“I have come to cast fire on the earth, and how I wish it was already kindled.”
Apart from the problem of translating the last part of the verse, which probably does not affect the meaning of the whole, the main question here is as to the significance of the ‘casting of fire on the earth'. The general impression gained by such a phrase would be that of causing disturbance and ferment and trouble, and finally of bringing judgment on those spoken of. For that is the usual idea behind the thought of the ‘casting of fire' (compare Luke 9:54).
The alternative has been mooted that it indicates the fire of the Holy Spirit and therefore refers to the Gospel going out like fire around the world accomplishing His purpose, something which was the desire of His heart. This last idea is attractive, and had this verse stood by itself, and had there been no other Scriptures dealing with the topic, this might have been feasible. But a major problem of this interpretation is that it is against the tenor of the passage as a whole, which is one of sadness and heartache, and it is also against the tenor of other Scriptures. Besides when fire is connected with the Holy Spirit it is never thought of as ‘cast, thrown'.
The truth is that what Jesus appears to have in view here is not pleasant. It is in contrast with Luke 5:32 which declares the other purpose of His coming. There He says, ‘I have come -- to call sinners to repentance', which is the other side of the story. Here He has come to ‘cast fire'.
On the other hand we may certainly see the idea as partly included, although more probably in terms of His word being the fire, a fire which does have its effect on the hearts of believers, but also has its effect in judgments coming on the world. For the work of the Holy Spirit is undoubtedly a part of the fire that He would bring on the world, as He fulfils Himself as ‘the Spirit of burning' and ‘of judgment' in establishing purity in the world (Isaiah 4:4).
But to understand precisely what is in mind we must turn to the Scriptures. For there are a number of references in Scripture that we need to take into account in order to illuminate the picture:
In Luke 3:16 reference is made to the Coming One as ‘baptising/drenching/overwhelming in Holy Spirit and fire', and this is immediately interpreted in terms of producing fruitfulness (by means of heavenly rain) for some and the burning up of others like the chaff (Luke 3:17). If we accept John's own explanation therefore the Holy Spirit produces the ripe grain of believers while the fire is very much a consuming fire, the fire of judgment, for the burning up of the chaff. At first sight it is tempting to compare the words there with this passage here where again the fire and baptism are in close parallel. But here the baptism is rather one of suffering that comes on Him and overwhelms Him, whereas there He is the One Who will do the overwhelming. And furthermore there the baptism represented drenching rain producing fruit, whereas here the baptism is of suffering, and thus very different circumstances are in mind. Nor is there the thought in John's words of the ‘casting of fire'. Rather it is men who themselves will be cast into the fire (Luke 3:9), and the fire is rather present to consume. They will be overwhelmed by fire. Nevertheless even so the basic idea behind the word ‘fire' there is that of judgment, which certainly also applies here.
We may certainly include in the fire there the fire of purifying and purging, for in the Old Testament God's judgment on the many regularly purges the few. But purging never takes place without judgment, those purged come out of judgment (e.g. Zechariah 13:8-9; Malachi 3:2-3; Malachi 4:1-3). It is a great and terrible day (Malachi 4:5), and it has begun in John the Baptiser (Matthew 11:14).
In Isaiah 4:5 there is reference to the ‘spirit of burning', which is also ‘the spirit of judgment', and this refers to judgments which are coming on Jerusalem in order to purify Jerusalem and remove its filth in the last days. And this last will be by the burning up of the evil, the emphasis being on Jerusalem's final purifying by the purging of what is evil through the fires of judgment. So the ‘burning' is severe judgment that is seen as the means by which evil is removed. The consequence will be that the righteous are brought through the fire and the remainder are destroyed by it. This is probably a little closer to what is in mind in Jesus' words, but again there is there no thought of ‘casting fire'.
In Ezekiel 10:2 the man clothed in linen, who is an angel, is to take coals of fire from between the cherubim who bore the throne of God, a throne on which God was revealed in fire, and scatter (or sprinkle) them over the city. The significance of this would seem to be the same as in Isaiah 4, that as a result of the activity of God through His agents the people of Jerusalem would suffer destruction, while a remnant would escape, those who had been sealed by God. But this time the idea of the ‘scattering' or ‘sprinkling' of coals of fire on the people is clearly introduced. The scattering of fire is an act of judgment on the city. There would then be a remnant remaining whom God would preserve because His mark was upon them (Luke 9:4). The final aim was the preserving of the remnant, while judgment came on the unrighteous who had spurned God's words through Ezekiel and Jeremiah, and all this would be by the ‘strewing' of fire.
