Starting A Fire

Luke 12:49-59

Why did Jesus come like he did? It’s so easy to give some glib answer like to save the world, or the send peace, but why in the way he did. He did none of the things people who want to be known do. He didn’t send out publicity teams, except when he sent the seventy, or seek endorsements from other religious leaders. He didn’t dress in a manner that attracted a lot of attention or participate in most religious events. His own brothers thought that his approach seemed a ineffective, as we see in John 7:4. “For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, show thyself to the world.” It was, by most standards, doomed to fail.

Many leaders gain or retain a following by emphasizing even minor differences. The conflicts can be over anything from which version of the Bible is acceptable , or styles of music, or dress, to whether what style of church government is allowed. The implication being that anyone who doesn’t do everything like we do is wrong. In I Kings 12:25-33, Jeroboam used this technique to solidify Israel behind his leadership. In the process he turned the attention from what God commanded to his own system, causing the people to go into sin.

We’ve nearly all heard the quote, supposedly by Einstein, that “insanity is doing the same things and expecting different results.” Jesus took a different approach because he wanted different results. He was not seeking to develop devotion to a series of religious beliefs, but of personal devotion to God. It brought him into conflict with the Pharisees, who sought devotion to their religious system. It brings him into conflict with nearly every religious group of our day because almost all of them seek to promote their own beliefs, whether Catholic, Baptist, Church of Christ, Mormon, Nondenominational, or Charismatic. That is the source of the conflict between different groups in our day. The different goal explains the unusual approach.

“I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?” (Luke 12:49)

Anyone who has attempted to start a campfire knows certain things about starting a fire. You start it by using pieces of fuel small enough that your source of ignition will raise them to a high enough temperature to ignite. A match will ignite small twigs, grass or leaves. A propane torch will ignite much larger branches. A spark will only ignite very dry leaves or grass. Almost any spark of flame can trigger a gas which is at ignition temperature.

As numerous individual leaves or twigs ignite, they produce enough heat to ignite larger branches, and the fire will eventually spread to the entire pile, no matter how small the initial spark was if it successfully ignites enough small pieces. It may take quite a bit of time to attain a very large fire.

Today most people want quicker results so they use some kind of accelerant such as lighter fluid or gasoline. The smallest spark can cause almost explosive ignition, which may burn things that were not intended to burn, including hair and eyebrows. While it may give an instant appearance of success, often the flames are of such short duration or directed in such a way that the main fuel is not ignited, making a second attempt even more dangerous as residual hot spots may cause unexpected ignition.

“But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!” (Luke 12:50)

For a match or twig to successfully ignite others, it must itself be burned. Jesus uses the illustration of starting a campfire safely to help us understand his approach. He is not trying for a quick result, but a steady and consistent flame. To attain that will require his participation, event to the point of giving up his own life. Baptism means to be placed completely into something. Jesus here refers going through all of death. When Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac in Genesis 22, Isaac came to very point of death, but never went through it. Jesus Christ, on the other hand went through all of it to the fullest extent. He was completely dead, and buried. Our salvation could not be accomplished with a near death experience, and Jesus knew what was required. It was a source of stress for him, to the point of actually sweating drops of blood just before his arrest, as Luke 22:44 tells us.

Just as fire results in destroying the structure of the wood, and the wood resists being burned, allowing God to have his way in our life will destroy our old systems of values and standards. People instinctively resist changes that destroy what they are familiar with. Conflict is the natural result. To change will result in conflict, but we cannot enter heaven without being changed.

“Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.” (Luke 12:51-53)

People observe things such as clouds or wind that indicate a change in the weather and take appropriate actions, whether taking a raincoat or umbrella or taking off their coat. It is pretty silly to see snow outside and wear a pair of shorts, or to wear a winter coat in Florida in July. It is pretty dumb to ignore evidence of a need for change in our behavior and refuse to do it.

“And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. Lu 12:55 And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?” (Luke 12:54-56)

Just as a person should be able to look at the weather and decide what kind of clothing to wear, People should be able to look at God’s word and see what they need to do. To insist on dressing improperly because it is the current fashion isn’t very smart. It isn’t very smart to deliberately ignore what God said because our system of beliefs says we should do something else is no different.

“Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.” (Luke 12:57-59)

If people deliberately wear shorts in the snow, they have no right to gripe about being cold. They need to expect to be cold until they change. A person who ignores what God says has no right to be upset when he is chastened. We are expected to live with the consequences of our actions. The only way to avoid judgment is doing what we are supposed to do. Whether the fire destroys you or refines you depends on whether you are willing to be changed.