Division

“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?
“Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” Luke 12:49-59

There is no compromise with our Lord. He came into humanity knowing that His very presence here would cause raging conflict, not only among the religionists, but also within families. How could it not? He presented Himself as God. He made His mission clear: to save humanity from our sins. He disdained the legalisms and traditions of the Pharisees. He called people into full time service in His Kingdom. We've seen in Luke's gospel that Jesus didn't operate under the radar, but made His power known throughout the land. He challenged the crowd to use their common sense regarding what they had seen in Him, and in their nation. You can read the weather patterns. Why can't you read the evidence of the Savior present among you? Why can't you understand that His time has come?

Many who have truly believed in Jesus Christ for salvation have experienced the resistance of friends and family members. That is an emotionally painful situation, difficult for everyone involved. Separation from loved ones is often the cost of discipleship. Those who don't know Him as Savior are fearful of just what has happened to the believer. If the family is religious, they accuse the Christian of joining a cult. If they are agnostic or claim to be atheist, they react with open hostility to the Christian in the household. If the Christian is truly abiding in Christ and continuing in His Word, he will be ridiculed as a Bible-waving fanatic. Unbelievers despise and resent the real Jesus Christ, though they will claim some admiration for the Jesus they think they know about. That Jesus is a pacifist and a compromiser without authority or power. That Jesus has no direct relationship with God the Father or the Old or New Testament. But the real Jesus, God the Son, is the creator and sustainer of the universe, the Word Incarnate and the only Savior. No one comes to the Father but through Him (John 14:6). The real Jesus will be the Judge of those who have rejected His perfect atonement for their sins. The real Jesus is the very life of the born-again believer. Family conflict can be extremely painful, but He is worth it.