Importance of Speaking and Standing Up for Our Faith - What We Can Lear from the Gospel of the 20th Sunday Year C

The 20^th Sunday Gospel reading (Year C) is: 

“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?  No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” (Luke 12:49-53)

What kind of image of Jesus do you have with this Gospel narrative? 

I asked a bunch of people – my students, friends, and colleagues – their impressions about the Gospel story. “Disturbing”, “scary”, “I can’t believe Jesus actually said such a thing!”, “I wonder if Jesus could have said in a better way to make his point…”, “Maybe Jesus was in a bad mood or something to say such a thing….”, “Looks like Jesus was mad!”, “This reminds me of angry God in the Old Testament.”  Obviously, nobody indicated a positive impression.

An image of Jesus with these words of him sure wipes away a popular but naïve sheepish image of Jesus as a peacemaker. 

The above words of Jesus invoke another “un-Jesus-like” description of him:

“Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves; and He would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple.  And He began to teach and say to them, ‘Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a robber’s den.’ The chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.  When evening came, they would go out of the city.” (Mark 11:15-19)

The scene of Jesus driving those who are engaging business in the sacred place and overturning tables of the money changers tells how upset he was.  As his words in Luke 12:49-53 did not give a mere peace-maker image of Jesus, neither the description of Jesus’ rather violent behaviors in Mark 11:15-19(Luke’s version of this incident in Luke 19:45-47 tones down Jesus’ anger). 

Images of Jesus as a man, who brings fire, division, and disturbance do not seem to bode well with a popular image of him: a man of peace.  In fact, Jesus is called “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). He has also said, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful”.(John 14:27)

Now, it is evident that Jesus can be quite harsh, stern, and austere, in his words, as in the case of Luke 12:49-53, and in his acts, as in the case of Mark 11:15-19. But, we must be very careful not to take this aspect of Jesus out of context and not to fix Jesus to a naïve stereotype we tend to make for our own convenience. 

To those who “nail” Jesus to certain images, as keeping Jesus only to a mere image of peace-maker, Luke 12:49-53 and Mark 11:15-19, should give an awakening call to more realistic view of Jesus. Because those who put Jesus only to an image that they like are also avoiding and subconsciously reluctant to acknowledge other aspects of him, it is an indication of immature faith. In other words, immature faith makes us put Jesus in our convenient “boxes” – making stereotype suiting to our narcissistic take on religion. 

So, it is my hope that Luke 12:48-53, along with Mark 11:15-19, helps us “liberate” Jesus out of stereotype and get to know Jesus more comprehensively and wholly, as who he was as historical Jesus, as our faith matures. 

Immature faith puts us at risk of not only confining Jesus into a naïve and convenient stereotype by interpreting the scriptures out of context, due to insecure narcissistic ego. Biblical passages, like Luke 12:48-53, are quite vulnerable for such misinterpretations.

There is a danger in interpreting this kind of statement in the bible literally and mistakenly think that Jesus was a man to bring social disturbance, if our faith is immature, if our heart is insecure and narcissistic. 

As a matter of fact, see where such a mistaken literalist interpretation would lead.  After all, isn’t it the same conclusion as what those who conspired to kill Jesus had, in arguing that Jesus is dangerous as he came to disturb the peace of the Roman Empire? It means that misunderstanding Jesus by misinterpreting the scriptures are associated with human sinfulness, which killed Jesus about 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem. 

Now, let’s get to know another reality of Jesus, besides that he sure came to bring peace and salvation, through Luke 12:49-53.

The fire he is bringing can be understood as a metaphor for the final judgement, which is described in the Book of Revelation.  As this prophetic and apocalyptic book of the Bible tells, the judgement process is quite stormy and, indeed, disturbing, to a point of anxiety-provoking. But, if you read this book carefully, you know that our mature faith in Christ will enable us to endure all the trials in the judgement process, however scary it may seem. This is another way that Jesus is assuring the faithful – not to worry.

In conjunction with the Book of Revelation, we can appreciate the fire that Jesus brings as the fire of refinement – to purify the world, which he found corrupt (i.e. Luke 11:29). Further, Jesus even prophesized trials on the corrupt world infested with sins, by saying, “Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood!”(Luke 11:51). 

Yes, Jesus speaks quite harshly – to those who need to wake up to the truth. In fact, these harsh words in Luke 11:51 were cast out to the Pharisees, who are synonym to hypocrisy. Jesus even compared their sinfulness to the grave sinfulness of Abel and Zechariah, the first (Genesis 4:8) and the last (2 Chronicle 24:20-22) murders described in the Hebrew cannon of the Old Testament, as the New American Bible explains. 

Though Jesus loves peace, he does become quite harsh in condemning evil and what it brings, such as hypocrisy and injustice. That is why, he was not only speaking harshly against evil but also acting even violently against evil, as he did in cleansing the corrupt temple (Mark 11:15-19).

