The Tenth Sunday After Pentecost - August 17, 2025

Summary

Mother Suzanne tackles a difficult Gospel passage where Jesus speaks of bringing fire to earth and potential family division, acknowledging that many preachers would skip this harsh text. She explains that Jesus, like Old Testament prophets, demands a loyalty so strong it might upset families and communities, but this "fire" represents purification and a new way of being. Rather than focusing on unpredictable things like weather, Jesus calls us to embrace change and new ministry, trusting that "with God's help" we can do this challenging but necessary work.

THE GOSPEL                                                                                                                                              Luke 12:49-56

Jesus said, "I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; 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."

He also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, `It is going to rain'; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, `There will be scorching heat'; and it happens. 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?" 

Artwork: Fire Cloud, by Jennifer Walton

Transcript

Mother Suzanne:

Save the weak and the orphan. Defend the humble and needy. Rescue the weak and the poor and deliver them from the power of the wicked. In the name of the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. Please be seated. Well, this is a passage in our lectionary when most preachers look at it and say, "I think I'll skip this one this week." It would be an easy one to avoid. Not only does it sound harsh in truth, it's Jesus saying things that aren't what we normally hear him say. And certainly things that are said in this passage don't normally come out of my mouth. Fire and brimstone, families being ripped apart. That's not normally what you hear in this pulpit. And truthfully, for many of us, that's exactly why we're here in the Episcopal church. We've heard way too much and would prefer to spend our days and life of faith focusing on other things.

Things such as unity and peace, God's love. And let's be honest, anything other than fire and brimstone. And those of you who have a Southern Baptist background, you know because you're shaking your heads. Me too.

But this is our text this morning. And these are the words of Jesus that are meant for you and me, all of God's people, so we will do our best to wrestle with them. I do think, and I will say, I think it's helpful to remember what this text has in mind with Jesus relating to the Old Testament prophets. Remember, the Testament, the Old Testament and the prophets, their job was to speak truth. And hard things that most people didn't want to hear are flat out, refuse to hear or avoid. And in this passage, Jesus is mirroring the lives of the Old Testament prophets. And ultimately, it's those things, those words that he has said, just like our text this morning that put a mark on him, that eventually were part of the reason why he was killed.

Interestingly enough, while speaking these words, Jesus alludes to his own death. When he says that he's under stress until it's completed, those words tell us. He's talking about walking the road that leads to his own death. Now in the gospel of Luke, we are walking towards Jesus' death. He knows it's coming and he carries this with him. And so naturally what one carries eventually comes out. And perhaps that's the reason why he says what he does today because there is urgency. There's a need for the truth of knowing what it means to be loyal to him.

And what that means is division will come, that it will make people unhappy, including family. Those are the ones where division and unrest may come because of what it means to call Jesus Lord. This may not sound like a huge deal in our time, but in the first century, these words of Jesus are more than shocking. They're almost unbelievable because the family unit was everything. Family was all, and the thought of it being split apart hit right to the core. And that's precisely why Jesus says it. That's the kind of loyalty and love Jesus demands. So much that it can split family units apart. Jesus isn't in the business of mincing words in this passage. He doesn't leave any family member off of the list. Everyone could be affected. It's that big of a deal. He demands that kind of loyalty, so get ready. He says this.

From the start of the passage, I come to bring fire, fire to the earth. And remember, fire was a symbol in the ancient world of purifying, making things new, creating change, bringing about a new way. By saying, "I came to bring fire to the earth." Jesus is saying and announcing a new way of being. And the imagery he uses is stark and it is raw. It's not for the faint of heart. And as Jesus knows, it will cost him his own life. And if it costs him his life, it just might cost you yours. At this point in the narrative, Jesus is so frustrated. He throws his hands up in frustration to the crowd. He is sharing this new way of being and the crowd is looking up in the clouds talking about the weather.

Yeah. They're scratching their heads wondering if it's going to rain. The crowd is more concerned about the weather and doing their best to predict it. And Jesus calls them out. Enough, he says, about wondering about what the weather is going to do. Pay attention to what is right now rather than what might be like the weather. Because everybody knows, especially in Texas, there's nothing more unpredictable than the weather. Jesus says, "Don't worry about that. Look at what is happening now. Not what about could happen." Jesus says, "If you believe in me and call me, Lord, there are just some things that will happen, not like the weather that might change.

My loyalty demands you to change. My love requires things that are hard and that might not just impact you, but those closest to you called your family." Again, I will say at the time of Jesus, those kinds of divisions among family members wouldn't just be painful family fights. Such separation from blood family in order to form relationships within the new family of the followers of Jesus was shocking. It was an astonishing demand he was making, but this is what Jesus was calling into being. This is part of the new order and it won't be like the weather that might change.

He says that change is coming, so be ready. Prepare yourself. Hard words for whatever century you find yourself living in, the first or the 21st. So it begs the question, what does that look like in a modern day context? You might ask. I thought about that this week, but I would say in a church setting, it may look something like a church setting about doing something new, creative, inspiring. Something some might say is scary because it hasn't been done before. Something that some might say is scandalous. The church has no business doing because we're a church and we need to stick to churchy things like being tucked safely in our neat and tidy buildings with those who look and think like us, right?

But this is when the first sentence of today's gospel hits home for me, largely because maybe we need to hear more than ever I have come to bring fire to the earth. Remember, Jesus is calling us to a new order. He's asking us to take part in what he has called us to, even if it upsets people, even if it upsets our families, our church families. So this fiery pronouncement, getting our attention, reminding us that change and newness are just part of what it means to be a part of Jesus' new way. It's not to scare people.

It's to tell us he is making a new way. In other words, going outside the church walls to engage our neighbors, offering the peace of Christ by giving food to those who are hungry, creating space so that the gospel can be given away to all kinds of people. Being open and unafraid to all the ways Jesus is calling you to inhabit your world and your space to make it better. Yeah, even if that means doing unexpected ministry that some just might raise their eyebrows at. This is when I like to think about our book of common prayer. One of my most favorite phrases is being reminded always with God's help.

Being courageous enough to say, "With God's help, we can feed a community. With God's help, we can make life better for those near to us. With God's help, we can believe that faith is worth pursuing and living into." And with God's help, we can be a part of a new way of being and doing church, loving and being loyal to a man named Jesus, calling fire down from heaven not to scare people, but to remind folks of a new way and trusting we will be given what we need to do this gutsy and audacious work because truly you guys, it's not all that daring. It's what we've been called to do. And with God's help, we can and we will. And by God's grace, grace, church, will, day in and day out, week in and week out, only with God's help. Amen.