “how I wish it were already blazing?” Division rather than peace? What is going on here? What happened to peace, gentleness, humility? Let’s take a deeper look:
First of all, we know Jesus “came so that we could have life and have it to the full.” He came for our SALVATION, the rest is up to us – our peace is determined by our actions, our free will. In essence, he wiped the slate clean for us. He came to give us a fresh start, out with the old and in with the new so to speak. What happens in a fire – old things are destroyed and we are forced to start anew – hopefully with a new perspective, better than before. THAT is what I believe this verse is telling us. Continue reading
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