house five will be 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 her
mother-in-law.”
Reflection
Fire is fascinating and yet can also be a
frightening phenomenon. In the Bible, the image of fire
is used to mean division, like people separated from each
other by a wall of fire. It can also mean purification just
as gold is melted down by a very hot flame to remove
impurities. But most often ‘fire’ refers to judgment. This
is what it means here. For preceding verses before this,
Jesus talks of the return of the master of a household.
It’s a day of reckoning. The Master will examine
whether his servants were faithful or not while he
is far away. It is a day of reward or punishment for
servants according to their faithfulness and readiness
for his coming. Now Jesus says “I have come to bring
fire on the earth…” He brings the day of judgment.
Are we ready to be judged because we are faithful? Or
are we afraid of the day the Lord will come because of
our infidelity?
© Copyright Bible Diary 2021