The Jesus of Scripture
Luke 12:49-59
Jesus spoke to us last week about the motivation for one to seek the Kingdom of God was to be watchful for His (the Master) return. Vigilance in the face of eschatological crisis was the point. Future judgment or reward will show itself as a servant of Christ proves his or her salvation by obedience to the Master especially in the realm of serving those in the church. Our consistent behavior shows who we love and trust.
Prior to that, Jesus’ point was to seek the Kingdom and not earthly needs because our lives are more than food and clothing. Seeking the Kingdom is the focus of a healthy Christian. A Christian will seek the Kingdom because the Kingdom of God is where he longs to lay up treasure. Along the way, God meets our physical needs.
Prior to that Jesus warned us against the fear of man. We are not to fear man but we are to fear God. We are not afraid of man because our allegiance is to God and we trust Him with our lives and even our death.
Now He takes us a step further in His teaching. To seek righteousness, to be a faithful servant, and to fear God will result in division between people. Standing up for truth in this world of pluralistic subjectivism and one will not be very popular. Every idea, it seems, is as good as any other idea except the idea that there is only one right idea.
Earlier in Chapter 12, Jesus teaches His disciples that they will be persecuted by the authorities and that they will be given the words to say when they need them, here, the division is within family units. Continue Reading
