I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! Luke 12:49-50
The sun slips; a wedge of light remains above the horizon, and the western sky blazes. It seems to affect his mood; he steps away from the little flock and confronts the sky. His face reflects its fervent heat, reminding John (perhaps) of that everlasting moment on the mountain when he seemed transformed into someone else. (Sometimes John talks it over with his brother James, or ponders it in the night: Did they really see that? And what did it mean?)
“I’m the fire-bringer!” the Master calls out suddenly. “Fire is my anointing, my punishment, and my baptism, and every breath takes me closer. How I burn for it to be over!”
The people, who were beginning to disperse and drift away, freeze in their tracks as the disciples glance uneasily at each other. His family, remember, thought he was mad. Could it be they were on to something?
He strides back and forth on the low ridge that separates his band from the crowd. “Do you suppose I’ve come to bring peace, as Isaiah says—the Prince of Peace? Well, not so fast! First there will be division, even within the same household: son against father, daughter against mother; step-children, in-laws, even husbands and wives. I was sent to come between: between you and God, surely, but also between you and you! And you and you!” He points to individuals in the crowd, who jerk back as though stunned.
“Don’t you see the signs? A cloud in the west brings rain, correct? A south wind brings a scorcher. You can anticipate the weather—what about the coming judgment? It’s right here, standing before you! Do you have an adversary you mean to take to court? You, there–” He seeks out the man who had asked about his inheritance. “Are you going to drag your brother before the judge?”
The poor man seems transfixed, poleaxed. He finally manages a timid shrug.
“How do you suppose that will end?” Jesus demands. “What if the judge sees through your false piety and brings up all those times you rebelled against your father and neglected your widowed mother? What if he mentions your missing prayer shawl or the Passover feast that cost considerably less than the money you were given to buy it?” A look of terror comes over the hapless victim’s face, but still can’t seem to move. Jesus’s tone of voice drops with the light. “Not as righteous as you think, are you? My advice: settle with your brother. Don’t risk the judge. Do it now.”
As though suddenly unchained, the man starts upright, turns and pushes through the crowd. Jesus watches him go, then waves a dismissing hand toward the people who remain. “Don’t bask in your superiority, sons of Israel. Judge for yourselves what is right.”
Because there will be a judgment.
For the original post in this series, go here.
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