"The Jesus Who Brings Fire Not Peace”

In Jesus Holy Name August 17, 2025

Text: Luke 12:49-56 Pentecost XS - Redeemer

“The Jesus who brings fire not peace”

Very seldom are people the people you think them to be. Recently somebody told me of an adorable little girl who came into a pet shop. Missing two front teeth, her lisp made the adorable girl even more adorable. She came up to the proprietor of the store and asked, "Excuth me mithter, do you have any wittle wabits?" The owner of the shop put his hands on his knees so he could bend over and talk to the girl on her level. As best he could, he mimicked the adorable language of the adorable little girl... "Are you wooking for a wittle white wabbit, or is it a bwack or bwown wabbit that you fancy?" Putting her hands on her knees, the little girl leaned forward and said, "Sur, I don't fink my pet pyfon weally cares about the color of the wabbit he's having for wunch." Very seldom are people the people you think them to be. (illustration Rev Ken Klaus Lutheran hour)

The same could be said of Jesus. Many people feel comfortable seeing Jesus as The Gentle Jesus, meek and mild. This is a Jesus Who loves everybody; Who reaches out to everybody; Who never judges or refuses anything to anybody; this Jesus is a fine Fellow, a good Guy Whose heart is so big He absolutely has to supply anything His people want. Most Jesus is a fine Fellow, a good Guy Whose heart is so big He absolutely has to supply anything His people want. Most certainly such a Jesus would never send anyone to hell. Because hell is such a bad place, good Jesus is almost obligated to let everyone into heaven. How could He not? Yes, our age has made Jesus into a non-descript good Guy who asks for nothing, wants nothing other than to serve us.

The words of Jesus in our gospel lesson sound very harsh to our ears. The 23rd chapter of Matthew records Jesus' warnings about and to the Pharisees. This is just part of what He said: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean."

In the 12th chapter of Luke Jesus says, "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth?" Fire was meant to destroy the reigning religion and religiosity that people used was a way of “guaranteeing” their salvation,

We are all traveling somewhere this summer .So the question often asked is: where are you going? Jesus is going to Jerusalem. As He approaches Jerusalem He weeps. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem... how often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing!"

Jesus said “I have come to brin fire. If you me someone in the church parking and you asked them: “Why do you think Jesus came to earth?” I doubt that the answer would be: Jesus came to bring fire and division in families. When I think of fire and destruction I think of 9/11d. Total destruction. Yet these are the words of Jesus. The Pharisees expected God to bless them and their nation and ot judge them. Jeus knows God’s judgment is coming. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem... how often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing!"

They rejected Jesus and his message. Jesus said “I wish that fire was already kindled” What are we to make of those words? One option: I wish God the Father would send his final fire on the earth and usher in the final judgment placing all his enemies under His feet.

The other option and most likely in my opinion are found in the words Jesus. In have as baptism to under go It is a constraint until it is completed.” Wait He was already baptized by John the Baptist. So what is He talking about? Jesus is speaking about His coming arrest and death in Jerusalem as His baptism. Jesus knew that He came to serve and offer His holy unblemished life blood as the ransom price for all sinners. Jesus understands that his death on the cross would be accepting the fire of God’s wrath against all of humanity’s broken commandments. When god’s judgment same in Noah’s day All humanity was destroyed except for Noah’s family. When God’s judgment came to Sodom and Gomorrah Everyone was destroyed except for Lot’s family.