Luke 12:49-59
49 “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! 51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
54 He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
57 “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? 58 As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. 59 I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.”
Reflection
The coming of Jesus is often associated with peace (Luke 1:79; 2:14; 19:38; 24:36), so it is surprising to hear him say that he has come to create division. The gospel that brings deep inner peace to those who hope in Christ (2:29; Rom. 5:1) divides all the peoples of the world into two realms based on their reception of the gospel. As we seek to follow Christ, we will have Christ’s abiding peace within us yet we will experience division, conflict, and persecution from those who reject him (1 Pet. 4:3–4) —sometimes even within our own families (Luke 12:52–53).
Colossians 2:16-23
16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
Reflection
Paul has called on believers who are united to Christ to resist any teaching that is contrary to the gospel that he taught them (Col. 2:8). For fear that they may slip into false, man-made religion (vv. 16–18, 22), Paul reminds them to hold on to Christ (v. 19).
Just like the Colossians, believers today must beware of embracing the subtle and deceptive self-made religious teachings that originate in the minds of mere humans. We must be sure to utilize the resources of God’s Word and Spirit to help us remain steadfast throughout the recurring storms of false teaching (cf. 1 John 2:26–27).
Psalm 85:8
8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly.
The price of receiving the peace of Christ is that it separates you from the ways of this world. Ask God to increase your appreciation of the peace you experience in Christ so that you will not surrender to the pressures that come from being alienated by those who love this world.