New Thoughts (8/16/06-8/18/06)
There are, as seems always to be the case with Jesus, hard things in these passages. Some are hard to accept, others hard even to understand. Even with understanding, it can be hard to accept what He is telling us here. It was intended to be. The setting provided by Luke 14:25 makes that pretty clear. There was a crowd of the curious, the half-committed, the entertainment seekers and other sorts of folks following around after Jesus. There were also, of course, true disciples amidst that crowd. But the time had come to thin things out a little bit. It is to this end that Jesus starts making plain to these crowds what real discipleship is going to cost them. He’s weeding the wheat fields, as it were, for He, unlike any other, can do so without injuring the wheat in the process.
There remain those comments He makes that just raise questions even in the believer’s mind. What does He mean, for instance, by this business of casting fire on the earth? And, how can He express such anticipation for its lighting? This doesn’t sound like the God we know and love. Can He really be so anxious to see the destruction of life? Of course not. To understand the passage thusly must be to misunderstand it completely. Such a meaning would be at odds with the testimony of Scripture. God is not pleased to destroy the sinner, though His Just nature demands that He do so. Justice is not pleased to punish. Justice is best pleased when its demands have been met fully, and no punishment has been made necessary. So, we must come at this verse from some other angle. It is not a fire of punishment for which Jesus longs. It is not a matter of vengeance on His enemies.
The key lies in understanding the uses of fire. Fire can punish and destroy, to be sure, but what if that punishing, destroying power is harnessed? Well, then it becomes a purifying force. If the thing that is destroyed is sin, then what remains is pure. This purifying process is something which would be well understood in a metal-working society. The silver and gold which we so prize are quite unattractive as ores. There is too much that is not silver or gold that has adhered to and mixed in with the metals we desire. How are these impurities removed but by fire? The metal is heated to the melting point, and these impurities float to the surface where they can be skimmed off and removed. When the fire is removed and the metal has cooled once more, all that remains is the pure gold or silver that is of value.
It is to this end that the sacrifices God required of old were offered by fire. Fire removed the impurities of the animal, and left the pure purpose of the sacrifice. In this light, we can begin to understand why the Son of God would be anxious to see that fire lit. He comes to light a purifying fire, to purify His bride. Without that fire, she can in no wise be pure, cannot be prepared for her wedding day. Is it any wonder that the Groom would be anxious to start the preparations? Of course He wishes that this fire were already started, the heat rapidly approaching what will be necessary to melt His bride, to float all that admixture to the surface where He can remove it. Of course He is desirous that He might see His bride at the altar that much sooner.
Indeed, is it not interesting to consider in this light the very fact that we come to the altar with our bride? This, too, makes sense when the purifying aspect of fire is considered. We come to the altar, the very place where the sacrifice meets the fire, being purified by that fire and offered up to God as a sweet-smelling aroma. Wow! Think about that, too! The purified offering has left behind all its corporeal mass. It has become nothing but smoke, nothing but psuche. The soul of the sacrifice has been freed of the flesh. The offering has become pure spirit with nothing to hold it back. Don’t wander off in Manichean directions with this, but the symbolic purification here is interesting. So, we come on our wedding day to the altar of burnt offerings. We come with our bride, and we come with ourselves. In that moment, we are indeed laying our life upon that altar. In that moment, we are purifying the human relationship, the pure metal of love is heated until the dross of lust floats to the top and can be removed. What remains is pure love, love purified, love in its pristine state, blessed by God and fashioned by His hands. “How I wish it were already kindled!” Is it any wonder? The Groom longs for His bride.
As Jesus looks forward to that moment of union, He recognizes certain preparations that He must make Himself before He can begin to prepare the bride. There is a dowry that must be paid, and that dowry requires a baptism beyond that which He has had by John’s hand. It is, I think, the same baptism which He will require of His own. John had said that while he baptized with water, the One who was coming would baptize by fire. It is this fiery, purifying baptism which Jesus knows He must undergo before He can administer it to any other.
