A Line in the Sand

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, August 17th, 2025:
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Luke
12.49-53

​​Jesus said to his disciples: “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed!

“Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

I can’t remember the first time I read these verses from the Gospel of Luke, but I am confident that my initial reaction was the same as it is now. I am disturbed. When Jesus says: “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth?”, my answer is: “Ummm, yes, Jesus? That’s exactly what I thought.” But as with any reading in the Bible, I need to look a little deeper.

Challenging the status quo is, well, challenging. Standing up to authority is rarely peaceful. But Jesus’ motives are good and righteous. He came to turn the world right-side up. A world of political unrest, dominated by Rome, where God’s law was enforced legalistically rather than spiritually. He came to “shake the heavens and the earth” (Haggai 2:6), knowing that not everyone would have ears to hear His message. As King, He came to serve, not to be served. He came to tell about the Kingdom of Heaven, where all are invited (Jews and Gentiles alike), and where the first will be last and the last will be first (Matthew 20:16). This kind of radical shift created division two thousand years ago, and it still does today. 

I’ve experienced some of this division personally. At the start of my journey with the Lord, I was learning and experiencing so much – and my heart was burning to share the Good News with my sister. Although with the best of intentions, my feeble attempt to explain God’s free gift of love ended with something along the lines of “You’d be stupid not to accept it.” As you can imagine, this didn’t go over very well. She dug her heels in, and we continued to debate and argue. Our relationship strained as my relationship with Jesus grew. This applied to my secular friendships as well. It’s like a line in the sand was drawn, and I invited them to step over it, into the Light, but they are not ready. I live with my sister, so this separation is evident in my daily life and has been deeply painful at times. But as I’ve learned to meet her where she’s at and love more patiently, I’ve seen a shift in her. I’ve heard her tell others about Saint Benedict Parish, the awesome priests, and the good work being done there. When she says things like that, I know the division won’t be forever. God’s timing is always perfect, and no matter how difficult it is for me to be patient – Jesus, I trust in You.




Lisa Matheson​

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