Jesus' mission on earth is "to bring fire" (v. 49). What does this imply? The gospel as fire purifies the heart of a penitent sinner but brings condemnation to the unrepentant (see John 3:36). Concerning the meaning of this baptism and how it distressed Jesus, read v. 50 in New Living Transaction (NLT) or Contemporary English Version (CEV). The entrance of the gospel to a family brings division (vs. 51-52). Why? Which part of the divide are you?
The people of Jesus' days were largely peasant farmers but had learnt to predict the weather with great accuracy. However, they appeared to be blind to events that showed the fulfillment of prophecy, i.e., the end of the Jewish dispensation and the establishment of the Messiah's kingdom (vs. 54-56). Today, we have various tools to predict natural occurrences. Are we not guiltier of hypocrisy? Like the sons of Issachar (1 Chronicles 12:32), we must discern the political, economic and climatic changes and know what we ought to do. This will help us to accomplish what v. 57 says.
Ask God for the gift of knowledge, and the spirit of discernment.
Thou Spirit of God please help Christians who are persecuted to stand firm in their faith and their persecutors to turn to the faith.
©Scripture Union Nigeria
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