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Not Peace But 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…”
Luke 12:49-53
Today’s Gospel lesson from the Daily Office sounds uncharacteristic of Jesus. Didn’t Jesus come to bring peace on earth, goodwill towards men (Luke 2:14)? Well, yes, He did; and readers of Luke’s Gospel will remember that this is how the story of Jesus began, as announced by angels from heaven. What then can this mean? Has Jesus changed His mind?
No. But we may need to change our minds about the true meaning of peace. As the holiday season draws near, I wonder if any of you have been thinking about how to “keep the peace” in your household with visiting family. This is not always easy, and it is not unimportant! Putting aside old quarrels or political differences to share a meal can be a real accomplishment, a way of showing someone that despite all, love and grace run deeper than the things that divide us.
But the deep peace that Jesus came to bring runs so much deeper than that. The peace Jesus brings is no surface-level peace. It is peace like a river, God and sinners reconciled, peace that passes understanding, peace that the world cannot give. God’s peace is not just the absence of conflict, but the presence of deep relationship, love and well-being. It is not fragile or temporary, but strong and eternal.
The fact is that on our way to that peace, we will encounter division. There are people who need to be confronted. Real reconciliation must take place, which means wrongs must be put right and truths spoken. This process will often arouse angry opposition. People don't like being confronted! Yet, Jesus did this all the time, speaking clear words of challenge to the Pharisees and temple authorities. God did this all the time to His own beloved Israel through the prophets. God does this because of His love, full of mercy and grace, not to destroy but to save.
Jesus did not bring division because He likes it. Rather, Jesus shines light into our lives and into our world, and some will always oppose it. Indeed, we will not always like it either! Division is inevitable. But Jesus is after something much deeper than a surface-level peace. He did not come to paper over the sins and injustices of this world. He came to reconcile us to God and to one another, to bring about real peace. So may it be for us, through Christ our peace.
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