Luke 12:49-53 — Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Division...?

READ THIS: Luke 12:49-53

49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, 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 daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

This is one of those passages that makes a person stop and say, "Wait, I thought Jesus was the Prince of Peace?" Jesus is the Prince of Peace, but not everything about Jesus was fulfilled the first time He came. As we've been saying the past few days, Jesus will be coming again, and when He comes again is when everything about Jesus will come to be so. In verse 49, it says that Jesus is constrained until His baptism is completed. That means there has to be certain things done before His full mission is complete, but part of that full mission includes division. There will be division on earth until and slightly during (according to what can be seen in Revelation) the time after Jesus comes again. 

We read together several weeks ago about Luke 4, where Jesus reads and fulfills part of a prophecy in Isaiah instead of the whole section (refresh your memory here). The part that He doesn't read is the vengeance part. Standing in front of that crowd of people in Luke 4, the vengeance part hadn't really started, so He didn't say it was fulfilled. In the same way, Jesus fully being the Prince of Peace over all the earth isn't fully fulfilled. There are clearly divisions in families today over religion, and people are in conflict with one another. But as we read in Revelation 21 a few devos ago, there will be a day where all the tears will be wiped away, and we will have peace!

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. What do you think the phrase "already, but not yet" means? How does it apply here?

2. How have you seen division because of Jesus? How have you seen peace?

TRY THIS:

Asking for peace is never a bad thing. Using your answers from number 2, ask God to show you His peace and to bring peace to a divisive situation. If there has been something you have prayed peace over that is still troubling you, ask God for confidence in Him, no matter how long it takes for peace to come! (This is a difficult thing to ask for...if you want to talk to someone about your conversation with God, please reach out!)

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