Luca 12:51 Commento

In this chapter we have divers excellent discourses of our Saviour's upon various occasions, many of which are to the same purport with what we had in Matthew upon other the like occasions; for we may suppose that our Lord Jesus preached the same doctrines, and pressed the same duties, at several times, in several companies, and that one of the evangelists took them as he delivered them at one time and another at another time; and we need thus to have precept upon precept, line upon line. Here, I. Christ warns his disciples to take heed of hypocrisy, and of cowardice in professing Christianity and preaching the gospel (Luk 12:1-12). II. He gives a caution against covetousness, upon occasion of a covetous motion made to him, and illustrates that caution by a parable of a rich man suddenly cut off by death in the midst of his worldly projects and hopes (Luk 12:13-21). III. He encourages his disciples to cast all their care upon God, and to live easy in a dependence upon his providence, and exhorts them to make religion their main business (Luk 12:22-34). IV. He stirs them up to watchfulness for their Master's coming, from the consideration of the reward of those who are then found faithful, and the punishment of those who are found unfaithful (Luk 12:35-48). V. He bids them expect trouble and persecution (Luk 12:49-53). VI. He warns the people to observe and improve the day of their opportunities and to make their peace with God in time (Luk 12:54-59).

In the mean time,.... While Christ was discoursing with the Pharisees, and they were using him in the vilest manner, throwing out their invectives against him in order to draw off the people from him: when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people. There were "myriads" of them, as in the original text, and a myriad is ten thousand; the meaning is, that there were several thousands of them: insomuch that they trod one upon another; striving to get near to Christ, either to see his person, or to hear his discourses; and particularly, what he would say to the Pharisees, who had fallen upon him in so violent a manner: he began to say unto his disciples first of all; he directed his discourse not to the Pharisees, nor to the multitude, but to his disciples in the first place; at least, chiefly to them; for whom he had a regard, who were his dear friends, and were to be the preachers of his Gospel every where; and therefore it was proper that they should be aware of the dissembling arts of the Scribes and Pharisees, and have their minds fortified against approaching dangers, persecutions, and death itself: the last phrase, "first of all", is omitted in the Vulgate Latin version; and by all the Oriental versions, it is joined to the next clause, and read thus, "especially", or before all things, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy; expressed both in their doctrines, and in their lives; which carried a great show of piety and holiness, but was in appearance only: very aptly is hypocrisy in doctrine and manners, compared to leaven; which at first is small and little, but gradually increases and spreads itself, and lies hid and covered, and is not easily discerned, nor its influence and effects observed; but in time, it infects and corrupts the whole of men's principles and practices, and puffs and swells them up with a vain opinion of themselves; and when our Lord bids his disciples beware of it, his meaning not only is, that they take heed that they were not infected with it themselves, but that they were not imposed upon by the specious pretences of these artful and designing men.

For from henceforth there shall be five in one house,.... Which are the five following, mentioned in the next verse; the father and the son, the mother and the daughter, and her daughter-in-law, or son's wife; for the mother and mother-in-law are one and the same person, only standing in different relations; as a mother to her own daughter, and a mother-in-law to her son's wife, or to her husband's daughter by his first wife; though the former best answers to the word used: now from the time of Christ's saying these words, or quickly after this, immediately upon his baptism of sufferings, or soon after his death, when the Gospel should be preached more publicly and extensively, this should be the effect of it; that supposing a family consisting of the above number, they should be divided from one another, in the following manner: three against two, and two against three; three that did not believe in Christ, against two that did believe in him; or two that did not believe, against three that did; or three that did, against two that did not; or two that did, against three that did not. The Ethiopic version reads, "two shall be separated from three, and one shall be separated from two".

For you say, that he said that every kingdom or every city divided in itself shall not stand; and elsewhere you say, that he said that he would send a sword, that he might separate those who are in one house, so that son shall be divided from father, daughter from mother, brother from brother; so that if there be five in one house, three shall be divided against two, and two against three. [Luke 12:51-53] If, then, everything that is divided falls, he who makes divisions furnishes causes of falling; and if he is such, assuredly he is wicked. Answer this if you can.

But He will Himself best explain the quality of that fire which He mentioned, when He goes on to say, "Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division." It is written "a sword," but Marcion makes an emendation of the word, just as if a division were not the work of the sword.

