Luke 12:49-56 - Week of August 12th-18th

Luke 12:49-56

Series Title: Learning From Jesus

Sermon Title: Learning to Interpret

This follows the parable of the shrewd manager which lies between the last weeks passage and this one.

Day One:  Looking at the Text

49 “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

Fire? Fire is seen throughout the OT as a sign of God: Burning Bush; Pillar of Fire, Fire on the alter (Elijah and the prophets of Ba’al)

What kind of fire is this? Jesus want this fire to be ignited.

50 I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed!

Fire is linked to Baptism – John said, “I baptize with water but the one who comes after me will baptize with fire. (basically)

“Stress” this is an interesting word – I never think of Jesus being “stressed”

Does Jesus’ “baptism” include the cross? Because this seems to be a reference to his “stress” until his death and resurrection – Could he mean something else?

51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!

Yes, Jesus I do - Jesus was heralded as the “prince of peace” – who is this Jesus who comes to bring division and no peace?

52 From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three;

53 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.”

What do we do with this?

Jesus is dividing households against one another? What does he mean by that? How will they be divided? And over what?

This sounds like a reference to the American Civil War

54 He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain’; and so it happens.

55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat’; and it happens.

When I lived in Kansas, we knew when a storm was coming –you could see if from afar. Jesus seems to be talking about this kind of basic knowledge of being able to see the weather as it is coming

56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

Jesus says being able to see the signs of the “present time” should be just as intuitive to us?

What kinds of signs would the disciples be seeing?

What should they be seeing on the horizon? Jesus’ death? The resurrection?

Should we too be seeing signs? If so what kind? And of what?

What is the “present time” which we should be interpreting?