Luke 12:49–56
“I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be 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.”
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. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat’; and it happens. 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?
Reflection
The blacksmith takes the molten metal and plunges it into cold water. The impurities of the metal are cast away when this is done and the metal is hardened. See the sweat of the blacksmith, doing what needs to be done. It's not easy work. It's tough, yet needed. It's work that must be done to create something new.
Jesus comes into this world of ours on fire with the Holy Spirit deep within and all throughout him. Jesus comes to us and is God. He brings the fire of the Holy Spirit into our world and our place.
In Psalm 69, I am reminded of the water in the passage above. We come to a place when we are in over our head and our feet are stuck in the mud. We cry to God for help in the midst of the water. We cry to God for rescue as we go under the water to death.
The fire of the Holy Spirit and Jesus and our own baptism remind me of the passage above. Jesus has come to plunge us into the water. Plunge us into our baptismal waters that will wash away the impurities and harden us for the battle that we are to encounter in life with sin, death and the devil. Jesus comes to us to prepare us for a journey to a better place. We must live by faith in God's salvation to follow Jesus to this better place.
The journey won't be easy. The journey will cause us to die to ourselves and come out of that water alive in Christ. Alive to live a new life in purity and a hardness to sin. It's a dividing water. A dividing water from death to new life. A wonderful water. A life giving water deepened by the fire of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
But this passage really speaks of Jesus journey on this earth. Jesus cast division on this earth. On fire, he came and was nailed on the cross, he gave his life for all people. Jesus plunged into his own baptismal waters to arise to an eternal purpose of saving God's people. Jesus had to die for you and I to live. See it! Acknowledge it! Believe it! Have faith in Jesus, our Lord and Savior!
Filled with the gift of the Holy Spirit at our baptism, we too, take the plunge into a new life. A new life that follows Jesus to that better place.
Prayer
Lord, your rule is at hand, here and now, today. Come into my heart, my life, my will and my way and take me. Heat me in your Holy fire and plunge me into your gracious baptismal waters that my impurities may scale away and that I may be hardened to sin and my life may please you... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen
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