The readings for the 20th Sunday in ordinary time invite us to reflect on the dual themes of perseverance amid adversity and the transformative nature of faith. In our first reading from Jeremiah, we encounter the prophet’s deep struggle. He is cast into a cistern for proclaiming God’s message, which stands in stark contrast to public desires. Jeremiah embodies the call to be faithful, even when it leads to suffering. His unwavering commitment to truth reminds us that prophetic voices often attract opposition. The Psalmist echoes this theme of trusting in God’s deliverance; “I waited for the Lord” this waiting is not passive; it is an active engagement with faith, a confidence that God hears our cries and will act. Just as Jeremiah waited for God’s intervention, we are invited to cultivate patience and trust in our own lives. Today’s second reading from the letter to the Hebrews encourages us to run with perseverance the race marked out for us, looking to Jesus as our example. He too, endured tremendous suffering yet remained steadfast. Our trials, no matter how overwhelming, become opportunities for growth and deeper faith.
Luke chapter 12 is part of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem (Luke 9: 51- 19:27), where his preaching becomes increasingly intense. Jesus prepared his disciples for the coming trials and urgency of the kingdom. Today’s passage follows Jesus’ warning of being ready for Judgement (Luke 12: 35-48) and proceeds signs of the times (Luke 12: 54-56), showing its eschatological tone. “I came to bring fire to the earth.” To those who were learning to regard Jesus as the Messiah, the anointed one of God, these words would come as a bleak shock. They regarded the Messiah as conqueror and king, and the messianic age as a golden time. In Jewish thought, fire is almost always the symbol of judgment, so, then Jesus regarded the coming of his kingdom as a time of judgement. The Jews firmly believed that God would Judge other nations by one standard and themselves by another, that the very fact that a man was a Jew would be enough to absolve him. The phrase “how I wish it were already kindled” expresses urgency and impatience for God’s plan to be set into motion.
I have a baptism. The Greek verb Baptizien means to dip. In the passive, it means to be submerged. Often it is used metaphorically. Jesus refers to his passion and death as ‘baptism’ Mark (10: 38-39). His ‘distress’ reflects the human anxiety of what he must endure. It shows Jesus as both divine and human aware of the cost of His mission. “Do you think I come to bring peace”? contradicts common messianic expectations (Isaiah 9:6). Jesus challenges shallow notions of peace, his coming demands a choice that will inevitably divide people. His coming would inevitably mean division; in point of fact, it did. That was one of the great reasons why the Romans hated Christianity. It tore families in two. Over and over again, man has to decide whether he loves his kith and kin or Christ. Division is not the Goal but a consequence of the truth being proclaimed.