Luke 12:49-56 (NRSV)
Read Luke 12:49-56 on biblegateway.com
Verse 49"I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! Verse 50I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Verse 51Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! Verse 52From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; Verse 53they 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."
Verse 54He 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. Verse 55And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, 'There will be scorching heat'; and it happens. Verse 56You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
Devotion
How does it feel being called a hypocrite by Jesus? Probably as good now as it did then. It catches us by surprise. It stings. It makes us a little defensive. We might even assume Jesus is talking to someone else, not us.
After taking on the Pharisees and disciples in this chapter, Jesus turns his eye on the regular folks who have been tagging along, maybe following from a distance but not fully investing themselves in his mission. And this is the problem. Keeping Jesus at arm’s length is like watching the sky and thinking we understand – or can control – the weather.
What is Jesus getting at? Perhaps that so often we pick and choose what we want to pay attention to – in the world around us, and in our faith. We cannot fully be disciples if we only listen to Jesus' easy words. The call to follow is a call that leads to the cross. We’re either all in, or all out.
Prayer
Jesus, I want to follow you completely. Forgive me when my heart and choices don't show that. Amen.