Breaking the Word

"I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." (Lk 12:49-53)

There is a crisis on the horizon.  It poses a challenge to loyalty. Even the good news preached by Jesus is at question. Jesus was preaching of peace unity etc. The up coming crisis is a challenge to this preaching. The message of Jesus is cutting across the family and dividing the family in to groups.

The saying of Jesus in Lk 12:52-53 seems to reflect the prophecy of Micah 7:6 (For the son dishonors his father, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man's enemies are those of his household.).

The crisis that is coming up will disturb his own central mission. That is why he is speaking about a Baptism and the anguish to accomplish it. 

  Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."…

 But if that servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant's master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. …(Lk 12:39-48)

Being ready for the coming of the Son of Man is something very difficult for the disciples to understand and accept. Coming of the Son of Man seems to suggest the end of time. But the disciples are just getting ready to live and establish themselves. How could they think of the last days?

Faithful and duty conscious servant is rewarded. Delay in the return of the master is only to make the servant more duty minded. In stead if the servant begins to think of himself and enjoy the time of delay then it is going to be the time of ruin for him. The time of delay is not given for the individual to think of himself and enjoy. The time of delay is to make him more duty minded.

Higher the responsibility the greater the expectation. This expectation is with regard to fidelity and the doing of the duty and serving the others etc. Higher responsibility is not to boss over the others to get them do more work. As the responsibility increases the duty, the service, etc increases.