Now, we are in a better position to appreciate Jesus’ intention to tell us that he came to bring divisions, though it is rather disturbing to hear so. 

The divisions are conflicts between those who are faithful and those who are not – those who stick with the teaching of Jesus and those who are against it.  The divisions are what John’s Gospel symbolically contrasts the light and the darkness. 

As the Book of Revelation tells,  the salvation, which is namely the Kingdom of God, the new Eden, the new paradise, comes upon the return of Jesus, which is preceded by series of disturbing trials.  In Luke 12:29, Jesus indicate the trials in the judgement process with the fire he brings to suggest that it is also a refining and purifying fire. 

In this fire, things unfit to enter into the Kingdom will be weeded out so that those who are to inherit the Kingdom can enter with absolute purity of heart. 

An image of fiery refinement and purification is also found way back at the time of Babylonian captivity, using that adversarial and humiliating experience upon the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC as a learning experience to repent from sins to the purity of heart. This is summed up in Isaiah 48:10:

"Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.”

Jesus must have meant by saying, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” in the same spirit of the Word of God in Isaiah 48:10.  In fact, during Job’s process of conversion, he also found himself in a spiritual refinement, purging whatever blocks his vision in recognizing the greatness of God:

“But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”

And, Job eventually became refined as “pure gold” upon his trials. 

Because the human sinfulness has gotten to a point that makes Jesus lament, he had to remind us that he is bringing refining fire so that we will be pure enough by the time of inheriting the Kingdom.

So, what about Jesus telling about bringing divisions and our families getting divided against each other?  Why did Jesus have to say such things about dividing – though we tend to think that Jesus is about bringing people together to unite not only with God but with each other - ? 

This is where we must be very careful in interpreting – to make sure that we do not misunderstand what Jesus meant by “establishing division rather than peace”. 

In fact, if you approach this part of the scripture passage with mature faith, you can appreciate it as Jesus’ encouragement to us, not to be afraid of speaking up your belief and faith in Christ – even it may cause some disturbances and divisions in your families, circles of friends, and communities.

People with lukewarm faith become reluctant about speaking their faith – because they are simply afraid of “losing friends”.  Unless you are a vote-hungry politician, you do not have to compromise your belief. 

Jesus knows that it hurts us if we cannot speak up the truth, which he teaches.  It’s like someone telling her psychotherapist, “I could not tell him because I did not want to upset him….”, in regretting not telling him a truth.  Imagine if you had to be like her, going on a relationship with pretentiousness, because you were afraid of speaking your true feeling – lest expressing it would hurt a person you love. 

Depending on how you express it, it can hurt the person you have to tell your true feeling, or at least, it can disturb the person. But, imagine if you kept on going on your relationship not telling it…  Not telling a truth because of your fear of upsetting someone or making a division among people you associate with…or lest you are so afraid of being left alone, as a result of telling a truth, will eventually hurt both you and another person or the people you associate with.   

“Gee, I wish you had told me back then!”, is what people who were too afraid to tell a truth will have to hear. 

“Man! I wish you could tell me your true feeling then.”

“But, I was afraid that you’d get upset and hate me for that.”

“Well, I could have gotten upset, for a while. But, it is terrible and even more upsetting  that you did not tell me this for such a long time.” 

Exchanges like the above are what I often hear from my clients when I provide counseling sessions to couples and families plagued with afflictions. 

It is true that Jesus’ teaching is not welcomed by all in this world. It is also true that his teaching can upset some people even in your small circle of people you associate, which Jesus describes as a family in the Gospel.  So, can you call yourself a true disciple of Christ – if you cannot tell your faith because you are afraid of this reality? 

In recent years, many American Catholics seem to have this problem that Jesus is indicating in this Gospel message:  watering down their faith because they are afraid of divisions with those who are not in agreement with the Catholic Church.  The quality of their faith seem to deteriorate in the meantime at the expense of “getting along”. 

This recent phenomena of American Catholics also invokes an image of the Israelites, whose faith in God, dwindled as they gave their hearts to the surrounding Canaanites, eventually upsetting not the Canaanites neighbors but their God, whom they forgot. 

I think that Jesus was using harsh words to alert us to this kind of problem.  If we did not get his message now, then, we would repeat the history of falling and falling, which cost many prophets before Christ, as well-described in the Old Testament. 

Of course, the way we express our faith makes difference.  Expressing our uncompromising faith to those who do not agree or appreciate does not have to be done in a way to upset them.  But, letting a possibility of their hostile reaction to expressing our faith and not speaking our faith can lead to a serious problem down on the road. 

Jesus is hoping that we gain both courage and wisdom to handle this difficult challenge as we continue our pilgrim journey to inherit the Kingdom.