Luke

12:49-53

The teachings of Messiah, 9:51-19:44

3. The kingdom and judgment, 12:35-13:21

iii] Signs of the age - division

Synopsis

In the passage before us, Jesus delivers two oracles which conclude with Micah 7:6. In these sayings Jesus gives his disciples an insight into life in this age, these "last days".

 
Teaching

In the dawning of the new age of the kingdom, the gospel brings with it the fire of testing and trouble / division.

 
Issues

i] Context: See 12:35-40. Signs of the age - division, is the third episode in a set of six covering the topic of The Kingdom and Judgment, 12:35-13:21. These episodes examine the issue of discipleship from an eschatological perspective / judgment: first, watchfulness, then stewardship, and now a warning that the coming kingdom brings with it the fire of testing and trouble / division.

 

ii] Structure: The signs of the age - division:

A saying on persecution, v49-50:

"I have come to bring fire on earth ...."

"I have a baptism to be baptised with ....."

A saying on division, v51-53:

"do you think I come to bring peace on earth? No, ..."

"from now on there will be five in one family divided ......"

 

iii] Interpretation:

Within the context of the coming day of judgment, Jesus has warned his disciples to watch unto their faith and to be worthy stewards of the gospel. Now, addressing the immediate context, Jesus predicts that his mission to Israel (and ultimately the world) will stir up a "fire" of testing and trouble / a baptism of suffering. Like Jesus, the disciples will suffer from the divisions caused by the kingdom's confrontation with this age.

Although Jesus' disciples will possess the peace of God, they do not possess peace on earth. The mission of proclaiming the coming kingdom brings with it division. As it was for Jesus, so it is for his disciples. The gospel forces decision, and decision produces division, division between friends and even between family members.

Division and distress is certainly the dominant theme in this set of linked sayings of Jesus, but the overarching theme is still judgment. The proclamation of the coming kingdom exercises "a judgment among men, sharply dividing them according to their attitude toward Jesus", Ellis. So, "division", prompted by the preaching of the gospel, serves to prefigure the coming day of judgment; this day is now.

 

iv] Synoptics:

See 3:1-20. Again, we have saying material which is peculiar to Luke, although there is some alignment with Matthew and Mark. Commentators tend to suggest that the source for v51-53 is Q, but then what was the source for Matthew's version of the saying, given the evident differences? It seems more likely that, at this point, Matthew and Luke are drawing on the pool of oral source material circulating in Christian circles at this time.

The opening two-part saying, v49-50. Rather than being contrastive, the two parts are parallel, so Conzelmann. The saying is unique to Luke, yet, although v50 bears some similarity with Mark 10:38, it is contextually different. The saying is usually identified as soured from L, so Fitzmyer, ..... Although it presents as a two-part saying, it may consist of two conjoined sayings, attracted together by the two key words "fire" and "baptism."

The second saying, v51-53. Fitzmyer identifies Q as the source of this saying, with v52 redactional (a Lukan editorial addition). The saying parallels Matthew 10:34-36, although the construction is noticeably different. Matthew places the saying in a mission context, and Luke probably has in mind the same context, although it is not as clearly identified.

 

v] Exposition: A simple exposition of this passage may be found in the linked pew-level Sermon Notes.

 
Text - 12:49

Signs of the time, v49-53: i] , v49-50. A saying on persecution., v49-50. "I have come to pour fire upon the earth. What is it that I want? Oh! I just want it to be kindled." There is great debate as to what Jesus actually wants to kindle upon the earth. The possibilities are as follows:

iThe most obvious sense is that Jesus is speaking about the fire of judgment, of the coming of the kingdom of God and of the terrible judgment that faces humanity in its coming. The coming day of the kingdom is not prefigured by peace on earth, but rather by "fire" - the fire of the great assize, so Danker, Nolland, Lang, Delling, ...

iAnother possibility is that Jesus is speaking of Pentecostal fire, the fire of the Holy Spirit (the tongues of fire at Pentecost), so Grundmann, Ellis, Johnson, Taylor, .....

iPossibly the fire of the gospel message, a message that condemns and divides, so Bock;

iThe fire of holiness is another possibility, or in particular, purification, so Plummer;

iEven possibly the fire of faith, so Zahn.

