3-john-1:2,luke-12:49-56,matthew-10:38-39

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Luke 12:51

Verse 51 Luke 12:51.Do you suppose that I came to send peace on the earth? What Christ has now demanded from his disciples any one of them would reckon it an easy matter to give, if the whole world, with one consent, embraced the doctrine of the Gospel. But as a considerable part of the world not only opposes but fights keenly against it, we cannot confess Christ without encountering the resistance and hatred of many. Christ therefore warns his followers to prepare for battle, for they must... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:1-59

The Lord , after leaving the Pharisee ' s house , speaks at great length to a numerous crowd waiting for him , addressing his words principally to his own disciples. The foregoing scene ( Luke 11:1-54 .), when the Master addressed his bitter reproaches to the learned and cultivated of the great Pharisee party, took place in a private house belonging to an apparently wealthy member of this, the dominant class. The name of the large village or provincial town where all this... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:41-59

The glories and responsibilities of the Christian ministry. The previous parable attracts Peter by reason of its glorious promise, and he accordingly wonders if it can apply to all believers or to the apostles only. Having asked our Lord, he receives light upon the responsibilities and glories of the ministerial office. From our Lord's words we learn— I. IT IS CHRIST 'S WILL THERE SHOULD BE STEWARDS IN HIS CHURCH , WHOSE DUTY IT IS TO GIVE HIS ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:49

I am come to send fire on the earth . It is still the same train of thought that the Master pursues—a train which had been only slightly diverted by Peter's question. The text, so to speak, of the whole discourse was "the strange attraction which riches possess for men, and the palsying effect which this attraction, when yielded to, exercises over the whole life." The Master's argument was as follows: "Beware of covetousness; let your attachment to earthly possessions sit very lightly on you... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:49-50

Spiritual strenuousness. Our Lord's life deepened and enlarged as it proceeded, like a great and fertilizing river. And as conflict became more frequent and severe, and as the last scenes drew on, his own feeling was quickened, his spirit was aflame with a more ardent and intense emotion. We look at the subject of spiritual strenuousness— I. IN VIEW OF OUR LORD 'S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE . In these two verses we find him passing through some moments of very intense feeling;... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:50

But I have a baptism to he baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished! The baptism he here speaks of was the baptism of pain and suffering and death—what we call the Passion of the Lord. He knew it must all be gone through, to bring about the blessed result for which he left his home in heaven; but he looked on to it, nevertheless, with terror and shrinking. "He is under pressure,'' says Godet, "to enter into this suffering because he is in haste to get out of it,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:51

Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division . But the Master quickly leaves himself and his own sad forebodings. He puts by for a season his own holy impatience and continues his warnings. "I have been dwelling on the troublous times quickly coming on. Do not deceive yourselves, my disciples; the great change about to be inaugurated will only be carried out in war and by divisions in the individual house as in the nation. I bring not peace, but a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:54

And he said also . A note of the compilers, SS . Luke and Paul, which seems to say, "Besides all the important sayings we have just written down, which were spoken on this occasion, the Master added as a conclusion the following words." It is probable that the expressions used in the next seven verses were called out by the general apathy with which his announcement of the coming woes was received by the listening multitude. Possibly he had noticed a smile of incredulity on the faces of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:55

And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will he heat; and it cometh to pass . To the south of Palestine lay the desert; when the wind blew from that direction, it was usually a time of heat and drought. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:56

Ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time? These things had an interest for them. Heat and drought, wind and rain, affected materially the prospect of their wheat-harvest and vintage, the fruitfulness of their orchards and oliveyards, therefore they gave their whole mind to the watching of the weather; but to the awful signs of the time in which they were living they were blind and deaf. What were these signs? read more

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