A Family Feud

Luke 12:49-56

“Family Feud” is the name of a fun game show in the United States.  However, real fighting among family members is anything but a fun game.  No one is happy when there is estrangement between parents and children, between siblings, between in-laws, and we will often try as much as possible to resolve such conflicts.  In our Bible reading today from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus gives some rather surprising words about family conflicts. Let’s take a look at what our Savior said.

As our passage opens, Jesus is continuing to teach His disciples and followers spiritual lessons and truths.  He begins this passage of Scripture by saying that He came to send fire on the earth (vs. 49). Fire symbolizes judgment.  Most people picture Jesus in their minds as kindly and gentle, like the image of the Good Shepherd, gently holding a little lamb in His arms.  He is that, but He is also our Warrior-King, who will come to bring judgment against sin. Jesus continues to speak of the baptism of suffering that He must go through (vs. 50).  Jesus’ human nature was naturally distressed over the pain and horror of His coming scourging and crucifixion. Even worse than the physical pain was knowing that during those hours Jesus would be completely separated from the Father.  That was because all of the sins of the world would be laid on Him. Yet Jesus knew that this was the work He came to do, and He set His face steadfastly towards accomplishing it.

In the next several verses we read some startling words from Jesus (vs. 51-53).  Here He says that He came to bring division. What did Jesus mean here? We usually think that He came to bring peace, not division.  Isn’t Jesus called the Prince of Peace? As we read further, He explains what He meant. Because of Jesus, households will be divided, family members will turn against each other.  Accepting Jesus as Savior often brings conflict between families and friends. When one family member accepts Him and others don’t, there can be dissension, and sometimes even outright hostility.  A father turns against his son when that young man accepts Jesus as Savior. A mother-in-law doesn’t accept her daughter-in-law because she is a Christian. Siblings or best friends stop talking to each other when one or the other follows Jesus.  There is no middle ground with Jesus. Loyalties must be declared and commitments made. Sometimes that will severe a relationship. When that happens we have to decide - will we choose the family members or friends, or will we stand with the Lord Jesus?

Jesus closes up this passage by telling His followers that they need to be alert to the signs of the times (vs. 54-56).  There will be signs to indicate that Jesus’ coming is near. When I was a child I learned the weather related poem “Red sky at night, sailors delight.  Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.” If the sky has a nice, red or orange sunset, the next day should be a nice one. If the sky is red or orange in the morning when the sun rises, there could be rain coming.  We know when there are large, dark cumulonimbus clouds a thunderstorm is likely. A south wind will usually bring warmer temperatures, whereas a strong north wind will bring colder ones. We use other things of nature to be other weather related indicators.  I eagerly await the first robins here in Chicago to signal the coming of spring. Another weather folklore is that the length of the red color on a woolly bear caterpillar will determine how harsh or mild a winter we will have.

Jesus warns us that if we are able to know all these weather forecasters, why do we, His followers, not know the signs of His return (vs. 56).  We need to be alert and also reading and studying our Bibles, knowing exactly what it says about Jesus. The people of Jesus’ day should have known their Old Testament Scriptures well enough to realize that He was the Messiah, and realize the fulfillment of the messianic prophecies by Him.  They should have been able to discern those times. Today we need to be just as diligent in studying the whole Bible so that we, too, can discern our time. Do you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior? One day, possibly soon, He will return. No one should be caught that day without having asked Him into their heart, even if that decision might cause a rift in one’s family.