{"id":21130,"date":"2021-03-31T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-31T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cantonuovo.org\/luca-12-parte-2-il-fuoco-sula-terra\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T19:49:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T17:49:01","slug":"luca-12-parte-2-il-fuoco-sula-terra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cantonuovo.org\/en\/luca-12-parte-2-il-fuoco-sula-terra\/","title":{"rendered":"Luke 12 \u2013 Part 2 \u2013 Fire on Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jesus says he has come to set the earth on fire, to bring division, not peace. He therefore invites us to judge ourselves according to God\u2019s justice, so that we may be freed from the adversary before we are deemed worthy of eternal imprisonment.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What weighty words, full of responsibility and hope!<\/p>\n

Some have interpreted the fire as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit whom Jesus came to bring to earth; others that it signifies the passion for the good news of the kingdom of heaven, kindled in the hearts of those who welcome the Messiah; still others that it signifies the spark of eternal life that Yeshua offered to mankind, which was kindled by his death and resurrection; finally, a few believe that the fire symbolises God\u2019s judgement on the world corrupted by sin, which began with the death of the Messiah.<\/p>\n

In truth, the first coming of the Messiah ignited the conflict between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of darkness in the heart of every man. From that moment on, everyone has had to take sides. After all, Simeon had also foretold this when he told Mary that the child had been set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, as a sign of contradiction, so that the thoughts of many hearts might be revealed.<\/p>\n

Yeshua brought into people\u2019s consciousness the need to choose between being with him or against him. All those who receive him begin to live differently from before and from others, as if they had become strangers to this world\u2014separated from those who still belong to it\u2014and will be with God for ever. But the others will not, for the fire of judgement is already kindled and they will end up in it.<\/p>\n

This is why it makes sense when he says, \u2018I have not come to bring peace to the earth, but rather division\u2019, especially within families.<\/p>\n

This is the meaning of the Holy One\u2019s words when he says: \u2018Do you not recognise this time?\u2019 What time? The time when the cosmic conflict began; the time when the Holy Spirit comes and stirs in the hearts of men with a passion for the kingdom of God; the time when eternal life is given to anyone who sides with the Messiah, who died and rose again to bestow it upon men of good will. The time when judgement began and one must rid oneself of the adversary so as not to end up in prison.<\/p>\n

That moment was, and has been ever since, the temporal funnel of the entire history of humanity.<\/p>\n

Fire descended upon the disciples at Pentecost together with the Holy Spirit. They began to be zealous for the kingdom of God. This passion was kindled within them and they could no longer remain confined to the life they had led before, but were now compelled to bring the good news of the kingdom of heaven to all nations. This was certainly a fire that was kindled and that continues to burn in the hearts of today\u2019s disciples.<\/p>\n

But to them, along with the fire of passion for the truth, was also given a fire capable of destroying the works of the devil, of awakening everyone\u2019s conscience and of stirring in each person the need to choose. For this reason, the first disciples became\u2014and with them, we who believe have also become\u2014the fragrance of life to those who are alive and the fragrance of death to those who are dead. It is, that is to say, the action of the Holy Spirit through us and our lives that causes people to begin to feel both unease in their conscience and that the diabolical machinations which forced them to live far from God can be burned away. They are continually called by the Holy Spirit to be convinced of sin, of righteousness and of judgement, so that they may choose the kingdom of God and follow Yeshua, rather than remain aligned with the infernal enemy, even simply by not choosing to be with Yeshua.<\/p>\n

The rebellion and sin exposed by God\u2019s holy law can lead a human being either to self-justification based on personal righteousness, which becomes their adversary and lead them to condemnation; or it can trigger a healthy self-judgement based on the fear of God, which leads to repentance and eternal life.<\/p>\n

And the fire from heaven that is within us burns away the works of the devil for the liberation of the captives and the oppressed.<\/p>\n

Yeshua said he was distressed until he had completed his task: to open the way for the Spirit of God to come and dwell in man, to kindle a passion for the glory of God in the hearts of the disciples, to trigger through his death the release of eternal life in human beings, and to kindle the fire of judgement against sin and rebellion.<\/p>\n

Thus, according to the various and all useful interpretations of these words of the Messiah, fire may indicate not only passion for the Lord and his kingdom or the glory of his holy life within us, but may also be a symbol of destruction.<\/p>\n

This latter perspective, however minority and entirely Messianic Jewish in nature, proposes a logical-systematic coherence within the text of Luke 12:49\u201359 that does not contradict the majority interpretations, but rather enriches their meaning, reconciling passages that had previously appeared to be inconsistent.<\/p>\n

With a textual reconstruction, it is as if Yeshua had said: \u2018em\u2019 \u201cI have come to kindle the fire of passion for my kingdom and to release eternal life into the people who welcome me. I have also come to kindle the fire of judgement upon the earth and the destruction of the devil\u2019s works. I must immerse the earth in the fire of judgement against sin and rebellion. In truth, the earth is already burning because I have already begun to sow the seed of the final judgement that will one day come. And how could I wish for it all to be over already, and for the earth to be entirely burnt? How could I wish to see that day, when men will no longer have time to accept me? And until judgement is complete, how difficult it is for me! How distressed I am that whilst some decide to become my disciples, others reject my messianic invitations!\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n

I ask myself this question and I also put it to those who have read this brief piece of mine: \u201cWhy do we not judge for ourselves what is right?\u201d.<\/p>\n

For this reason, in the name of Jesus, let us ask the Father that the Holy Spirit may inspire us every day as to what to decide and how to act in accordance with God\u2019s justice. Amen!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Luke 12:49\u201313:9<\/strong><\/h5>
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