4) The same idea as in 3). occurs in Revelation 8:5 (compare Luke 12:7-8; Luke 12:10) where the ‘casting of fire' on the earth from the heavenly altar indicates God's intention to work in judgment. The consequence of that fire would be a series of judgments, many of which involved fire, which could not touch those who were sealed by God (Luke 9:4), but which, while theoretically intended to bring the world to repentance (Luke 9:21), would on the whole not succeed in its purpose because of the sinfulness of man, although we are no doubt to see that some will repent. It is mankind as a whole that does not repent. In the final analysis the casting of fire on it resulted in judgment on the world, with some being saved through it.
5) In Acts 2:1-4 God comes in flames of fire on the Apostles and those who are with them, but this cannot really be seen as ‘cast on them', even though in Acts 2:17 the Spirit is to be ‘poured forth'. And in Acts 2:18 fire is again a symbol of judgment as connected with the Holy Spirit. Thus even the flames on the Apostles signify judgment as well as mercy. His fire will come on the world through them.
6) Other examples of fire being brought down on people (and therefore ‘cast down' on them by God), can be found in 2 Kings 1:10; 2 Kings 1:12; 2 Kings 1:14 which are in mind in Luke 9:54. Compare also Luke 17:29.
7) As background to all this we should see the words of Isaiah 26:9, ‘when God's judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness'. In other words as a result of His judgments while the majority perish, the minority are made to consider their ways.
Strictly speaking then the ‘casting of fire' would seem to indicate 3). and 4). supplemented by 2 and 6), but seen in the light of 7). The word used in Ezekiel for ‘scattering' (there it was coals of fire) is not the same as that used in Luke 12:49 for ‘casting', but the idea is similar, and the passage in Revelation, which would appear partly to be based on Ezekiel, does use the same verb as in Luke 12:49 (ballo). Compare also Habbakuk Luke 3:13 LXX which speaks of ‘casting death on the heads of the wicked'. In each case the idea is the same, fire (or death) directed from above onto the earth. It would seem that ‘casting', where used of things like fire and death, regularly indicates judgment. It is true that we might bring in here Matthew 10:13 which speaks of ‘casting peace', but that is the act of one person towards another rather than the act of God or of Jesus, while the casting of fire here is specifically seen as bringing anything but peace (Luke 12:51). But it does serve to confirm that just as peace can be passed on by being ‘cast on' men through someone's words, so can judgment.
The general idea then of the casting forth of fire would appear to be something which results in God's activity among the people, on the whole bringing judgment on them, yet recognising that some will come through purified and finally unscathed as a result of it, because the mark of God is on them, with the result that it produces from among the whole a small group of the righteous (a little flock - Luke 12:32) who come out of the midst of the suffering. Compare for this Isaiah 6:13. This would fit well here with the verses that immediately follow where there is to be a division, even between peoples of the same family, between those who come to follow Jesus, and those who settle for judgment because they reject His words, between the righteous and the unrighteous.
But, as we have previously mentioned, there is one further thing to bear in mind before seeking to interpret Luke 12:49 and that is its context. For it immediately follows verses which have been describing God's punishment on those, both high and low, who had failed Him in the administration of His world, those of whom He might have expected better. In Luke 12:46 the faithless steward had been ‘cut asunder'. In Luke 12:47 the prominent slave who had failed had been savagely beaten. In Luke 12:48 a the lesser slave, who had also failed, had received a lesser beating. And Jesus had then declared in Luke 12:48 b, ‘to whoever much is given, of them much will be required'. Thus Luke 12:49 (if we see it as introduced at all) is introduced as in a context of punishment being afflicted on those who have been favoured and have failed to respond with faithfulness.
So both context and background Scriptures demand that we see this casting of fire on earth as a judgment on those in mind, even though it is a judgment which will result in a remnant coming through to blessing. And the positioning of the verse prior to the thought in Luke 12:50 suggests that that judgment will begin prior to His final suffering, although we might possibly see it as being ‘kindled' by it.
This could further indicate that we must see His ‘words' as His means of casting the fire. For elsewhere His word is ‘cast' into the ground like a seed (Luke 13:19). Jeremiah describes God's words in these terms when he says, “For this reason thus says the Lord God of hosts, Because you speak this word, behold, I will make my words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it will devour them' (Jeremiah 5:14), and again ‘Is not my word like a fire? says the Lord, and like a hammer which breaks the rock in pieces?' (Jeremiah 23:29). There is thus a precedent for words, especially words of judgment, being likened to fire. Compare also how it is emphasised that God's words to Moses came out of the midst of the fire (Deuteronomy 4:12; Deuteronomy 4:36; Deuteronomy 5:22; Deuteronomy 9:10). And how fire would come out of the mouths of the Two Witnesses in the last days (Revelation 11:5). Yet this explanation will not do just by itself, for fire being cast has a specific meaning elsewhere as we have seen, while the word is only seen as ‘cast' when seed is in mind, not fire.
