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Jesus’ Mission Statements – Luke 12:49,51
Mission Statement: “I came to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already set ablaze!” (CSB’17 Luke 12:49).
Mission Statement (again): “Do you think that I came here to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” (CSB’17 Luke 12:51)
Here we see two opposites: fire and baptism; and division and peace. In this context peace with Jesus causes division within families. Likewise Jesus’ baptism results in fire for others. While we prefer the angels’ statement or song of “peace on earth and goodwill to men,” both are true; the difference being on how we react to Jesus’ mission.
Fire is for those who caused Jesus to have “a baptism to be baptized with, and how it consumes me until it is finished” (v.50). This is oft called the “baptism of suffering”. Obviously baptism is not a sprinkling of pain, but prophetic of Jesus’ inundation, overwhelming or flooding of pain.
Division comes because those who accept Jesus are ostracized by those who reject Him. This sadly includes family (vv.52-53); something Jesus Himself experienced.
When we are divided from family due to their rejection of us and our Lord, we are blessed to also undergo His and our baptism of suffering. This is how we join in with and implement Jesus’ mission statement in our own lives. This how we, as Peter said, “share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may also rejoice with great joy when his glory is revealed” (HCSB 1 Peter 4:13). This is our mission.
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