We have some passionate and disturbing words from Jesus today. First, he expresses his deep desire to cast fire on the earth. Second, Jesus expresses a longing for his “baptism” to be accomplished. Baptism here refers to his immersion in the terrible suffering and death by which we will be saved. Third, Jesus says he has come not to bring peace, but division. on the earth. These final words seem most troubling, because with all of the divisiveness present in society these days, it seems like the last thing we need is a gospel text that seemingly encourages more division. So what’s Jesus talking about here?
Well, Jesus lets those gathered know that following him will not be easy, particularly because the gospel will not always bring peace. Families were being torn apart when the gospel spread because it changes everything. Given our individual contexts, this may not always happen, but there certainly could be some disagreement or strife in families as our faith is worked out and lived out. Whether it be to attend church (or a different church/denomination), engage in social justice issues, etc.—especially when they conflict with long held familial beliefs and traditions—the gospel’s effects can create division. There’s no doubt that churches have experienced division at some time in their histories based on different understandings of different aspects of the Christian faith, and division is common even now. My thinking is that the problem may not lie in the division itself or the differences themselves, but in how we respond to/navigate them.
It seems to me that one possibility may be to see that God is at work in all realities, and that division is not the problem. Perhaps it is in our own naive expectation that we have more truth than others. Instead, could God be at work on both sides of an issue? There have been calls within the Christian church to become one church so that all might believe. Jesus’ talk about division may point to a broken reality for Christianity no matter how hard we work toward unity. Perhaps this is Jesus’ point: that human togetherness is not what the gospel is about. Rather, the gospel preached into the life of an individual person will do its work, and we are left to trust that it is God at work, and resist our attempts to control the outcome.