March 15 | Luke 12:49-59
- Ken Dillman
- Mar 14, 2025
- 2 min read
DAILY READING
REFLECTION
A Most Polarizing Person
by Ken Dillman
There has probably never been a more polarizing person to walk our world, than Jesus.
In many instances, Jesus is like a White Castle hamburger, either you love him, or you hate him; Jesus will either seem delicious or repugnant, depending upon how he tastes to you.
In today’s text, Jesus’ words may seem incongruous to what he lived and taught; Jesus loved without reservation, including loving those, who at times seemed the most unlovable. Jesus taught his disciples that people would only know they were his disciples by their love. And yet here, Jesus acknowledges that his mission in our world wasn’t to bring peace, but division.
The condition of the human heart is such that often people are opposed to the truth of Jesus; as such it can divide people and households; it wasn’t that “division” was Jesus’ goal, but sadly he knew it to be the reality of a world cursed by sin.
Jesus’ own family thought that he was out of his mind. (Mark 3:21) Similarly, Festus, the Roman governor thought the apostle Paul was out of his mind in believing in Jesus. The religious leaders believed Peter and John to be “ignorant idiots” for their belief in Jesus. (Acts 4:13) Division spans the Bible; Joseph was hated by his brothers because he had a vision from God in which his family bowed to him, and Abel was killed by his brother Cain because of Cain’s jealousy and hatred that God refused to accept his sacrifice.
I have experienced strife and ridicule in my own family because of my belief in Jesus; some family members believe Jesus to be a myth at best, and the cause of the world’s strife, wars, and conflict, and that Christianity is the fountainhead of all that is wrong with our world.
Jesus was a bit flabbergasted that the people could interpret weather conditions, but couldn’t interpret what they were observing in him, that the kingdom of God had arrived in our world in Jesus himself; the evidences were seen in Jesus’ miracles.
Our world hasn’t changed much since Jesus walked the dusty roads of the Promised Land, many still can’t discern that Jesus is the hope of the world; they can diagnose that the world is a messed-up place, but they refuse to believe Jesus is the cure. As followers of Jesus, we need to pray that those on the other side of the divide come to embrace the Savior.
PRAYER
Father, we believe your Son, Jesus is the hope of the world, bringing us peace with you. Help us to live our lives in such a way that when we are despised, we still shine the light of Jesus into the lives of others.
My wife, Karen and I have been attending UALC for 6-7 years and enjoy God's presence in our gatherings. We live in Hilliard; our three adult children live in Central Ohio. I am a retired Chaplain and Pastor, and enjoy writing, walking, jogging, and listening to live music. I appreciate the opportunity to write for the church’s devotionals.
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