Today’s scripture: Luke 12:49-59 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message)
As you read, consider: What might God be saying to me? Summarize your thoughts in a sentence or two.
My thoughts (Rev. Tammy Mills):
This scripture seems to fly in the face of all I was ever taught about Jesus. Didn’t the angel, at Jesus’ birth, declare he would be the prince of peace? Today we hear Jesus say he came to bring fire and division to the world — that doesn’t sound like a “prince of peace” to me! How am I to make any sense of this seeming contradiction?
I have really had to sit with this scripture. At first all I could hear was a “Fed Up” Jesus. At some point though, I began to feel something else. I began to see it as a cry for justice. The “fire” and “division” Jesus was bringing were causing all the traditional and cultural foundations of society to shake. As I thought about the ministry of Jesus, I could see that he did bring a lot of divisions. He really caused people to rethink their belief systems and therefore challenged the status quo!
Jesus wasn’t bringing conflict for the sake of conflict, but rather for the sake of wholeness. It seems that it is only when we really get to that place of “passing through the fire” that we can experience transformation and wholeness.
Thought for the day: Have you felt the fire lately?
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.