Luke 12:49-59 Scripture Study
By Pastor Chris Simmons – Trinity Lutheran Church, Paso Robles CA
A reinforcement/supplement study to our Sunday service meant for “Building up the body of Christ… the manifold Wisdom of God made known” (Ephesians 4+3)
For Sunday, August 17, 2025
We are used to hearing that Jesus brings us Peace. Not only do we hear it often throughout Scripture, we hear it from Jesus' very own lips! John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” Angels announce it at His birth in Luke chapter 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
In the Epistles, Paul continues to deliver us this message of Peace in Jesus. Philippians 4:7 (which was just part of our readings from last week). “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:14 “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility…”
Again, Peace is something we’ve come to expect, even associate, with Jesus… however today Jesus doesn’t bring what we expect…. It’s not Peace, but division? Luke 12:51 “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.” What is this division? Divided from what? We know from Scripture “No one is good—except God alone.” (Luke 18:19) So if this division is coming from Jesus, it must be good right? When is division good? Blessings on your study, as we receive these words from Christ.
Prayers for a blessed study.
Pastor Chris Simmons.
Discuss: It’s time to choose a side and you can only choose one side, as Jesus says in Luke 11:23 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” Which one do you choose? Which one is the path that leads to life? Which one is the best and why?… Chocolate or Vanilla?
Luke 12:49-59
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.”
Jesus is bringing “fire” and “division”? Ouch! Jesus is speaking directly to His disciples in this moment, which helps understanding the perspective of these verses. He isn’t addressing the wide crowds listening for the first time, these are dedicated close followers. They have heard Jesus say things one would call “extreme” before. “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (both from Luke 9). “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath” (Luke 6:5). “And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23).
As Jesus says He will bring “fire”. We see fire throughout Scripture. Fire carries with it two particular realms of significance.
(There can be others as well, but these two are the primary focus with this gospel text)
First - The Presence of God
• The Burning Bush: Exodus 3
• The Pillar of Fire: Exodus 13-14
• Holy Spirit - Tongues of Fire - Pentecost : Acts 2
Second - Judgement
• Sodom and Gomorrah - Consumed by God’s Fire in Judgement - Genesis 19.
• Nadab and Abihu - use “unauthorized fire” during a sacrifice to God and are immediately consumed by fire in judgement - Leviticus 10.
• For a fire will be kindled by my wrath, one that burns down to the realm of the dead below. It will devour the earth and its harvests and set afire the foundations of the mountains. - Deuteronomy 32:22
We see that Jesus here brings both. A fire of God’s Presence, as Jesus Himself is fully God and fully man, and the fire of Judgement. In the comment “and how I wish it were already kindled!” Jesus is declaring a desire for better personal judgement, associated with God’s Law, in the world. A few verses later we read:
56 Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time? 57 “Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?
Yes, Jesus is the ultimate judge. Yet He also desires for His presence to have an impact on your personal judgements in life.
Discuss: How does the awareness of God affect your personal judgement in any given circumstance? Certain things you do or don’t do?
In the revealing of that final "fiery" judgement, Jesus wishes for it to “already be kindled” as He continues:
50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!
In the Baptism He has yet to undergo… Jesus is looking to the cross, and He is restraining Himself until that work is completed… Why? Paul reveals in Romans 6:
3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Because if that "fiery judgement” were to happen prior to Jesus' Crucifixion… then who would remain? If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? (Psalm 130:3). There would be none left… and in this text that is seemingly so Law heavy with condemnation, we immediately see the mercy of Christ. God constrains Himself until the proper time, that all who believe in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Discuss: When was a time you wanted to “get something over with” but “held out” for the sake of others? Maybe attending a concert? Theme Park? A party? Your wedding day?
51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.
Jesus brings division… so we must ask… when is division a good thing? In the section prior (Luke 12: 35-48) Jesus really focuses on leaders and personal choices. Those choices can be faithful, bringing them and those who follow them closer to Christ, or unfaithful, and push them and others away.
So… when is division good? Like the section previous, when it elevates Jesus and draws others closer to Him. As Paul writes in our Epistle reading, Phillipians 2:14-16:
14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life…
Discuss: Has someone ever “looked up” to you? When have you been “an example” for someone else? Knowing you were in a mentor role (or that others were watching you), did you make better choices because of it?
