Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (G)

Luke 12:49-59

⁴⁹ “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! ⁵⁰ I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! ⁵¹ Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. ⁵² For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. ⁵³ They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

⁵⁴ He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. ⁵⁵ And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. ⁵⁶ You 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? ⁵⁸ As 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. ⁵⁹ I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.”

Yeah, we should all be perfect weathermen. The different models can tell us what the weather is going to be like some 10-20 days ahead. You can even see weather models for the next couple of months. But are any of these going to tell you the truth. No, Jesus points you to look to the sky. You can see the edge of a storm move across the sky, and tell to take cover.

But when Jesus talks about Family divisions, I find it amazing. God designed the family unit to be pretty basic and pretty sufficient. Two parents for one child. One parent of each gender so that no matter the gender of the child they would have an example of how to live as a woman/man as well as how to love their future spouse. But families are constantly divided.

Some families are broken apart by Divorce, some by pre-marital sex, death, and other situations. But this struggle and fall apart of the family should be sign to us of the active work of sin in the world. We can see sexual sin, physical violence, covetousness, dishonoring our parents, and false-testimony. We can even see the consequence of sin, which is death.

Thanks be to God, he has prepared a holy perfect bridegroom for his people. This bridegroom comes to lay down his life for his bride. He comes to cloth her in pure white garments. He even comes to cleanse her from all her blemishes. He will deliver her from eternal death, as he has already made the down payment on your mansion in the sky. Maybe I need to say it clearly: Christ has died for you and he is your bridegroom.