“I have come to set the world on fire… and divide a father against his son.” Sounds like something a villain would say in a Marvel movie more than a quote from the Son of God. But yet, in today’s Gospel, we hear these very words from Jesus. I think in our modern era we tend to see Jesus as this nice character who didn’t really care what people did and just preached a fluffy sentimental love wherever he went. I know I have fallen into this trap of projecting my own thoughts on Jesus instead of listening to who he actually was and what he actually said.
“Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” Again, this doesn’t seem like the same guy who also said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
How can we reflect on these two seemingly different verses? Well, I think the key is taking off our human glasses for a second and trying to see with the eyes of God. In the first verse Jesus talks about bringing division, but it isn’t division just for division’s sake, that is what Satan does. He seems to be referring here to the fallen world in which we live and the reality that not all will want to follow. As disciples we can’t just take some of the Gospel and leave others, we are called to be all in for Christ. Whenever there is an all or nothing proposition it is going to cause division. I think this is what Jesus is speaking to in the Gospel today. He wants the world to be on fire for him so that he can give his love to all people, but he also knows that not all people will want to follow him.
This can seem pretty depressing when thinking about how some people may not want to follow Jesus, but I am sure we can all think of times in our lives where that was us. It should give us hope that the point of the division spoken of here in the Gospel is not to condemn, but to show a clear line leading to the truth and love of Christ. This is why Jesus can then say that he brings peace that is different from the world. The world could define peace as something so simple as taking a nap. It can be great at the moment, but it is fleeting. It seems that Jesus wants to give us the peace that lasts and he wants all people to experience this peace by making it very clear how to follow him. This will cause division, because Jesus will hold us to a higher standard than the world, but our goal should be entering that division and helping all people see the truth and love of Christ.
So it is true that the Gospel will cause division amongst families. We may be seeing that more now than ever with our hyper politicized culture and that one uncle that always wants to bring up controversial topics at family gatherings. But I think our response as disciples should be to enter into the mess, the division, the hurt, the confusion, and bring the light of Christ. One person at a time finding conversion in Christ will eventually set the world ablaze.
From all of us here at Diocesan, God bless!
“He venido a traer fuego a la tierra… estará dividido el padre contra el hijo”. Suena como algo que diría un villano en una película de Marvel más que un dicho del Hijo de Dios. Sin embargo, en el Evangelio de hoy, escuchamos estas mismas palabras de Jesús. Creo que en nuestra época moderna tendemos a ver a Jesús como un personaje simpático al que realmente no le importaba lo que hiciera la gente y simplemente predicaba un amor sentimental dondequiera que iba. Sé que he caído en esta trampa de proyectar mis propios pensamientos sobre Jesús en lugar de escuchar quién era en realidad y qué dijo en realidad.
“¿¿Piensan acaso que he venido a traer paz a la tierra? De ningún modo. No he venido a traer la paz, sino la división.” Nuevamente, este no parece ser la mismo persona que también dijo: “La paz les dejo, mi paz les doy. Yo no se la doy como la da el mundo. No se turbe sus corazones y no tengan miedo.”
¿Cómo podemos reflexionar sobre estos dos versículos aparentemente diferentes? Bueno, yo creo que la clave es quitarnos los anteojos humanos por un segundo y tratar de ver con los ojos de Dios. En el primer versículo Jesús habla de traer la división, pero no es la división por dividir, eso es lo que hace Satanás. Parece estar refiriéndose aquí al mundo caído en el que vivimos y la realidad que no todos querrán seguir. Como discípulos, no podemos simplemente tomar algo del Evangelio y dejar otros, estamos llamados a estar completamente comprometidos con Cristo. Cada vez que hay una proposición de todo o nada va a causar división. Creo que esto es lo que Jesús está hablando en el Evangelio de hoy. Quiere que el mundo arda por él para poder dar su amor a todas las personas, pero también sabe que no todas las personas querrán seguirlo.
Esto puede parecer bastante deprimente al pensar en cómo algunas personas pueden no querer seguir a Jesús, pero estoy seguro de que todos podemos pensar en momentos de nuestras vidas en los que fuimos nosotros. Debería darnos esperanza de que el objetivo de la división de la que se habla aquí en el Evangelio no es condenar, sino mostrar una línea clara que conduce a la verdad y al amor de Cristo. Por eso Jesús puede entonces decir que trae la paz que es diferente del mundo. El mundo podría definir la paz como algo tan simple como tomar una siesta. Puede ser genial en este momento, pero es fugaz. Parece que Jesús quiere darnos la paz duradera y quiere que todas las personas experimenten esta paz dejando muy claro cómo seguirlo. Esto causará la división, porque Jesús nos mantendrá en un estándar más alto que el mundo, pero nuestra meta debe ser entrar en esa división y ayudar a todas las personas a ver la verdad y el amor de Cristo.
Entonces es cierto que el Evangelio causará la división entre las familias. Es posible que lo estemos viendo ahora más que nunca con nuestra cultura hiperpolitizada y ese tío que siempre quiere sacar a relucir temas controvertidos en las reuniones familiares. Pero creo que nuestra respuesta como discípulos debe ser entrar en el lío, la división, el dolor, la confusión y traer la luz de Cristo. Una persona a la vez que encuentre la conversión en Cristo eventualmente incenderá al mundo.
De parte de todos nosotros aquí en Diocesan, ¡Dios los bendiga!
Tommy Shultz is a Business Development Representative for Diocesan. In this role he is committed to bringing the best software to dioceses and parishes while helping them evangelize on the digital continent. Tommy has worked in various diocese and parish roles since his graduation from Franciscan University with a Theology degree. He hopes to use his skills in evangelization, marketing, and communications, to serve the Church and bring the Good News to all. His favorite quote comes from St. John Paul II, who said, “A person is an entity of a sort to which the only proper and adequate way to relate is love.”
Feature Image Credit: Derek Liang, unsplash.com/photos/G9gaKlXeVrw
Christine Hanus is a thwarted idealist who, nevertheless, lives quite happily in Upstate NY. She is a wife and mother of five grown children.
David Dashiell is a freelance author and editor in Nashville, Tennessee. He has a master’s degree in theology from Franciscan University, and is the editor of the anthology 
Kate Taliaferro is an Air Force wife and mother. She is blessed to be able to homeschool, bake bread and fold endless piles of laundry. When not planning a school day, writing a blog post or cooking pasta, Kate can be found curled up with a book or working with some kind of fiber craft. Kate blogs at