Although in nearly all Evangelical places the spiritual intellect operates; nevertheless, for the present time, the series of senses must be moderated so as not to offend anyone with the harshness of naked exposition, especially since the sacred religion invites even the exiles of faith to reverence with moral disciplines and gentle examples of piety, kindly dissolving the hard superstitions with the meekness of its preceding discipline of faith, and compelling minds that are subject to errors to believe in faith, which it could soothe with piety. Therefore, we will think now that the Lord, who embraced both reverence for divinity and the grace of piety, said: You shall love the Lord your God... and you shall love your neighbor; has it been changed so that we believe it commands the abolition of the names of relationships, the collision of feelings of piety, and the dissension of beloved family members? And how is He our peace who made both one? How can he say, My peace I give to you, my peace I leave with you, if he comes to separate parents from children, and children from parents, to destroy the bond of family? How cursed is the one who does not honor their father, the one who abandons their religious devotion? But if we consider that the first cause of religion is piety, we must also evaluate this question in the same way; for it is necessary to prioritize divine matters over human matters. For if duty must be shown to parents, how much more to the author of parents, to whom you also owe gratitude for your parents! Or if they do not acknowledge a parent at all, how can you acknowledge one? Therefore, it does not say that debts must be renounced, but that God must be preferred above all. Finally, you have in another book: Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. You are not forbidden to love your parents, but you are instructed to prefer them to God; for they are the pledges of the Lord's blessings: and no one should love the gift he has received more than God from whom the gift was received.

What sayest thou, O Lord? Didst thou not come to give peace, Who art made peace for us? (Eph. 2:14.) making peace by Thy cross with things in earth and things in heaven; (Col. 1:20.) Who saidst, My peace I give unto you. (John 14:27.) But it is plain that peace is indeed a good, but sometimes hurtful, and separating us from the love of God, that is, when by it we unite with those who keep away from God. And for this reason we teach the faithful to avoid earthly bonds. Hence it follows, For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, &c.

Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. How the earth will burn after the baptism of his passion, after the coming of the spiritual fire, is declared. Indeed, the whole world is divided against itself for faith in Christ; every household has both unbelievers and believers, and therefore a good war has been sent, so that bad peace may be broken. Which Isaiah also prophetically foretold under the guise of Egypt, saying: Behold, the Lord will ascend upon a light cloud, and will enter Egypt, and the idols of Egypt will be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt will melt within it, and I will stir Egyptians against Egyptians (Isa. XIX), with some fighting against the faith and others for the faith.

But the manner in which after the baptism of His passion and the coming of the spiritual fire the earth will be burnt, He declares as follows, Suppose ye that I am to give peace, &c.

Christ "is our peace" (Eph. 2:14), yet He says: "I did not come to bring peace." This means His words are enigmatic. So we say that not every peace is blameless and good, but it is often dangerous and drives one away from Divine love — for example, when we make peace and agreement to overthrow the truth. Christ did not come to bring such a peace; on the contrary, He desires that we be divided against one another for the sake of what is good, which is exactly what happened during the persecutions. For in one house a pagan father was divided against a believing son, and a mother against a daughter, and vice versa.

Christ preaches to his disciples against hypocrisy; and against timidity in publishing the Gospel, Luk 12:1-5. Excites them to have confidence in Divine providence, Luk 12:6, Luk 12:7. Warns them against denying him, or betraying his cause, Luk 12:8, Luk 12:9. Of the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, Luk 12:10. Promises direction and support in persecution, Luk 12:11, Luk 12:12. Warns the people against covetousness, Luk 12:13-15. Parable of the rich man who pulled down his granaries to build greater, Luk 12:16-21. Cautions against carking cares and anxieties, Luk 12:22-32. The necessity of living to God, and in reference to eternity, Luk 12:33-40. At the request of Peter, he farther explains the preceding discourse, Luk 12:41-48. The effects that should be produced by the preaching of the Gospel, Luk 12:49-53. The signs of the times, Luk 12:54-57. The necessity of being prepared to appear before the judgment seat of God, Luk 12:58, Luk 12:59.

To give peace - See Mat 10:34.

WARNING AGAINST HYPOCRISY. (Luk 12:1-12) meantime--in close connection, probably, with the foregoing scene. Our Lord had been speaking out more plainly than ever before, as matters were coming to a head between Him and His enemies, and this seems to have suggested to His own mind the warning here. He had just Himself illustriously exemplified His own precepts. his disciples first of all--afterwards to "the multitudes" (Luk 12:54). covered--from the view.

peace . . . ? Nay, &c.--the reverse of peace, in the first instance. (See on Mat 10:34-36.) The connection of all this with the foregoing warnings about hypocrisy, covetousness, and watchfulness, is deeply solemn: "My conflict hasten apace; Mine over, yours begins; and then, let the servants tread in their Master's steps, uttering their testimony entire and fearless, neither loving nor dreading the world, anticipating awful wrenches of the dearest ties in life, but looking forward, as I do, to the completion of their testimony, when, reaching the haven after the tempest, they shall enter into the joy of their Lord."