Sunday 17 August 2025
“I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!" (v. 49)
Background
Some words of Jesus are easy to read; others are much more difficult – even to the extent that we prefer to gloss over them. For me this passage and these words fall into the second category, and I would rather gloss over them.
Yet they need to be read and struggled with. The words of Jesus in this passage reveal a person in torment and turmoil. Jesus knows that he is going to his death on the cross, that he is going to be killed in a most brutal manner and his death and resurrection will have a profound impact on the world. Faith in Jesus doesn’t make for a bland, grey world. Faith in Jesus brings a profound contrast into the world where the consequences of believing in a compassionate, loving and merciful God bring us into conflict with those who are selfish, power hungry and greedy.
The love, grace, justice and mercy of God is for all people; until all people make their own journey of faith there will, inevitably, be a sense of division and difference. Belief in Jesus brings division because he makes us different. This is not difference of appearance but difference of values.
To Ponder:
- We are all different and diversity is a good thing. How do we know which differences are appropriate and which are wrong?
- When we encounter people who are different to us in some way or who think differently how do we respond? Can our faith in God allow views and opinions that are contradictory equal space, or are there some things that have to be agreed on to make faith a reality?
Bible notes author: The Revd Malcolm Peacock
The Revd Peacock is Superintendent Minister of the Mid Glamorgan Mission Circuit. He has a deep and abiding interest in Celtic theology and believes those who are minorities or feel themselves marginalised should be given a voice to speak for themselves.