Luke 12:49-59

Butler's Comments

SECTION 4

Attitudes That Aid Alertness (Luke 12:49-59)

49 I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!50I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished! 51Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; 52for henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three; 53they will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against her mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

54 He also said to the multitudes, When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, -A shower is coming-'; and so it happens. 55And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, -There will be scorching heat-'; and it happens. 56You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky; but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

57 And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? 58As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. 59I tell you, you will never get out till you have paid the very last copper.

Luke 12:39-53 Determination: The incarnate work of redemption which Jesus Christ would accomplish on the cross and in the resurrection would be the ultimate touchstone between truth and falsehoodbetween good and evil. His death and resurrection would be the final judgment upon unbelief. He would bring the final separation between sheep and goats, saved and lost, wise and unwise. The fire Jesus says He came to bring probably refers to the prophecy in Malachi 3:1-4. There it is predicted that the Messiah will come to the world to sit as a refiner's fire and fuller's soap to purify the sons of Levi. This prophecy predicts the Messiah's first coming because it is in the same context which predicts the coming of Messiah's forerunner (Luke 3:1). Fire, in this instance, symbolizes purging or purifying. Messiah's death purifies and purges all who will believe from all who will not believe. Messiah's death is the great crucible of humanity. God judges all humanity according to its response to His Son. Those who obey the Son are God's precious possession; all who disobey the Son are dross and refuse to be destroyed.

This holocaust of suffering the second death which the Perfect Son chose to endure constantly immersed Him in pressure. He was determined that it would be accomplished (cf. Hebrews 5:8-9; Hebrews 10:1-5; Hebrews 12:1-2), but the longer it took to be completed, the more intense became the temptation to refuse it. The prospect of His suffering for the sin of the world was a perpetual Gethsemane for Jesus, (John 12:27-28; Luke 22:39-46). He would gladly have done with it immediatelybut God's will decreed, Not yet. The Greek word baptisma is used by Jesus to characterize His atonement. Jesus would be immersed in death: He would take all the second death, be immersed in punishment for sin; that is what the word baptisma meansimmersion. Anything short of that meaning would be ridiculous respecting Christ's death. That is how the word should be exclusively interpreted when it refers to Christian baptism (immersion; not sprinkling or pouring).

The Greek word sunechomai, literally means, come together with, and is translated constrained. It means press together or pressure. Jesus experienced pressure as no other human being ever experienced it. There was no reason for Him to die; He could claim eternal life by right of His perfect obedience to God's will. No one could take His life from HimHe had power to lay it down and take it up if He wished. It was not fair, not just, not right that He should die for someone else's sins. But it was perfect, infinite, unadulterated love that determined He would! What pressure!

This infinite love and grace becomes the infallible rule by which all mankind will be judged. Jesus-' death divides the world into believers and unbelievers. Upon no other point (besides the resurrection, of course) are we to decide who are believers and unbelievers. Those who do not decide to believe and accept His blood for their sins will oppose and persecute those who do. Jesus-' death does not bring peace (as men think of peaceabsence of trial and testing)it brings division and a sword (cf. Matthew 10:34). The servant who wishes to be found watching may have to choose against his own family if it is so required to remain faithful to Christ. The water of Christian baptism is thicker than human blood-ties. Not even genetic relationship must stand in the way of loyalty to Christ. The highest human relationships must become secondary to the highest of all relationshipssonship to God, through discipleship with Jesus. Immersion of oneself in such complete self-sacrifice will require the determination of faith Jesus Himself exercised in the baptism with which He was baptized. Self must die; Jesus must be formed in us (Galatians 2:20-21; Galatians 3:26-27; Galatians 4:19).

