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<DIV><FONT size=4>This is the sense of “baptism” in v. 50: Jesus is under great
“stress” until his “baptism” is completed in suffering death and being raised
again.</FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><A
href="http://montreal.anglican.org/comments/archive/cpr20m.shtml">http://montreal.anglican.org/comments/archive/cpr20m.shtml</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Chris Haslam </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>At Jesus’ baptism, in 2:14, a voice from God says “‘Glory to
God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’”, so
there will be some whom God favours, and others whom he does not. [Leaney,
A.R.C. A Commentary on the Gospel according to St.Luke London: Black 1958]
Recall Simeon’s words to Mary in 2:34-35: “This child is destined for the
falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed
so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed – and a sword will pierce
your own soul too’”. [Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer and Roland E.
Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Study Hardback edition. London:
Geoffrey Chapman 1995] </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><A
href="http://montreal.anglican.org/comments/archive/cpr20l.shtml">http://montreal.anglican.org/comments/archive/cpr20l.shtml</A></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Chris Haslam </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>After mediation training I had learned that my style involved
a lot of triangulation, meaning I was always in the middle so the issues between
people were never really resolved.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>When I stopped doing this it was uncomfortable for the church.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Instead of fixing problems, I would say
things like, “It sounds like you need to speak to Mary about that…. Let’s get
this issue out in the open so we can hear all sides before making a decision. I
sense there are strong feelings in the room-let’s try to understand where they
are coming from.”<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>After a few weeks
of this new behavior, our Sunday School Superintendent said, “I liked it better
when you fixed everything for us.”<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"><FONT size=4><></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=4>Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Mayor Bloomberg
are jumping on the bandwagon too, urging billionaires to give away at least 51
percent of their wealth.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Buffett
noted last year that he pays 17 percent of his income in taxes (which is less
than I pay in payroll taxes!)<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>He
did the research and found that his employees paid over 30 percent of their
income in taxes.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> [However, giving
away money instead of paying taxes on it keeps the federal government from
having the opportunity to direct the funds, so it is a somewhat aggressive move
against the government.]</SPAN></FONT></P></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"><A
href="http://bloomingcactus.typepad.com/bloomingcactus/2010/08/luke-124956-not-peace-but-a-sword.html"><FONT
size=4>http://bloomingcactus.typepad.com/bloomingcactus/2010/08/luke-124956-not-peace-but-a-sword.html</FONT></A></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"><FONT
size=4></FONT></SPAN> </DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Todd Weir, 2010</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Clearly, in John’s Gospel as in Luke’s, Our Lord is
distinguishing between two types of peace, secular and sacred, temporal and
eternal, which is hardly a difficult distinction even for a casual reader to
grasp. But it is Matthew’s Gospel, not Luke’s or John’s, that drives the nail
home. Matthew quotes Jesus as saying the same words that Luke records, “Do not
think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring
peace, but a sword.”</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><A
href="http://thehardestquestion.org/yearc/ordinary20gospel/">http://thehardestquestion.org/yearc/ordinary20gospel/</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Phyllis Tickle, 2010</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>
<P align=justify>I think that in the first century, this was understood
literally. Following Jesus, often meant divisions in families. This has also
happened in our centuries. A woman in a church I served a few years ago, hadn't
spoken with her mother in 18 years -- ever since "this good Catholic girl"
married a Lutheran man and joined the Lutheran church. I know of instances where
former Lutheran Church Missouri Synod clergy/seminarians ended up on the "outs"
with their families when they went with the seminex walk-out. One's beliefs can
bring separation from family members.</P>
<P align=justify><A
href="http://www.crossmarks.com/brian/luke12x49.htm">http://www.crossmarks.com/brian/luke12x49.htm</A></P>
<P align=justify>Brian Stoffregen<BR>- - - - -</P></FONT></DIV><FONT
size=4><FONT face=TimesNewRomanPSMT>
<DIV align=left>What Jesus describes has happened throughout the history of
Christianity and the history</DIV>
<DIV align=left>of the world ever since. There have been divisions over Jesus,
divisions over what does</DIV>
<DIV align=left>the government of God mean, resulting in various Christian
denominations. There has</DIV>
<DIV align=left>been division in families. It happened in my family, it happens
in many families. Two</DIV>
<DIV align=left>things that people can't talk about in families are politics and
religion because people get</DIV>
<DIV>into big fights. Jesus is describing a reality of our
experience.</DIV></FONT></FONT>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.gotell.org/pdf/commentary/Luke/Lk12_49-56_commentary.pdf">http://www.gotell.org/pdf/commentary/Luke/Lk12_49-56_commentary.pdf</A></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Tom Boomershine </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
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