"Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other!" (Luke 12:51 NLT)
Wow, that doesn't sound like Jesus. Not the Jesus we hear generally hear about in our congregations. I could have easily skipped this section of Luke onto an aspect of Jesus that would sound more "favorable" to people....more "nice" Jesus. But if we are to meet Jesus, we need to meet the real Jesus--that includes Jesus: Divider.
And go back to read the real Jesus in verses 49-50, "I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning! I have a terrible baptism of suffering ahead of me, and I am under a heavy burden until it is accomplished." This is about as human and raw as we are going to see. This is 100% Jesus. This is 100% Jesus: Son of God. He was sent for a most difficult mission--to give up His life, in the worst way, so that we may be saved. It was serious. Jesus was (is) that serious about us. He loved (loves) us that much.
So how would you introduce Jesus: Divider to a friend? What words would you use to explain Jesus' serious, committed, sacrificial love for a world, for a people, steeped in sin and rebellion against Him? How would you explain the good news of Jesus: Divider? I won't give you the answers on that. Something to truly wrestle with on your own, with your small group. Take the time to grapple through it.
And so ends our 40 days of Meet Jesus. Thanks for sticking through this journey! You may be thinking, "Hey Craig, we haven't even finished Luke. Why did you stop in the middle? There are 12 more chapters to discuss!" Well, therein lies the challenge for you.
In 40 days, we've only begun meeting Jesus and learning all of the nuances and complexities of Him. I invite you to keep reading Luke on your own. Read only the header sections and look closely as to who you find Jesus to be in each section. There is a lot more to say about Jesus than 40 characteristics. Keep going. Keep meeting Him yourself. Keep learning how to introduce who you are meeting to others, especially those who are far from Him. This 40-day journey is over. But your journey in meeting Jesus continues! Many blessings!
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