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When
Jesus enters our world on Christmas, what does he come to do? He tells
us himself in the Gospel of Luke: "I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!”
Jesus’
statement is frightening. The Greek word used is balein (“to throw”) a
fire on the earth. Jesus is not gently lighting a warm, cozy fire in the
fireplace. He’s throwing fire down, much like the God who destroyed
Sodom and Gomorrah, or who threw fire to consume the enemies of Elijah.
How
do we make sense of this? How do we link together this harsh and
dreadful mission with the meek and gentle Jesus, born a baby in
Nazareth? Or the angels on Christmas morning who announced Jesus as the
prince of peace?
Jesus
wants to cast a consuming fire on the earth. Not because he delights in
seeing us suffer; rather, he wants to burn away all that is opposed to
God’s desire for us. He has to clear the ground before something new can
be built.
Is
this utterly painful? Yes! But only when we cooperate with God’s grace,
letting it burn away every burden of sin that clings to us, are we
ready to advance in the spiritual life.
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