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[Jesus said] “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.”

When Jesus was born, angels filled the sky outside Bethlehem and sang: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14). Peace on earth. That’s what they promised. And we want to believe it.

So, Jesus’ words in today’s Bible passage can feel jarring: Fire? Division? What happened to peace?

The truth is that Jesus’ Word does not bring peace between all people. When the gospel is preached, it sets hearts ablaze. Some hear about God’s grace and believe, and others are offended to be told they are sinners who need saving. The same Word that brings life to one brings hostility to another. Following Christ may divide households, cost friendships, and stir up tension. Jesus does not hide that reality; he prepares us for it.

But this gospel is still good news. Jesus also says, “I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!” Here, Jesus is speaking figuratively of a baptism still to come. That baptism wasn’t with water. It was the flood of God’s judgment he would endure at the cross. He would be abandoned, pierced, and crushed—not for his guilt, but for ours.

And there, at the cross, the angel’s promise is fulfilled. Peace on earth—but not peace between nations or neighbors. Peace between sinners and a holy God.

So, when the angels lit up that night sky outside Bethlehem, they weren’t promising a world free of conflict. They were proclaiming something even greater: peace with God. That’s the peace that divides, but it also saves.

Lord Jesus, when your Word causes division, help me cling to the peace you won for me at the cross. Amen.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.