Luke 12:54-59 Discernment: Jesus chides the multitudes with the admonition to use the same intensity discerning the spiritual time as they do in discerning the weather. Heat and drought, wind and rain, affected the prospects of wheat-harvest, the vine-yield, and the fruitfulness of orchards and olive trees. The Jews probably made amateur forecasts of the weather every day just as the modern farmer does. The weather of Palestine is less variable than in most European and American countries. Jewish farmers and others made it their daily routine to check and try to read the signs indicating what the weather would be. If a cloud rose in the west, it would be bringing rain in off the Mediterranean Sea; if a wind blew from the south and east, it would be bringing scorching, drying wind in off the desert. They paid attention to these signs. But, just like men today, they seemed to be oblivious to spiritual signals all around them.

Why is it that men exert great effort, display expertise and logic in forecasting the weather (practicing law, medicine, constructing machines and buildings) but cannot arrive at the historical, logical deduction that Jesus is who He claims to bethe divine Son of God, God in the flesh? It is a moral problem! The facts that pertain to the weather, etc., are facts that do not demand a moral commitment; the second are facts which do! The facts of agriculture and buildings have to do with selfish accumulation of worldly riches; the second facts demand renunciation of worldly riches. Jesus made this same criticism earlier in His ministry (cf. Matthew 16:3).

What signs should they have been able to discern of the spiritual crisis surrounding them? Undoubtedly Jesus was referring to the very plain fulfillments of Old Testament prophecies then occurring in His incarnation. Micah 5:2 predicted His birth and messiahship; Isaiah 52:1-15; Isaiah 53:1-12 predicted what countenance the Messiah would present to the world; Isaiah 61:1-3 predicted the Messiah's ministry (cf. Luke 4:16-32); Malachi predicted the Messiah and His forerunner (Malachi 3:1-4; Malachi 4:5-6; Isaiah 40:3-5); Daniel 9:24-27 predicted the precise time in history when the Messiah should be expected to appear and certain political signs that should be looked for. Then, there was the recent ministry of John the Baptist as a sign of the Messiah's time. Finally, there were all the miracles and teachings Jesus Himself had been doing (even raising the dead). How, in the name of all that is logical, empirical, honest and practical could men not interpret (discern) the present time?

The same admonition applies to the world of unbelievers today. Wake up, be alert and watchful, and apply your minds and hearts to discern the signs of history. Declare that God came in the flesh in the Person of His Son, Jesus Christ. God's Son accomplished redemption and offers it to all men by faith and obedience to His New Covenant terms. They are there in His divinely inspired New Covenant scriptures for all to read and understand. Judge for yourself what is right, true and finalwhile there is still time:

a.

Every man must judge what is right and true for himselfwe cannot decide for one another.

b.

There is only a certain amount of time to make our choice about truthToday is the only day we really have to choose.

c.

We must settle with the Judge about our sins before we are taken into the court of no appeal. We settle about our sins by accepting the blood of the Judge's Son as atonement. We do this by faith and obedience to His commandments.

d.

It will be too late when we stand before the Judge. Then the only thing left is eternal imprisonment, because imperfect men can never pay the perfect price required for fellowship with a perfect God.

e.

The next discourses of Jesus (Luke, chapter 13) will tell men how to settle with the Judge about their sins.

STUDY STIMULATORS:

1.

What is the leaven of the Pharisees? Since there are no longer any Pharisees, do Christians today need to beware of this? Why?

2.

Do you think God is aware and involved in the minute details of your life? How does that make you feel toward God?

3.

Have you ever been tempted to doubt or deny that Jesus was God in the flesh? What do you think made you be temptedpersecution? human opinions?

4.

What is the unpardonable sin? Do you think it is possible to commit that sin today? How?

5.

What is covetousness? Why does the Lord say it is idolatry? Why is a man a fool to covet? How may covetousness be overcome in your life?

6.

Are you ever anxious? Is it a sin to be anxious? Can you help it? How?

7.

Name five characteristics of a watchful servant of the Lord.

8.

Characterize the wicked servanthave you ever been one? When?

9.

Do you think the Lord will reward or punish all people the same? Why?

10.

What are the two attitudes that aid spiritual alertness? Are you cultivating these two attitudes in your daily walk with Christ?