Paul says that in a world that is dark and broken we are called to shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. When you “go against the flow” naturally you will encounter the opposition of the tide. It could be culturally as you find your morals do not align with what is generally accepted. Possibly you’ve grown a distaste for something in entertainment you once liked as you’ve grown wiser in your walk with the Lord. Your language changes, the way you treat people changes, the activities you’re part of and desire to be a part of changes. You find yourself divided from who you once were as Paul writes in Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
As you draw closer to Jesus, you find yourself further divided from the “things of this world”. The division Jesus brings is like cutting the weights off a hot air balloon. As we are divided from the weights, we find ourselves further from the ground and closer to the Heavens. When we are “divided” from who we were, things we once did or sin we participated in before, Jesus warns us we will also feel that division in relationships closest to us.
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.”
Discuss: Have you ever “wanted someone to want something”? (For example, want someone to want something better for their life? To make better choices?) How well did that work out?
The Peace Jesus brings to us is shalom in the Hebrew. That means wholeness and lack of conflict with God…. If we are counting on Jesus to bring us a lack of conflict with one another we can see, as demonstrated by the cross, that was not His purpose. He taught us how to love past conflict, to witness through division, what it means to “lay down one’s life for one’s friend”, to love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. It will hurt when your morals and values don’t match those who are closest to you. Yet even here, division can be good. As earlier Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life… that your life may be a witness to those closest to you.
Discuss: As you have been a mentor or influence on others… who has been a mentor or influence on you? Is there anyone in your life that is a “bad influence” (we can mean that in the fun way or the not so fun way) on you?
54 He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. 55 And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?
In context, as Jesus speaks to the crowd, they could tell when a rain bearing cloud was blowing in from the Mediterranean Sea, that meant a storm was coming. Rain in the desert of Israel put people into action and was always a joyous event. In the same way, that they could see something so obvious, Jesus calls them hypocrites as they can plainly see all the miraculous things He has done, yet they do not interpret the “incoming storm” and react with the same fervor. As they would see a rain incoming they would have joy, they would prepare differently, they would act differently. The incoming rain would have an influence over their behavior. Yet, the incoming salvation/judgement of Jesus does not have the same “influence” over some.
Especially with those who are close to us, we find they can influence us in ways others can’t. Those influences can be good at times… at other times bad. Sometimes it’s as innocent as staying up too late, having “one more” beverage, buying that one thing we didn’t really need. Other times that influence affects our behavior in ways far more detrimental. We say we are Christian but then influence over our behavior from those close to us can say otherwise. That’s what it means to be a hypocrite - behavior that contradicts what one claims to believe or feel… in other words “to say one thing and do another”.
Discuss: What is your immediate reaction when you hear the word “hypocrite”? What are some hypocritical behaviors you’ve witnessed in your life? (being polite if politics comes up in discussion with others …)
When combining the ideas of interpretation, influence, and hypocrisy…. I think of the circumstances with my children. There are times when I want them to be the influencers in a relationship with other kids, that star that shines in the sky that points other people to Jesus. There are other times, however, when I find them to be the ones who are influenced. As a parent what do I do? The behavior of my children does not reflect what we say they are/want them to be. With behavior, there is also the danger of it changing the way you think. So, I interpret the situation and divide where appropriate.
Personal application here… there are times when we do things we shouldn’t and we knew better. We can all admit that. There are times when we do things we normally wouldn’t do and have given into the influence of others, good or bad. There are also other times when we have been the ones who have influenced others, good or bad.
Jesus says He brings division… He divides us from sin and death by His cross. He divides us from eternal damnation, to bring us into His everlasting life. With Jesus’ strong words of encouragement, let us live as those divided from such things. Not as those who embrace sin but are divided from it. As we stand apart, divided into new life, let us stand also as witnesses, as helping hands to others, even if at points they may seem in opposition to us. After all, even while we were still sinners, enemies of God, Christ died for us.
Discuss: How and Why does Jesus bring division?
Prayer
Where in your life do you feel hypocritical? How can you seek guidance and God’s help in it?
Who do you influence in your life? Who/What influences you?
Have you struggled with some things you’ve been “divided” from in life? How can you find God’s peace in that division through Jesus?
Lord God, you are a skilled surgeon. You come and bring division, separating us from sin and death. As we live in your abundant life, we also experience division in some of the relationships with people closest to us. We ask for understanding, for you to heal our hearts, help us to be your witness by how we live, holding onto your gift of life and shining like a star in a dark place. We pray this all in your name Jesus. Amen.