He is, after all, a teacher. The teacher who is worth his salt in this kingdom is the teacher who has undergone what he teaches. To require of a disciple anything that one does not require of himself would mark one as a fraud. How can I hope to teach what I have not truly learned? If, then, Jesus was going to require a baptism by fire, He must first be baptized with that fire Himself. If He was going to baptize with purification what had already been baptized with repentance, He must undergo the whole process first. The High Priest, making offering to atone for the sins of the people, had first to atone for his own sins. The perfect High Priest, though sinless, would undergo the process of atonement on behalf of the people. Except He were to do that, there would be no atonement. Praise God that His desire for His bride was so great that even a dowry of death would not discourage Him!
The next challenge faced here is understanding how the Prince of Peace can come claiming to bring division and a sword. How does this fit together? Indeed, the whole matter that He brings forth here, that families are going to be torn apart by the advent of Messiah, seems at odds with His own teaching regarding familial responsibilities. Yet, there it is, so what do we make of it?
As to the first matter, I suppose it might be that Jesus was laboring to correct the popular misconceptions about Messiah. Israel was convinced that this Messiah would come as a conquering king and establish them in their proper position of power. They were certain that He would usher in an age of peace – at least for them – by eliminating the problems of warfare. This does not, however, quite explain the extent of the peace Jesus disowns. The issue is peace upon the earth, not just to Israel. Well, there is, of course, a quiet reminder of Israel’s purpose in this. Their mission was to bring God to the world, but they chose instead to treat Him as exclusively their own. There is also, perhaps, an allusion to the famous Pax Romana, the Roman peace, which to violate was close to being the ultimate offense against that republic.
It was from Rome, after all, that the people hungered after their freedom. Yet, what had Rome brought but an imposed peace? There was an enforced absence of strife under the yoke of this regime. Was it not peace that Israel longed for? Why, then, this great desire to throw off the peace they had? Their hunger was for a militarily strong Israel to fend off their opposition. That hunger has really never left, has it? It is still the hunger of Israel today to be militarily strong enough to fend off the enemies on their borders. This is what they would have had of Messiah at His coming, a general of superlative merit. This is why they had no use for the Messiah who came. This is why they largely have no use for Him today. He is not the God they want.
On the second matter, that of dividing the family, one has only to come to real and earnest faith to find the truth of that. However, even as we recognize that truth, we must also recognize that Jesus is in no way teaching an abrogation of familial responsibilities. The fact that faith will bring division between father and son is not permission to set aside the Law which declares that we are to honor our parents. It is possible to honor one’s parents even when they reject the Lord. It is possible to honor them without dishonoring one’s own commitment to the Lord. There will be those occasions where the higher loyalty the Christ demands will require rejection of certain commands a parent might issue. It is really no different that the point at which it becomes not only proper but imperative for a Christian to reject the rule of civil law. That point is not found at the place where we are annoyed by a law, or where it inconveniences us. That point is found only where such laws are directly, fundamentally opposed to the Law of God.
In this case, we are not being given carte blanche to cavalierly sever all ties to family. Such division may come, but if it comes, it must come solely because the demands of that family have required such from us as would deny the Christ who is our King. Short of that, you have no excuse. This is in perfect keeping with the condemnation of that exaggerated practice of corban which had taken root in the Israel Jesus knew. It is not sufficient to simply say our commitments at church give us carte blanche to ignore every other responsibility. We cannot look at our family and declare that we shall no longer provide their support because all we have has been devoted to the church. That’s out of order now as it was out of order then. We cannot simply disown father or son because we have found Jesus. It may come to that, but it doesn’t start with that. The command of Christ is ever to seek and restore those who have been lost to Him. Yes, there comes a time when prayer is no longer a required on behalf of such a one, but never is there a time where it is made sinful to keep praying.
That brings me to this question: When should we give up on another? For that matter, should we? In light of what Jesus is saying here, and what we understand from Scripture at large, how should we respond to that family member who outright rejects the God of heaven? What do we do with that child who insists on walking with the devil? Do we throw them out? If we continue to give them harbor in our home, have we crossed the line Jesus draws here? I think the answer must clearly be no. If, however, we allow our care and concern for these poor souls to lead us into compromise; if we begin to walk in ways that are displeasing to our Lord and Savior just so we won’t offend these darkened ones, well – now we’ve got trouble. However, that same measure holds just as true for our own condition. “Even if you love your own life more than Me...” If it remains more interesting to you to continue in your pet sins than to cast them aside and truly follow, then you are no disciple of Mine. That’s the point here.