iThe sense adopted in these notes is the "fire" / "baptism" of testing and trouble caused by the realisation of the new age of the kingdom, through Jesus / the gospel, intruding itself into the fabric of this age, causing division (family, society) and inevitably, suffering / persecution. This fits with Conzelmann's suggestion that the two sayings in v49-50 are not contrastive, but stand in parallel to each other, so Creed, Black, Easton, ... This approach understands "baptism" in the terms of Luke 12:50.

hlqon (ercomai) aor. "I have come" - i came. "Coming" in the sense of Jesus' coming on mission. The sense of the aorist tense here may be culminative, as NIV, but probably better ingressive (inceptive) where the beginning of the action is in view. The word "coming" is often used to express coming in judgment, testing, trouble, .... "I came to bring fire", NRSV.

balein (ballw) aor. inf. "to bring" - to throw, put. Possibly here with the sense "kindle", so Jeremias, so "light a fire." The infinitive is probably adverbial, expressing purpose; "in order to throw down fire / light a fire."

pur (pur puroV) "fire" - fire. Accusative direct object of the infinitive "to throw, put." The position is emphatic.

epi "on" - upon, over the earth. The meaning of this preposition is fluid, but probably the spatial sense of "upon" is intended, "pour fire upon", so, "I came to set fire to the earth", CEV.

tiv "how [I wish ..]" - [and] how [i will, wish]? - Introducing an indefinite statement of extent or degree in the form of a wish, as NIV, or possibly an interjection, or even a question, "And what do I want if it is already kindled?" Rieu. A question seems best, "What is it that I want?" It should be noted that the Greek at this point is somewhat unclear and this has prompted numerous translations. See Plummer or Culy for the three main possibilities.

ei + ind. "-" - if [already it was lit]. Here introducing an unfulfilled wish, "Oh that it were already kindled", Moule IB p137. "I have come to set the world ablaze. What is it that I want? Would that it were already kindled", Barclay; "set ablaze", HCSB.

 
v50

"I must be plunged into a flooding-tide of suffering, and there can be no relief for me, until I have gone through to the end", Barclay. Jesus knows well that the coming kingdom of God is realised through tribulation, and for Jesus, this means suffering and death. Jesus must himself face the wrath of God and for this reason he sets his face toward Calvary and with determination, presses onward toward the end. Jesus' "baptism" (the word is being used metaphorically here of "immersion") is his immersion in suffering, particularly with respect to his death on the cross, his atoning sacrifice for broken humanity. This event, with its cosmic signs, serves to prefigure a divine judgment which will inevitably engulf the whole of creation.

baptisma (a atoV) acc. " a baptism" - [but/and, i have to be baptised] with a baptism, immersion, overwhelming. Cognate accusative of the infinitive "to be baptised", the infinitive being epexegetic, and so specifying "I have." "Overwhelmed by catastrophe", Marshall. The word is being used in a metaphorical sense. In fact, it is quite possible that most uses of the word in the NT are metaphorical, eg. immersed in the Spirit, immersed in teaching ...., as opposed to immersed in water. Here obviously immersed in suffering. Possibly "the inundation of the waters of divine judgment", Bock, Plummer, but certainly not an allusion to Christian baptism, nor the baptism in blood of the Christian martyr. "I must be plunged into a flooding tide of suffering", Barclay.

pwV "[and] how / what" - [and] how. This interrogative is used here as an exclamation; "How I long for it to be finished!", Peterson.

sunecomai (sunecw) pres. pas. "distressed I am / constraint I am under" - i am constrained / afflicted. Possibly in the sense of "distressed" as NIV, but also possibly the sense of "constrained", as NIV11, even "preoccupied", Nolland; "there can be no relief for me", Barclay.

eJwV o{tou + subj. "until" - until [it is accomplished, completed]. This construction introduces a temporal clause referring to time up to a future point, so "until". The subject, the "it", is "baptism", and there will be "no relief" for Jesus "until" this suffering "is over", REB. For Jesus, troubles accumulate and the cross looms large, it dominates, and everything moves toward it. "Until I have gone through to the end", Barclay.

