Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Luke 12:49-53
Pastor: Pastor Berg
Sermon Date:  September 8, 2019

It seems everyone today has been impacted by cancer. Now that may seem like an exaggeration, but maybe only slightly. In fact, the impact of cancer is so wide-spread; it’s even prompting people to sell insurance specifically for cancer. I’ve already had someone stop by my house, going door to door, trying to sell cancer insurance. Her sales pitch centered on demonstrating how our lives have been touched by cancer. My life has. My mom died because of cancer 16 years ago.

I know that our gathering here this morning is not much different from the rest of the world when it comes to cancer. However, not everyone who’s been touched by cancer has died. We have our own success stories sitting with us in the pews this morning. We know people who have beaten cancer. But winning the battle with cancer is a long, painful process, isn’t it? The treatments for cancer are harsh–they have to be–to kill the cancer. But perhaps it’s not the actual treatments that we think of as much as the side-effects. Chemotherapy and radiation take a toll on the body. But the side-effects are just as draining. Pain, hair loss, nausea, and vomiting are just a few of the things that result from those cancer treatments. You may even have problems doing the simplest of things because you’re so worn out–things like talking or walking–things we take for granted. But as much as we pain to see someone going through all that suffering and discomfort, the end result can be worth it, right? In the end, if the treatments were successful, the cancer is gone. Their life is saved.

Unfortunately, we haven’t reached the point where we’ve beaten cancer completely. While some cancers are more treatable than others, there’s still no guarantee that the treatments will work. But what if you could have a guarantee that the treatment would work? There wouldn’t be any question that you would go through with it, would there? If your doctor could promise you that you would be cancer free after all the treatments, you’d be willing to endure all of those horrible side effects, wouldn’t you? 

Cancer has touched each and every one of us. But not just the physical cancers that kill the body, no we have a terrible cancer living inside of each of us. It’s the cancer that will do more than killed the body–this is a cancer of our souls. This is the cancer of sin. For years, people have tried every remedy imaginable to kill the cancer of sin–without success. Every effort to root our sin from our souls fell tragically short…until the Great Physician stepped in with a promise of a cure. What’s more, he guarantees that it works. What’s even more, he’s willing to give the cure away for free. Today, the Great Physician is going to have a consultation with us. As we meet with him, he’s going to prescribe a treatment–one with guaranteed results. However, there are some painful side-effects that come with this treatment–the side-effects of salvation. Our Great Physician wants to be completely up front with us. He wants to warn us about these side-effects–not to frighten us–but so that we’ll be ready to face them when they come. 

So what is this great treatment plan? What are the side-effects? Jesus tells us: “I came to throw fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already ignited. But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is finished! Do you think that I came to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. Yes, from now on there will be five divided in one household: 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 her mother-in-law.” After reading this again, perhaps you feel like you do sometimes when you’re at the doctor’s office–confused! And don’t you feel the same way here? The words aren’t necessarily hard to understand, but what in the world is Jesus talking about? Fire? Baptism? So what is Jesus saying? He says a couple things here. “I came to throw fire on the earth,” but as he speaks he had not done so yet. Before that can happen he says, “I have a baptism to undergo.” If you can remember all the way back to January, you’ll recall that we’ve already talked about Jesus’ baptism in Luke 3. So that can’t be what he’s talking about here. No, but there was another mention of baptism. As Jesus is on his final trip to Jerusalem, he had once again predicted his death at the hands of the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law. It was then that two of his disciples asked him a favor. Much like our own children to when they want something maybe there not supposed to have, these disciples approached Jesus in Mark 10 and said, “We want you to say “yes” no matter what we ask you.” Red flags are popping up for you parents, aren’t they? “Promise that we may sit, one at your right and one at your left in your glory.” Those disciples, the brothers James and John, wanted the positions of honor in Jesus’ kingdom. But Jesus warned them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink or be baptized with the baptism that I am going to be baptized with?” What baptism is Jesus talking about here? Clearly, it’s not his baptism in the Jordan River. Jesus is speaking of a figurative baptism. He’s talking about the suffering that would be poured out on him like the water is poured in baptism. And it’s the same picture here in Luke 12. Before the cure for our cancerous sin can come, Jesus has to undergo the baptism of his suffering and death. Jesus had to suffer the punishment our sins earned. He had to die to wash away those sins. It wasn’t until that was complete that our cure would be complete. 

