I am come to send fire on the earth… Luke 12:49
I cited this verse in my response to a question on Nerdchurch forum on Discord: If you build yourself as an rpg character, what is your class and alignment? My build is: LG cleric of Jesus–with the fire domain, because fireball! I stand by my answer, but I want to explain why for me it’s not only a fun idea but also resonates with some serious issues.
In-game, casters aren’t always responsible with fireballs. We may overlook flammable objects (including party members) in the area of effect. Or, if your games are played with a controller instead of a fistful of dice, ask yourself if you’re always responsible with a grenade launcher. That’s what I thought.
Jesus, being Jesus, has access to the fire domain. But he is not careless about any aspect of his power.
Back in Luke 9:51-56, James and John had asked Jesus about commanding fire from heaven to consume a Samaritan village. (Jesus vetoed this.) But the crowd in Luke chapter 12 wouldn’t know about that incident, and Jesus doesn’t bring it up.
We can understand the “fire” that Jesus came to send on the earth as the intense presence and power of God, spreading from Jesus and confronting and transforming everything it touches. The fire of God hits hard. God’s grace can make it possible to catch his fire, without being consumed–like the burning bush Moses sees in Exodus 3. But to be accurate, in 22 out of 26 sayings about God’s fire in the gospels, the fire does damage. It destroys. Surviving contact with the fire of God, being transformed and reforged by it, is exceptional. It’s a miracle.
In this phase of Jesus’ ministry, his preaching about the kingdom always has an edge to it. Religious and civic authorities have decided that Jesus is more scary than useful. They have plans to deal with him. Opposition is building. The events leading up to Jesus’ trial and crucifixion are already in motion. And for Jesus’ followers, persecution is coming.
Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division. Luke 12:51
Jesus’ enemies misunderstood him. They did, and they still do. Jesus did not come to condemn or destroy anyone. But he did come to send fire on the earth. People are not wrong to see Jesus as a threat to the powers they serve, or the followings they subscribe to. They are not wrong to see that identifying with Jesus and his cause will change every relationship they have.
Jesus is a divisive figure. He says so himself. Can you hear the irony in his question–what, did you think I came to bring peace on earth? As much as he would like to bring peace, realistically as he preaches to his disciples and the crowd that day, he feels the tension of being both accepted and rejected. Jesus brings out all kinds of reactions in people.
I’m not as perceptive as Jesus, but when I wear my Nerdchurch shirt with the message, JESUS LOVES NERDS, I can pick up on the mixed reactions people have to Jesus, his infinite love for nerds, and to some extent the guy who’s wearing the shirt. I look forward to what it will be like when a party of us show up where our fellow nerds gather, in Nerdchurch gear, curious characters who are overtly nerd-positive and Jesus-positive. I imagine that feeling awesome! Yet, realistically, reactions will be mixed and we need to be prepared for that.
I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? Luke 12:49
How does Jesus feel, personally, about bringing fire and division, by being who he is? That’s what he’s asking himself, out loud, surrounded by his disciples and a crowd so dense people are stepping on each other. I came, I let people hear me and see me and touch me and experience who I am. I lit the fire, and it’s already spreading. Now what?
I appreciate Jesus for asking a very personal question openly, and also for not supplying an immediate answer. (Even though it means this verse doesn’t get preached much.) Jesus is not glib about sending fire on the earth. He knows that people will lose relationships, jobs, homes, their image of themselves, even their lives, for saying yes to him and the kingdom of God.
I don’t think that is cheap to him, at all. Jesus knows that he is seriously disrupting our world. It needs disrupting. He personally understands the pain of being misunderstood, stigmatized, plotted against. He knows that if he keeps going, he will face betrayal, abandonment, and death. And he keeps going.
Now the question comes to you and me. What will I?