So, when should we give up on another? Well, when would you give up on yourself? You know, I’ve seen people who certainly appeared to have given up on themselves. I’ve talked to plenty of folks who at least claim that they are surely beyond redemption. Of course, we all know that they don’t really believe that. If they truly thought that were the case, they would long since have taken their own lives and made their prophecy certain. So far as the Scriptures teach it, there is only the grave that puts an end to the possibility of restoration. For the dead, we must surely give up, though even there we most often cannot know with certainty whether the deceased has come to the Christ or not. What we can be sure of is that in that case, the decision has become final. Apart from that, there is always hope, even as there was hope for us in our darkest hour.
It is, I believe, not only possible but required that we not completely break our ties just because we have been given the grace of faith. We are not called to cloister ourselves apart from the world, and if our family has thus far insisted on remaining one with the world, this precludes us from cloistering ourselves apart from them, too. How shall we be the salt of the earth if we will not set foot upon the earth? How shall we shed light in the darkness if we keep our lamp to ourselves? How can we think our own family members less deserving of our efforts at rescue than complete strangers? Division may come. Division may be unavoidable, but insofar as it lies within your power to do so, you are called to be the peacemaker (Ro 12:18). It doesn’t say to be at peace with your fellow believers. It says to be at peace with all men. Even when the Prince of Peace declares that He has not come to establish peace on the earth, still He calls us to this standard.
Don’t give up. Don’t compromise your faith, but don’t give up. Keep on in earnest prayer that even the most hardened, most unrepentant amongst our acquaintances might be saved. There is no man living who is beyond hope of that.
Jesus has made it quite clear that those who would follow Him must value Him more than any other. It is in light of this that He brings up the cross. “If you will not take up your cross and follow Me, you are not worthy of Me.” This is something that we find Jesus saying on more than this one occasion. In this case, we must understand His point by the setting in which He speaks. It is a discussion of where our priorities lie, where our loyalties lie. We are discussing matters that will tear families apart. That is the warning He gives. Looking at Luke’s coverage of this, He adds the warning that we can’t even afford to be so concerned about ourselves if we are going to be His disciples.
Now add this matter of the cross. What is He saying? He is warning us that we are going to be not merely embarrassed to be His, we are going to be mortified. We are going to be ostracized. The cross was, we know, a punishment reserved for the worst criminals. It was, then, a shame upon the family of the one upon the cross to be associated with the punished one. If being a tax-gatherer was cause to be disowned by one’s family, how much more when one is marked out as such a criminal as this? Such an evil must surely be destroyed from the land! Well, obviously, Jesus is not recommending that we all go out and live a life of criminal activity, nor that we seek to get caught by such actions. He is simply using that image to indicate just how reviled we are going to be by those outside the kingdom. He is warning us just how completely friends and family will disown us if they are not amongst His disciples, too.
It is a question of shame. It is a matter of bearing up under the anathema of one’s own family. If these issues mean more to us than being His, then we are not His. We cannot be. That’s harsh, but that’s His point.
Looking at those crowds of people that were hanging around Him, Jesus was not impressed. Numbers don’t impress God. Real faith impresses God; real commitment. So, Jesus is weeding out the curious and casual observers of His ministry. He is warning away the half-hearted. He is determined that His disciples will truly be disciples. The Church in our own day seems unwilling to present such a challenge. The whole seeker-friendly, mega-church movement is geared at avoiding anything that might make Jesus hard to take. Where do we get these ideas? Jesus certainly didn’t teach them to us. He was constantly challenging those who followed Him, testing them to see if they were really committed to the life He brought, or simply trying to look good.
See, a disciple is more than just a student. The scribes were of a mind to screen those who sought to be their disciples, to see if they were worthy of being taught. They measured not only ability to think but ability to pay. Jesus never prescreened those who came to Him. Neither did He reserve His teaching for paying students. He taught in the open, in the presence of all who cared to listen. Rather than screen the people before they could hear, He allowed His own teaching to screen out the poseurs. This whole preparation of the Twelve, spoken, it would seem, not in some private moment, but in the hearing of others, was a challenge to faith. It was a challenge to discipleship. You say you want to learn what I have to teach. Well, here’s what you’ll face if you adopt My lifestyle. Here’s what success in your studies will mean. You will be ostracized. You will be disowned and humiliated by those who know you. You will be dragged before the magistrates, punished, killed, mistreated in every possible way. If you’re still interested, I’m taking applications right now. There can be no testing out of this class, though. There will be no option of dropping it if it gets to hard.
