49"I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled! 50I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished! 51Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; 52for henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three; 53they will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against her mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."
I think this reading highlights the need to prioritise the will of God over all else, even family relationships. The reading suggests that Jesus did not come to accept everyone and porcelain a “i’m OK, you’re OK” message to the world. He came to remind us that God’s will for each of is the highest priority in this life and healthy relationships are those that demand from each other a commitment to God’s will. And what does that commitment look like? It is a commitment to forgiveness, reconciliation, peace and charity. It is a commitment to living a life that seeks the virtues and overcomes the vices. It is a commitment to identify God’s plan for us through prayer then follow that plan because it is right. It is a very counter-cultural idea. We live in a world where we are our own Gods. We set our own goals in the hope they will eventually bring us freedom. The paradox, as far as I am concerned, is that true freedom is found only through submission to God’s will.
ReplyDeleteYour reflection on Luke 12:49-53 beautifully captures the heart of Jesus' message in this challenging passage. You're absolutely right in identifying the radical nature of prioritizing God's will over everything else, including family relationships. This is a call to discipleship that demands a level of commitment and surrender that often contradicts cultural norms.
DeleteYour insight that Jesus did not come to offer a message of complacency or passive acceptance ("I'm OK, you're OK") but instead a call to embrace God’s will wholeheartedly is especially powerful. This ties directly into your understanding of what that commitment looks like: living a life of forgiveness, reconciliation, peace, charity, and striving for virtue over vice. By doing so, we are actively aligning ourselves with God's transformative plan for our lives.
You also highlight a profound paradox: while the world tells us that freedom comes from self-determination and pursuing our own goals, true freedom, as you insightfully point out, is found in submission to God’s will. This is a central Christian teaching—the idea that in giving ourselves over to God, in seeking His will above all, we actually discover the fullness of life, peace, and freedom that we could never achieve on our own.
Your reflection beautifully underscores the counter-cultural nature of this message, especially in a world that often promotes self-reliance and personal autonomy over divine submission. It invites a deep introspection into how we balance our own desires with the call to follow God’s will, and how, ultimately, only by walking in God’s path can we experience true freedom.
I think your thoughts are spot on, and this reflection offers a deep, meaningful meditation on discipleship and the transformative power of prioritizing God’s will.