THE DIFFICULTY OF THE MISSION
Text: Luke 12:49-56
“On Sunday, February 18, 2001, NASCAR lost one of its greatest drivers. Dale Earnhardt Sr., also known as "The Intimidator," was in third place on the last lap of the Daytona 500 when his car was tapped from behind and sent head-on into the wall at 180 mph.
In a matter of moments it was evident something was terribly wrong. Dale Earnhardt died in the crash. On the following Monday an autopsy report revealed he had died of blunt force trauma to the head.
Some have suggested that if Earnhardt had been wearing the HANS (Head and Neck Safety Device) he would have survived the crash. Although this device was available, Earnhardt, like many other drivers that day, neglected to use it. His neglect of this safety device may have cost him his life.
The Bible tells us that every individual is on a collision course with God’s judgment. God, too, has provided a safety device--one designed to keep people from suffering eternal death and separation from God. But like Dale Earnhardt and the other drivers in the race that day, each of us must decide whether to accept or neglect this offer.” (David P. Barrett. ed. More Perfect Illustrations For Every Topic And Occasion. Micheal Owenby. “Accepting Christ”. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 2003, pp. 4-5). The safety device that God has provided to save us from eternal separation from Him is called salvation and it comes through Jesus Christ who is “… the way, the truth and the life because no one gets to God the Father except through Jesus Christ” (John 14:6). Jesus came to us with a mission---our salvation!
Jesus speaks about one of the things of His mission, which is to bring fire on earth (Luke 12:49). Jesus also speaks about a baptism that he must undergo with distress until it is completed (Luke 12:50). The baptism that Jesus is speaking of involves suffering. It is as if Jesus is alluding to the unpleasant part of His mission when He ties these two together ideas of the fire He is bringing and the baptism of suffering that He will endure. There are times when we face difficult times that we simply cannot avoid. Those difficult times are like a storm that we cannot avoid, because of the fact that the only way out is through the storm. For Jesus to avoid the storm of suffering that was in His forecast, He would have been to scrub (cancel) His mission. Jesus came to set us free!
JESUS HAD A MISSION
His mission brings salvation and peace. Jesus came to bring peace where humanity was lacking peace. The message of salvation and peace allow the light of Christ to shine in the hearts and lives of all who are receptive to the message. But, this message is not without its sacrifices and challenges. As someone recalls a childhood memory he (Leonard Sweet) alludes to challenges of the missionary field: “As a child I heard a memorable story at a holiness revival meeting in New York. It seems a certain missionary, home on leave, was shopping for a globe of the world to take back to her mission station. The clerk showed her a reasonably priced globe and another one with a lightbulb inside. "This is nicer," the clerk said, pointing to the illuminated globe, "but of course, a lighted world costs more." ” (David P. Barrett. ed. More Perfect Illustrations For Every Topic And Occasion. Leonard Sweet. “The Cost Of Missions”. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 2003, p. 183). In the spiritual side of life, a lighted world costs more because of the missionary challenges (evil) that are at work to prevent the light. Sometimes the challenges are social and/or political. Jesus had challenging people, who sometimes tried to challenge His ministry in such a way as to make His mission an exercise in futility. For Jesus, His ministry and His mission were one in the same!
His mission brings liberty and a new way of life. Consider Luke 4:18-19: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18-19 RSV). We all know that freedom comes with a price! Jesus came to do all of these things that included a price tag that we cannot completely comprehend.
His mission brings healing, reconciliation and forgiveness. It is a wonderful thing to be healed of a medical problem that once held us back. It is a wonderful thing to be reconciled to God through what Jesus did for us on the cross to bring us back to God. It is a wonderful thing to experience the joy of God’s forgiveness where guilt has been removed and the power of sin as our former master has been defeated by our Lord Jesus Christ.
THE COST OF HIS MISSION
There was a price that Jesus paid to do the mission. Jesus paid a hefty price for our freedom. The more popular He became with sinners, the more He was watched by those who were His opponents, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes who often never saw themselves in need of repentance because they were blind to how sin was their sickness. Jesus said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:31-32 RSV). The Pharisees, the Sadducess and the scribes were self-righteous whose righteousness was like that of “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).
There is a price that Jesus’ disciples to pay. The price that Jesus’ disciples had to pay was through judgement and division. Someone (Eradio Valverde) has said and said well that “It is so ironic that the peace that Jesus brought for all would be seen as the removal of peace by some”. (Charles Bugg. ed. The Abingdon Preaching Annual 2201 Edition. Eradio Valverde. “Did Jesus Suffer From Stress?”. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2000, p. 304). The things about Jesus and His message that was unsettling for those who were uncomfortable about it, then as well as now, is that the peace He brings as the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) disrupts their climate of the “false peace” that they have become so accustomed to. That is why members of the same families have become divided against one another. It has been said that the “fire” that Jesus brought to earth (Luke 12:49) had two purposes---to destroy the temporary and to harden and refine [purify] the durable”. (Bruce Larson. Mastering The New Testament: Luke. Volume 3. Dallas: Word Publishing, 1983, p. 209). There are people who would rather have things stay the way they are than to have to make changes that would cause them to leave their comfort zone.
“A prominent businessman at a luncheon announcing his decision to give away a significant amount of money to his alma mater caused great division within his family, for his money was coming out of what his children believed to be their rightful inheritance. The man, once one to find great joy in drinking , had had a life-changing and life-saving experience through his faith. One of his children asked him why he was giving so much money. When he replied that it brought him great joy, the child pointedly asked why he didn’t go back to drinking. The peace of a new life in Christ was the lack of peace in one who didn’t understand or accept”. (Charles Bugg. ed. The Abingdon Preaching Annual 2201 Edition. Eradio Valverde. “Did Jesus Suffer From Stress?”. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2000, p. 305). The life of sin cannot remain where sin has no reign. In John 8:34-36 Jesus says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not continue in the house for ever; the son continues for ever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (RSV). Jesus wills for everyone to believe in Him and receive the gift of eternal life that He freely gives to all who will receive it! If Jesus Christ the Son of God makes you free, you shall be free indeed!