If you are a disciple, then this instruction is not just information. It is going to be your rule of conduct. What Jesus is teaching will define how you live, how you think, how you act. This course of study can only accept those who are prepared for a total commitment. Further, it is a lifetime commitment. The class never ends.
Lord, You have shown me even yesterday that my commitment is not yet as whole-hearted as I should like to think. You have shown me that there is still that piece of me that doesn’t wish to express the Truth of You, that fears the rejection. Forgive me, my Father. Jesus, let me not be ashamed of Your great worth. Let this tongue be only too glad to speak of You. Let the life I lead, even in the workplace, even under stress, present the world with a testimony to Your power instead of my weakness. If I have made a poor showing of it, and I know I have, then, Holy One, turn it around in me, that the end may be more glorious than the start. Make this life a testimony to You, Lord, else all this is made worthless.
As something of a parting thought on this message, I want to look briefly at one of the parallel verses. There is something Moses records in regard to the tribe of Levi that is deserving of our consideration here. This was, of course, the tribe dedicated to the Lord’s service, the tribe that was not given an inheritance in the land because their inheritance was in the Lord. They could have resented their chosen state. Some of us would, were we put in similar circumstances. It’s all well and good to serve the Lord, after all, but when it starts to impact our livelihood, are we still going to be there?
Many of us, faced with setting aside our material goods at God’s behest would reject the idea out of hand. Most of us, I suspect, would at least have to struggle with that thought. It is a matter that every missionary of Christ has had to face. Can I leave it all? Those who have made the greatest impression on Church history have been the ones who answered yes. There have been men of considerable wealth and position in that list. But, the tribe of Levi had the honor of being the first to hear such a call. Leave aside all your ambitions, all your desire for property, for security, and come serve the Lord. What Moses says of them, then, is evidence that they showed themselves able to answer that call.
The tribe of Levi, he writes, did not even think of parents, did not so much as acknowledge brothers. Even their own sons were given no thought. They were focused solely on God’s word, focused on keeping His covenant (Dt 33:9). To many today, the beginning of that record will sound so negative that the commendation found in the record is lost. What? He neglected his family? What? He abandoned his children to pursue the work of the tabernacle? Oh! How shameful! We must never put the Church before family. Yet, what Moses says here is the greatest commendation a God-fearing Christian could hope for: They were so focused on God’s word that everything else pretty much faded from their awareness. They were so deeply concerned with upholding the Covenant that they would brook no distraction.
This is hardly a neglect of family. That is not the point. Clearly, God was not going to call for servants who abandoned their offspring to fend for themselves. No! Part of the very covenant that they sought to uphold was to train up these sons and daughters in the reverence of the Lord. They couldn’t very well fulfill that office by forgetting they had children! I tell you, though, that they put this matter of God’s word and His covenant first and foremost. That is the point Moses is making. It had their complete attention, and because it had their complete attention, their duty to family could be fulfilled in ways that it could never have been otherwise.
This holds true for us today. If we will really devote ourselves to the pursuit of His Word; if we are truly committed to upholding our side of the covenant, then we will not have to fear getting things out of order. We need not fear that our family will feel neglected because we have been laboring in ministry. The key is in not pursuing ministry, but pursuing His Word. The pursuit of ministry leads to busyness, and we get so caught up in the busyness that we are not doing His business. That is where things get out of balance. If, on the other hand, we are so focused on raising our family, on keeping the household together and in order, that we can’t seem to find time to seek God in His Word, we are equally out of balance.
The more we try to do things on our own power, the more effort we must expend to accomplish less and less. It is when we turn to seeking God’s leading, seeking God’s ways, seeking those things that God is blessing because He purposed those things that we will find ourselves laboring without growing weary. There is the place of eagle’s wings. There is the place where God can be shown strong in our weakness. There is the place God blesses, the place of the disciple.
