Rev Hugh Park, 17 August 2025
“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and I wish it was already burning.” (Luke 12:49). This is how today’s gospel reading began. It is, undoubtedly, one of the most upsetting and harsh comments made my Jesus in the whole Bible.
It sounds like he’s about to bring hell on earth. These are not things we normally associate with the images of Christ, such as the wonderful counsellor, the Lamb of God or the good shepherd, or even the Prince of peace.
Then, Jesus continues with an equally shocking declaration. He said, “Do you think that I came to bring peace to the world? No, not peace, but division. From now on a family of five will be divided, three against two and two against three. Parents will be against their children, and children against their parents.” It gets even worse and more confusing.
It was a huge crowd. The day was a big success. There were so many people gathered to see and hear Jesus in today’s story. Everyone there was excited at the things happening in front of their eyes. Then, all of a sudden, Jesus came out with the fire and brimstone statement.
This sounds way out of place for Jesus. Why would Jesus call himself a divider? Why did he say he had come to bring division, not peace?
To understand this, we need to look at the historical context of the first century in Palestine.
You see, following Jesus’s death and resurrection, the Roman Empire became increasingly hostile toward his followers. There began widespread persecution and the martyrdom of many early Christians already. The destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and the Jewish revolt against Rome also added to the turmoil of the time. Then, history knows that the nation of Israel disappeared from the map, for almost 19 centuries.
And most of the stories of persecutions and martyrdom in the history of the early church came out of this time. This is the context behind Jesus’ harsh words in today’s reading. He said, “Do you suppose that I came to bring peace to the world? No, not peace, but division.”
As you know, a martyr is a person who is killed because of his or her religious belief. For some example, around 10,000 Korean Christians were killed by the government during the 19th century, most of them beheaded. Because the Korean king at the time regarded Christianity, the western, foreign religion as a significant threat to his kingship…. Just like the Roman emperors in the first and second centuries.
Our Hebrews reading this morning describes the suffering of these early believers. It read, “They died under torture. Some were mocked and whipped, and others were put in chains and taken off to prison. They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were killed by the sword. The world was not good enough for them! They wandered like refugees in the deserts and hills, living in caves and holes in the ground.”
Why did they endure such horrific suffering? The answer is simple but very powerful: they were willing to publicly witness their faith.
And with this kind-of end of the world time approaching quickly, Jesus made this statement to his followers in Luke’s gospel today. He said, “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more.” In other words, Jesus told them to brace themselves by being strong for the tortures and horrors that were about to happen.
Precisely, the word martyr came from such painful contexts. However, you’ll be surprised to know the word martyr had the most unexpected meaning in itself.
The word martyr comes from the Greek word “martus,” which originally means “witness.” In the context of the early church, witnessing your faith became an act of martyrdom. Simply put, to be a public witness for Christ meant risking your life.
Why is that some believers ended up as martyrs while others survived the persecution? You know, not all Christians were killed during these persecutions. Some survived because they chose to be silent about their faith. They did not witness publicly, and therefore, they avoided being arrested. This created a clear division between witnessing Christians and silent Christians.
The believers who witnessed their faith publicly were tortured or killed, but the believers who avoided witnessing survived.
In our modern way, it could sound like this. “If you share your Christian faith with others, you’ll be in trouble. But if you do not share your faith, you’ll be OK.
There were little distinctions between witnessing and persecution in the lives of those early Christian believers. But there were clear division between witnessing Christians and silent Christians.
Then, think about it. This raises a serious question for us in the 21st century.
I believe this is a major issue within Christian communities in Australia today. Many Christians no longer witness to their faith. It’s not because they fear being tortured or killed, but because they are afraid of being embarrassed.
Many churches still do a lot of great things to their wider communities as a faith community, but not many of them prioritise Christian witnessing to their society.
As our society becomes more multi-cultural, many residents out there hardly come into contact with the essential Christian witness. The reason is quite simple. We don’t tell the story, so they don’t hear it.
The Apostle Paul put this dilemma so clearly in his letter to Romans. In its chapter 10, he said, “Everyone who calls out to the Lord for help will be saved. But how can they call to him for help if they have not believed? And how can they believe if they have not heard the message? And how can they hear if the message is not shared?”
Paul concludes with a powerful statement: “So then, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through preaching Christ.”
So, friends in Christ, I ask you today: Are you a witnessing Christian or a silent Christian? Are you willing to share your faith with others, regardless of how they might view or treat you? Are you a Christian who shares your faith, or one who keeps it to yourself?
Remember, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through preaching Christ, and you are the messengers. Amen.