(Audio)
I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
John the Baptist had prophesied that Jesus would baptize "with the holy Spirit and fire" (see Luke 3:16). This looked forward to the events of Pentecost in which, as Jesus told his disciples, they would "be baptized with the Holy Spirit" (see Acts 1:5) when the Spirit would appear as tongues of fire (see Acts 2:3).
But the same Spirit that would so transform and empower the disciples would become a fire of judgment for those who rejected him, since, "the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire" (see Luke 3:16). The distinguishing factor that would make people experience blessing or judgment would be the response they made to Jesus himself. He did not delight in judgment, did not wish to divide families one from another. But he did celebrate those who would choose him as their absolute and highest good, even over and against the pressure of their family and their society. He wanted the fire in the hearts of his people to burn above all with love for him and for his Father and to reduce to ash all the attachments that tried to hold them back from a full commitment to that love.
Those who would not accept Jesus, and those who were hostile and rejected him, would only experience the Spirit's flames as a negative from their point of view as captives of the world, the flesh, and the devil. The Spirit would feel to them as though he were encroaching on their autonomy. What was meant to be purification would only feel like pain to those who struggled against it. If they chose to persist in rejecting transformation by the Spirit there was the very real possibility of choosing the fire of eternal judgment instead. The author of the letter to the Hebrews wrote that "our God is a consuming fire" (see Hebrews 12:29). That was meant to be something worthy of celebration. But whether it would be so for an individual was finally down to his own choice.
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
The baptism of the Spirit which Jesus won for his followers was contingent upon the baptism of his own crucifixion. It was at the cross that blood and the living water of the Holy Spirit flowed from his side. The cross not only canceled the condemnation of sin but also finally unsealed all of the blessings Jesus intended for his people. Hence we can see that the fire in the heart of Jesus himself made him eager to the point of anguish to endure it for our sakes. This unstoppable passion of his for us was meant to be contagious. It was meant to be part of what the Spirit would ignite, and did in fact ignite, in the hearts of the disciples at Pentecost.
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
How is our own attitude regarding the passion of Jesus and what it implies about us and our mission? Have we caught fire in pursuit of Jesus? Or do we prefer lesser goods, choosing temporary and transient peace that cannot last instead of the true peace that can only come from as a fruit of the Spirit? If our flame is not burning brightly, or if it has been reduced to mere embers, we are invited to fan it into flames once again.
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands (see Second Timothy 1:6).
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