That His words can be seen as a judgmental fire has already come out in His claim that what He has taught will condemn that generation in the last Day (Luke 11:29-32). But they are not the only words that will condemn them, for there are also His own later words of judgment (Luke 13:5; Luke 13:34-35; Luke 17:22; Luke 19:27; Luke 19:42-44; Luke 21:6; Luke 21:10-26) which come over as a sentence on them. It may be that He saw the effect of all these as being ‘kindled' when they finally crucified Him, and put the seal on their own judgment.
By these words He is declaring God's judgment on the Jewish people, a judgment which He knows is coming because of their rejection of Him and His message, something which has by now become obvious (Luke 10:13-16; Luke 11:29-32). Much had been given to them. Now much will be required of them. But it must not be limited to Israel. The firs is cast ‘on the earth'. But He finds no pleasure in the fact and wishes that it was all over. Certainly the imminence of such judgment is assumed in Luke 11:51, illustrated immediately in Luke 13:1-5, and repeated in Luke 13:34-35, and in Luke 21:10-11; Luke 21:25-26.
Thus we must see Jesus here as suggesting that through His words and signs He is ‘casting fire' on the people in a way which will bring judgment on the many (Luke 11:29-32; Luke 10:10-16), a judgment that will result in fire (Luke 3:9; Luke 3:17). His words will judge them in the last Day (John 12:47-48). This brings out that it is always a dangerous thing to be opened up to the truth, for if it is rejected it becomes the instrument of condemnation (John 3:18). As He Himself said ‘I do not judge you. He who rejects me and does not receive My sayings has a judge, the words that I have spoken will be his judge on the last Day' (John 12:47-48).
Of course it was true that in some cases they would also result in men and women responding and being refined, His words would burn in men's hearts, that was a very real part of their purpose, but in the majority of cases they would bring His hearers under the judgment of God because they refused to hear them (Luke 6:49; Luke 11:29-32), and into judgment because of the power of His words. In other word He is recognising, and drawing the attention of others to, the fact that His presence not only saves but judges, and that He is only too well aware that that judgment will not only happen in the last Day, although it will happen then, but for some was already approaching, a fact epitomised in Luke 13:1-5. Not only Jerusalem (although that suffered worst) but the whole of Palestine, and even the whole of Jewry, would groan over the Roman invasion in 66-70 AD and its consequences (Luke 13:35; Luke 21:20-24). And the world would continue to groan. Thus were all to recognise the world-shaking nature of His presence among them. The One Whose eyes are like a flame of fire brings mercy for His own and judgment on the erring church and on the world (Revelation 1:14; Revelation 2:18).
“And what do I desire, if it is already kindled?” or “How I wish that it was already kindled.” These are both possible translations. If we translate as the former this may indicate that the casting down of the fire having begun through His words and acts, He is satisfied that it is already kindled, and therefore He has nothing further to desire in that regard. But more probably it should be translated as the latter in which case it indicates His longing for that fire, the basis of which has been sown in His words, to be kindled into flame in order to produce its effects. He wants His words to burst into flame and bring about their ends one way or another. He longs to see God's purposes moving forward, and recognises that in the end it can only be through the cross. It is that that will bring into stark focus the response of men and women to Him, the response that for many will issue in condemnation, but for others will result in life. Then will be the judgment of this world (John 12:31). Then will the glowing fire be fully established in its work of condemnation or salvation, of judgment or redemption. Then will come God's judgment on Israel, out of which will spring salvation for all who believe, and yet at the same time even worse judgment for unbelieving Israel. Either way the words bring out the intensity of His feeling concerning the matter. His whole heart is in what He is doing.
Having all this in mind we may summarise the significance of the fire cast on them as follows:
· It refers to His words both of salvation and judgment which He has already declared, and which have been proclaimed, which are yet to achieve their full effects. It is partly these words that will cause the divisions to be found within families and in the world.
· It refers to His words yet to be spoken which will more and more emphasise judgment, although being continually paralleled by words of comfort, mercy and hope for His own. And we must see Him as very much aware that when He speaks what He declares comes about, whether it refers to salvation or judgment.
· It refers to His coming control of history through His power and authority, through which His word will go forth triumphantly on behalf of those who are being saved (Matthew 28:18-20), while at the same time resulting in judgment being poured on those who refuse to believe (John 12:47). As a result of His control of history suffering will come on the whole world (a suffering largely brought on it by itself) with the aim that through that suffering many might be brought to righteousness. This too will continually result in divisions in the world and in families and households.
Thus the fire that Jesus cast on the world and kindled, will carry on in its effects throughout history, resulting in salvation for ‘many', but judgments on the majority, and will do so until the end when the unrighteous and the world will finally be consumed by fire (Revelation 20:15; 2 Peter 3:10).