But there’s something else that Jesus says that might cause us to pause. He says, “But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is finished!” It almost sounds like Jesus is unwilling to go through with this, doesn’t it? Certainly, knowing as he did how he was going to die and what it was going to take to save the world caused Jesus some distress. But Jesus was never unwilling to go through with it. He was never wishy-washy. You could just as easily translate that word “distress” as “consumed.” Jesus was consumed with undergoing the baptism of his suffering and death. Nothing could turn him to the right or the left. Nothing could deter him from saving the world. Nothing could stop him from delivering the cure for our cancerous sin! And we know that Jesus followed through. We know he delivered the cure! We are saved through the sufferings and death of our Savior. We are cured–the cancerous sin in each of us is no longer going to kill us. But remember what our Great Physician said earlier–with this treatment comes some painful side-effects. “I came to throw fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already ignited. But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is finished! Do you think that I came to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. Yes, from now on there will be five divided in one household: 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 her mother-in-law.”

“I came to throw fire on the earth.” Still confused? Is Jesus talking about the last judgment when the world will be destroyed by fire? Perhaps he’s talking about the tongues of fire that would dance over the disciples’ heads on the day of Pentecost? Perhaps he’s still talking about his own suffering? All those are possible, but they just don’t seem to fit here. What Jesus seems to be talking about is the fire or the suffering that believers face on this earth. In his first letter, Peter talks about the “painful trial” the people were suffering at that time. Literally, Peter says that they were suffering a “fiery trial.” He uses the same word that Jesus uses here. Peter’s readers weren’t surprised they were suffering that way. As Peter reminds them, “Instead rejoice whenever you are sharing in the sufferings of Christ.” So let’s put this all together. Jesus says that the fire can’t come until after his figurative baptism, his suffering and death. And what does Jesus talk about happening right after that baptism? Divisions. And when you stop and think about it, divisions on this earth can be some of the hardest sufferings Christians have to endure. 

“Do you think that I came to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” Jesus knew what would happen as a result of his work. But before you protest, Jesus did come to bring peace–in a sense. He brought the peace that Isaiah prophesied and the angels proclaimed–peace between God and men. Peace that comes only through the forgiveness of sins. But that’s the only peace that Jesus brings. Among families, neighbors, church bodes, the Word does not bring peace, but division. Why is that? Because the Word insists that is 100% correct. It demands that there is only one God, only one Savior, only one cure for the cancer of sin–the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ. Believers cling to these truths of God’s Word and stand up to defend them. That staunch defense of the truths of the Word don’t mesh very well with those who also very strongly believe that they can save themselves by their works or that there are many paths to God. Strong convictions on both sides cause divisions. And those divisions can even find footing in the family. There are enough of us here with family members of different religions or no religions to know this is true. And those divisions can bring suffering. They can be painful, like a fire. 

“I came to throw fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already ignited.” Huh? Doesn’t it almost sound like Jesus wants us to suffer? Why does Jesus want us to be in pain? Why would Jesus want there to be division where people are rejecting him and the truth?  How can that be true? It’s not. Jesus doesn’t want people to turn against him in unbelief. He didn’t want his disciples to suffer. However, it was far better for Jesus to carry out his saving work, even though it would have this painful side-effect, than not to do his saving work at all. Jesus wasn’t eager for people to reject or for his followers to suffer, but since these are the side-effects of his gospel proclaimed to the world, he couldn’t wait to see it begin. Salvation was too precious to let anything, even the side-effects of salvation, to stop it being proclaimed to the people of the world.

Peace on earth? Peace between religions? It’s not something we should expect. Just the opposite. The path to heaven promises Division, not Peace. Yet, we can find joy in knowing that these are just the side-effects of salvation. These are just the result of the truth of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection being proclaimed to the world. Can those side-effects be painful? Yes. Is the suffering hard? Yes, but the end result it worth it! The end result is a home in heaven with our Savior. It’s a sin-free eternity in the presence of our God. May we find our strength in the cross of Christ to stand up for the truth of the word. May we find our strength in the cross of Christ to bear up under these salvation side-effects! Amen