^12:49“I have come¹²⁸ to bring¹²⁹ fire on the earth—and how I wish it were already kindled! ^12:50I have a baptism¹³⁰ to undergo,¹³¹ and how distressed I am until it is finished! ^12:51Do you think I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!¹³²^12:52For from now on¹³³ there will be five in one household divided, three against two and two against three. ^12:53They will be divided,¹³⁴ 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.”

Reading the Signs

^12:54Jesus¹³⁵ also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west,¹³⁶ you say at once, ‘A rainstorm¹³⁷ is coming,’ and it does. ^12:55And when you see the south wind¹³⁸ blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and there is. ^12:56You hypocrites!¹³⁹ You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how can you not know how¹⁴⁰ to interpret the present time?

Clear the Debts

^12:57“And¹⁴¹ why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? ^12:58As you are going with your accuser before the magistrate,¹⁴² make an effort to settle with him on the way, so that he will not drag you before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer,¹⁴³ and the officer throw you into prison. ^12:59I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the very last cent!”¹⁴⁴

Read in Logos

Luke 12:51: “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.”

Footnotes

128 This mission statement, “I have come to bring fire on the earth,” looks to the purging and division Jesus causes: See Luke 3:9, 17; 9:54; 17:29 for fire, 5:32; 7:34; 9:58; 12:51 for the topic of mission.
129 Grk “cast.” For βάλλω (ballō) in the sense of causing a state or condition, see L&N 13.14.
130 The figure of the baptism is variously interpreted, as some see a reference (1) to martyrdom or (2) to inundation with God’s judgment. The OT background, however, suggests the latter sense: Jesus is about to be uniquely inundated with God’s judgment as he is rejected, persecuted, and killed (Ps 18:4, 16; 42:7; 69:1–2; Isa 8:7–8; 30:27–28; Jonah 2:3–6).
131 Grk “to be baptized with.”
132 Or “hostility.” This term pictures dissension and hostility ( διαμερισμός).
133 From now on is a popular phrase in Luke: 1:48; 5:10; 22:18, 69; see Mic 7:6.
134 There is dispute whether this phrase belongs to the end of v. 52 or begins v. 53. Given the shift of object, a connection to v. 53 is slightly preferred.
135 Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “also” and δέ (de) has not been translated.
136 A cloud rising in the west refers to moisture coming from the Mediterranean Sea.
137 The term ὄμβρος (ombros) refers to heavy rain, such as in a thunderstorm (L&N 14.12).
138 The south wind comes from the desert, and thus brings scorching heat.
139 In Luke, the term hypocrites occurs here, in 6:42, and in 13:15.
140 Most (𝔓45 A W Ψ f1, 13 𝔐 lat) have a syntax here that reflects a slightly different rhetorical question: “but how do you not interpret the present time?” The reading behind the translation, however, has overall superior support: 𝔓75 א B L Θ 33 892 1241 .
141 Jesus calls for some personal reflection. However, this unit probably does connect to the previous one—thus the translation of δέ (de) here as “And”—to make a good spiritual assessment, thus calling for application to the spiritual, rather than personal, realm.
142 The term magistrate (ἄρχων, archōn) refers to an official who, under the authority of the government, serves as judge in legal cases (see L&N 56.29).
143 The officer (πράκτωρ, praktōr) was a civil official who functioned like a bailiff and was in charge of debtor’s prison. The use of the term, however, does not automatically demand a Hellenistic setting ( ; K. H. Rengstorf, 8:539; C. Maurer, 6:642).
144 Here the English word “cent” is used as opposed to the parallel in Matt 5:26 where “penny” appears, since the Greek word there is different and refers to a different but similar coin. This cent was a lepton, the smallest coin available. It was copper or bronze, worth one-half of a quadrans or 1/128 of a denarius. The parallel in Matt 5:26 mentions the quadrans instead of the lepton. The illustration refers to the debt one owes God and being sure to settle with him in the right time, before it is too late. Some interpreters, however, consider it to be like Matt 5:26, which has similar imagery but a completely different context.