LUKE Xn. 49-63.
49 I am come to send fire on the earth ; and what will I, if it be already kindled P
50 But I have a baptism to be bap- tized with ; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished !
51 Suppose ye that I am come to giye peace on earth ? I tell you, Nay ; but rather division :
52 For from henceforth there shall
be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
63 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father ; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother ; the mother m law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
The sayings of the Lord Jesus in these five verses axe peculiarly weighty and suggestive. They unfold truths which every true Christian would do well to mark and digest. They explain things in the Church, and in the world, which at first sight are hard to be understood.
We learn, for one thing, from these verses, kow thoroughly the heart of Christ was set on finishing the work which He came into the world to do. He says, " I have a baptism to be baptized with," — a baptism of suffering, of wounds, of agony, of blood, and of death. Yet none of these things moved Him. He adds, " How am I straitened till this baptism is accomplished?" The prospect of coming trouble did not deter Him for. a moment. He was ready and willing to endure all things in order to provide eternal redemption for His people. Zeal for the cause He had taken in hand was like a burning fire within Him. To advance His Father's glory, to open the door of life to a lost world, to provide a fountain for all sin and uncleanness by the sacrifice of Himself, were con- tinually the uppermost thoughts of His mind. He was pressed in spirit till this mighty work was finished.
For ever let us bear on mind that all Christ's sufferings on our behalf were endured willingly, voluntarily, and a£ His own free choice. They were not submitted to