Jesus finishes His comments in this section of Luke with a proclamation that His coming has ramifications for all people.  His appearance and redeeming work are not benign.  He brings salvation but salvation only exists where there’s judgment.  And since that’s the case, Jesus’ appearance and sacrifice mean people must choose and those choices decide eternity.  He’s about to start a movement – a fire – in the world, and nothing will be the same once it’s kindled.

49-50
After saying that judgment will be certain for all unfaithful servants, Jesus seems to point to judgment again with what He says in verse 49.  Or, at least, that’s what we think He says.  He says He’s come to cast fire on the earth and that He wishes it were already kindled.  What the fire refers to isn’t entirely clear, but judgment seems to make the most sense.  If that’s correct, then what He means is that by coming to earth Jesus forces people to either accept or reject Him, and that choice means either salvation or judgment.  That it hasn’t been kindled yet points to His resurrection, after which His redemptive work will be complete and known, and the full implications of belief will be clear.

A case could also be made that fire refers to the Holy Spirit.  In that case, His declaration means the Holy Spirit hasn’t yet begun His work, but Jesus wishes that He had.  What argues against this is that throughout Luke fire typically represents judgment.  Either explanation might work, however, because both go along with the rest of verse 49 and what He says in verse 50 (and it doesn’t really change the implication of the statement). 

Perhaps the best way to interpret the statement is to say that the fire refers to the movement that He will inaugurate with His redemptive work.  In that case, we can include both the Spirit’s work and the judgment it presupposes. 

That He says He wishes it were already kindled goes right along with verse 50.  If it were already kindled, it would mean that His time on the cross was already over.  That’s what He points to in verse 50.  He’s distressed knowing what lies in the future.  He’s on His way to Jerusalem where – as He’s told the disciples (Lk 9:22,44) – He’ll suffer a horrendous physical death and His first and only separation from the Father.  Knowing that, His distress is perfectly understandable and shows both His human and divine sides.  Having something like this hanging over His head must make living on some days enormously difficult.  There’s never been another human on earth with a more dire event looming in his future.  If we think about how much time Jesus spends in prayer, it’s not hard to believe that this event is the subject of much of those talks with His Father.

Putting all this together leaves us with this understanding of the two verses.  Jesus has come to start a movement that will begin with His death and resurrection.  That movement will provide salvation for those who believe but judgment for those who don’t (because there’s no salvation if there’s no judgment).  Thus what Jesus has come to do is nothing to take lightly.  It’s good news but not good news for all.  He comes to save, but He also comes to cast fire.

This explanation dovetails with what John the Baptist said about Jesus when he prophesied about Him in the desert.  He said, “I baptize you with water, but He who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.  His winnowing fork is in His hand, to clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire” (Lk 3:16-17).  Jesus’ coming is not benign.  There will be gathering for some, unquenchable fire for others.

51-53
Jesus makes a second negative statement about His coming (remember that His listeners – likely including the disciples – think the Messiah’s coming will be a time of political victory and peace for the Jews, so these kinds of statements really don’t fit with their expectations).  He says He didn’t come to bring peace on earth.  For readers of Luke, this seems like an odd statement to make.  Luke records that the angels declared to the shepherds on the night Jesus was born that He came to bring peace on earth (Lk 2:14).  Does that mean we can’t trust the angels (“It’s sad to say, but you just can’t trust the heavenly host.”)?  It’s also worth noting that on two other occasions Jesus tells His disciples that He grants them peace in a sinful world and in the midst of persecution (Jn 14:27,16:33).  So why does He say here that He DOESN’T bring peace?  The peace He refers to in this verse is different than the peace referred to in the other passages.  The angels on the night of His birth meant that there is now peace between God and man.  The state of war that existed from Adam to Jesus is over – Jesus will enable man to have peace with God through Jesus’ redemptive act.  As for the peace that Jesus grants to His disciples, that’s an inner peace that allows them to live in a world opposed to them.  They will face adversity and persecution, but they’ll face it with peace in their hearts that comes from knowing their Savior is with them and loves them and has a plan for them.

What He means by the opening question of verse 51 is explained in verses 52 and 53, and it further illustrates the message of verses 49-50.  Jesus will force people to choose, and that choice will dramatically affect relationships.  In the same family, a child may believe while his parents don’t.  Or a wife will believe but her husband won’t.  In all cases, the belief will divide.  This is the opposite of peace.

