It would be nice to imagine that the church was a happy family, always united in bringing the saving message of the Gospel to the world. Of course we know that this is far from the truth. For every individual Christian that has succeeded in living the Gospel and demonstrating the love of the Father to her or his fellow women and men, there are those who have been sucked into disputes, violence, and persecutions.
This disunity has been there from the beginning. It’s clearly visible in some the references Paul makes to others who claim to be preaching in the name of Jesus. Even Jesus’ closest companions were not immune to feuds, the most extreme was the split between Judas and the others, which led directly to the death of Jesus.
When we hear today Jesus recognizing in such clear cut terms that he will be a force for division, even within families, this seems jarring and contrary to everything he stands for (Lk 12:49-53). It is contrary to everything he stands for, but it is also a reality that he is willing to acknowledge. He doesn’t say he wants to be a force for division, but he has come to bring radical change – a blazing fire. The world is not going roll over and accept his baptism (which here means the significance of his death). The peace He brings is not the naive ”peace on earth” that pretends all divisions can be papered over. Jesus is prepared to be realistic and is not seeking to shield us from the challenges and problems that will come from following him.
We get a similar message of realism in today’s story about Jeremiah (Jer 38:4-6, 8-10). Of all the prophets he had perhaps the worst time of it. He was in the middle of a period of huge political instability, with claims and counter-claims flying around in a way that we would find entirely familiar. His attempts to make the reality of God visible in this environment were often fruitless, at least in his eyes, and he was frequently caught up in the machinations of one faction or another. Today we hear how he gets trapped by one group vying for the ear of the king, but then gets out of trouble (for now) due to the influence of another – who are unlikely to be driven by sentimental feelings of goodwill towards Jeremiah, but simply find him a useful prop in influencing a weak ruler.
If Jesus is prepared to recognize that his teaching will not change the world or human nature, then we must also be similarly realistic. We have to accept that even those closest to us may not see what we see, believe what we believe, behave as we try to behave. But because we see and believe, we will hold on to the reality that Jesus represents, travel with him, through the disagreements, through death, to the kingdom.