 
v51

ii] A saying on division, 51-53. Jesus aligns himself with the Old Testament prophets when he reminds his listeners that the dawning of the new age of the kingdom is not an age of peace, but rather an age of testing and trouble, an age when the saved are separated from those doomed to destruction. In the present moment, the dawning of the new age is prefigured in social division, cf., v52-53. We know that Jesus makes much of the sign of "love", the love of the brotherhood, but what we have here is another sign of the coming kingdom, the sign of division.

oJti "-" - [do you think] that [i came]. Introducing an object clause / dependent statement of perception expressing what they might think; "Do you think that I have come", NRSV.

dounai (didwmi) aor. inf. "to bring" - to give. "Give" in the sense of "establish". The infinitive is adverbial, expressing purpose, "in order to", but possibly consecutive expressing result, "do you think the result of my coming will be peace in the world?" Barclay.

eirhnhn (h) "peace" - peace. The position is emphatic; "do you really think that peace is the purpose / is the consequence of my coming? No way!" The popular prophets in Jeremiah's day preached "peace", when there was no peace, for the coming day of the Lord is not a day of peace, but a day of apocalyptic tribulation. Jesus aligns himself with the true prophets when he reminds us that "the good news" has a sting; for many it's bad news! Of course, that it is bad news for some doesn't stop it being good news for others, ie., Jesus does also bring peace, 1:79, 2:14, 29, etc.

en + dat. "on" - on [the earth]? Local, expressing space / place.

ouci "no" - no. A strong negation, "no way!"

uJmin dat. pro. "[I tell] you" - [i say] to you. Dative of indirect object.

alla h] "but" - but rather. Strong adversative used in a counterpoint construction.

diamerismon (oV) "division" - I came to bring division. Hapax legomenon, once only use in NT. Matthew records the word "sword" rather than "division", Matt.10:34. Luke most likely clarifies the meaning of the word "sword" by his use of "division". Possibly "dissension", Moffatt, "discord", Williams, but "division", even "hostile division", Bock, fits best with the context. The sense is of separating the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the chaff, the repentant from the unrepentant. In the present, this division is achieved by the gospel. This separating is both eternal, a separation unto life or death, and a present social separation, cf., v52-53.

 
v52

Fractured relationships, v52-53. Jesus now explains what he means by division and then, in v53, supports his words by quoting Micah 7:6. Division was one of the expected signs of the coming messianic kingdom, and so now, with the coming of Jesus the messiah, families can expect that, through the preaching of the gospel, household members will "turn against one another", CEV. Some members of the family will stand with Jesus, and others will stand against him. In these last days, these end-of-days, families will be divided - one against another, one generation against another. So, it will be two against three, or three against two.

gar "-" - for. Here more reason than cause, introducing an explanation of the division Jesus has in mind.

apo + gen. "from" - from the present, henceforth [the now]. Temporal use of the preposition. The phrase "from now on" is a general time designation used by Luke to identify a change caused by the arrival of the messiah.

esontai (eimi) fut. "there will be" - there will be. Future of the verb to-be. If linked to the participle "having been divided", the verb to-be would form a "periphrastic future perfect", so Marshall, Nolland, Fitzmyer, ie. "a household of five will be divided", TNT, but its form is somewhat irregular, given that a future periphrastic is usually formed by the future of the verb to-be with a present participle; see below.

en + dat. "in [one family]" - in [one house]. Local, expressing space / place.

diamemerismenoi (diamerizw) perf. pas. part. "divided against each other" - [five] having been divided. The action is intensive, but with durative effect; from now and into the future there will be division in families. The participle is probably adjectival, attributive (but see above), and is most likely limiting "five people", "people" understood; "In one house there will be five people who are in a state of division."

epi + dat. "against" - [three] upon [two, and two] upon [three]. Here expressing opposition, as NIV.

 
v53

diamerisqhsontai (diamerizw) fut. pas. "they will be divided" - they will be divided. The plural subject, "they", is the listed family members. The position is emphatic, as NIV.

epi + dat. / acc. "against" - [father] upon = against [son, and son] against [father, mother] against [the daughter, and daughter] against [the mother]. As usual, the meaning of this preposition is fluid, but here it expresses opposition, "against", irrespective of whether it is followed by a dative or an accusative.

authV gen. pro. "-" - [mother-in-law against the daughter-in-law] of her [and daughter-in-law against the mother-in-law]. The genitive is adjectival, relational.

 

Luke Introduction

Exposition

Exegetical Commentaries

 

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