“If somebody asked you, “Why did Jesus come into this world?” I doubt you would have answered that he came to cast fire on the earth. But that’s what He said here. He’s not only announced that He was going to send fire on the earth, but he communicated his own feelings about that task, saying, “Would that it were already kindled!” Jesus was now baring His soul, saying something about his deepest longings. What are we to make of that?”

What the diligent student of Scripture knows full well is something the casual inquirer has no clue about. I refer to the simple truth that it was Jesus who spoke more about God’s wrath, coming judgment, and the dangers of hellfire than any other biblical character.

Contrary to the bogus claim that Jesus wants us to be really nice and loving to everybody, he instead was speaking constantly about how his ministry was all about division, judgment and the like. Sure, real love – love that is defined biblically, not sentimentally – was also a part of his message. But it was a love that also warned.

As to his many words speaking about judgment and the God with whom we have to do, see some of the passages which I discuss here: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2022/10/08/the-hard-sayings-of-jesus/

With this in mind, one important passage which is often overlooked – or at least is found to be confusing by many – is Luke 12:49 which says: “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled!” How are we to understand this? As always, context is crucial.

Before Jesus said this, he was talking about being ready for his return (verses 35-48). And after it he spoke about the signs of his coming (verses 54-56). The immediate context of this is verses 49-53:

“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They 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.”

To help us understand what he means about bringing fire to the earth, other texts from his gospel, as well as from the Old Testament, can help us out here. The most common thing the imagery of fire stood for in the OT was judgment. Here are just a few examples:

-Deuteronomy 4:24 says this: “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”

-1 Kings 18 discusses the confrontation at Mount Carmel where Elijah commands fire to fall before Baal’s prophets.

-2 Kings 1 speaks of Elijah calling down fire on the king of Samaria’s soldiers.

-Isaiah 66:15-16 says this:

For behold, the Lord will come in fire,
    and his chariots like the whirlwind,
to render his anger in fury,
    and his rebuke with flames of fire.
For by fire will the Lord enter into judgment,
    and by his sword, with all flesh;
    and those slain by the Lord shall be many.

And in Luke’s gospel, we see various references to fire, such as:

“Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (3:9)

“John answered them all, saying, ‘I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire’.” (3:16-17)

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