What isn’t said explicitly here is that Jesus will abide no rivals.  The reason Jesus doesn’t bring peace is because to choose to follow Him means all other alliances and loyalties fall into second place.  Jesus says this in a parallel passage in Matthew.  There He says, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt 10:37).  So all other relationships are secondary to Christ, and those relationships may be broken in the pursuit of Him. 

It pays to take a step back at this point and think about what Jesus has told us throughout this chapter.  One of the underlying themes of His address is that we’re called to be DIFFERENT.  Our goals are different, our attitude toward religion is different, our approach to worldly wealth is different, our expectation of the second coming is different, everything about our lives is different from a world living for today and for what’s seen.  Since that’s the case, it makes sense that we will be resented by the world we differ from.  And sometimes that includes our own family.

For Jesus’ listeners, this must be radical teaching.  The family unit in New Testament Jewish culture is hugely important – more so than in our culture.  For Jesus to say that His coming will split families is likely a difficult teaching to accept.  It will become much clearer to His disciples, however, after the resurrection.

54-59
Luke introduces these verses with a statement that Jesus says this to the crowds.  This may mean that Jesus does not speak these words at the same time He spoke the words in verses 1-53.  As we’ve mentioned before, the gospel writers are not concerned with chronology.  Luke includes this section with the prior section to make a point.  Whether Jesus says this at the same time and at the same venue as His prior address in this chapter doesn’t matter to Luke’s overall purpose. 

Jesus points out to His listeners that they are good at reading the weather – they can predict rain and predict a hot day with accuracy – but they can’t read the signs that are right in front of them regarding the Messiah.  His teaching, His miracles, His rebukes, the fulfillment of scripture, all point to Him being the promised One.  Yet they refuse to see what’s clearly there.

He calls them hypocrites because they can read signs that don’t ultimately matter but refuse to read signs that point to the Messiah.  They’re the people of God who ultimately don’t want to hear from the God whose people they claim to be.  They are religious and yet blind.

As a result, they can’t judge what is right.  Jesus gives them what at first sounds like practical advice.  Settle with your accuser on the way to court so you don’t face the judge and get a much harsher sentence than what the settlement would’ve been (you shall not get out of there until you have paid the very last cent – it assumes the accused owes a debt he can’t pay).  While this seems like just a helpful tip (like

“never start a land war in Asia”), what Jesus points to is eternal judgement.  In His illustration, we (and His listeners) are the accused on our way to court and the Judge who will sentence us is God.  We have the opportunity to settle on the way – trust in Jesus alone for salvation and enjoy His righteousness imputed to us – or reject Jesus and face the Judge on our own.  If we face the Judge, we will pay the very last cent of our unpayable debt.  We’ll face eternal judgment.

If we put the teaching of verses 54-56 with what Jesus says in verses 57-59, we see that He rebukes His listeners for not reading the signs that point to Him as Messiah and because of that willful blindness will face God without a Savior and be fully judged for their actions.  They refuse to believe He is who He says He is, and their refusal will result in damnation.

Thoughts
In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Susan asks Mr. and Mrs. Beaver about Aslan.  She asks, “Is he – quite safe?  I shall feel quite nervous about meeting a lion.”  Mr. Beaver replies, “Safe?  Who said anything about safe?  ‘Course he isn’t safe.  But he’s good.  He’s the king, I tell you.”  This conversation about Aslan (the representative of Jesus in the book) relates to what we learn in this passage.  Are Jesus and His death and resurrection safe?  No – there’s nothing safe about them.  Yes, Jesus is our Savior who loves us and takes away the sin of the world, but the reason He comes is because judgment is real.  And if judgment is real, then His appearing is not benign, and the world can never be the same as a result.

It is easy as believers to sometimes forget the stakes involved in the appearance and redemptive work of Jesus.  We can be surrounded by like-minded believers and assume everyone is like us, or even interact with nice people who don’t believe and forget that cosmic justice is in play and those who don’t believe are eternally damned.  The people who ignore Jesus’ word today are exactly like the people who ignored the messianic signs in Jesus’ time.  And like them, the present-day blind will face the judge alone and pay the very last cent.  We must never become numb to the ramifications of unbelief.

We must also never downplay the implications of belief.  Choosing to follow Jesus doesn’t just change a life; it replaces it.  Jesus is never simply a part of a believer’s life.  He IS the believer’s life.  Paul makes this clear with what he tells the Galatians: I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me (Gal 2:20).

There is nothing tame about our Savior’s appearing and there’s no such thing as casual belief or casual unbelief.  Jesus forces all to choose and allows no one to abstain or avoid the ramifications of that choice.  He kindled a fire on earth and that fire touches everyone in every age.