Luke 12:52 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three.

NIV: From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.

NASB: for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three.

CSB: From now on, five in one household will be divided: three against two, and two against three.

NLT: From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against — or two in favor and three against.

KJV: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.

NKJV: For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three.

Jesus is expressing the dichotomy of the coming of the kingdom of God. It's an exceptionally good thing! During the millennial kingdom, He will reign over Jerusalem and dozens of promises God made to Israel will come true. The disciples will judge over Israel, and everyone who lost their lives because of their faithfulness to Jesus will live in peace (Matthew 19:28; Revelation 21:4–5).

But before the millennial kingdom Jesus will bring judgment. He will separate the sheep from the goats, meaning the believers from the unbelievers (Matthew 25:32–33). Some of those divisions will be within families. Mothers, fathers, sons, daughters—in both the ancient and modern world, not every member of every family follows Jesus. The fulfillment of God's kingdom means eternal separation from people we love on earth (Luke 12:53).

Jesus has been telling His followers that we need to be like servants who don't know when our master is returning. We need to watch for His arrival, but also continue to faithfully do our work both for Him and others (Luke 12:35–48). It is not the good people who will be saved but those who call on Christ and repent. And it is Jesus' followers who must preach the gospel so they know Christ and know to call on Him (Luke 13:1–5; Romans 10:13–17).

This is the reason for the delay of Jesus' return (Luke 12:40). The disciples are anxious for their positions of honor but, "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). Instead of focusing on their own rewards, the disciples should be like the vinedresser, asking the owner of the fig tree for one more year so that others have a chance of eternal life (Luke 13:6–9).

Luke 12:49–53 expresses Jesus' frustration that the disciples still miss His point. They need to value and anticipate the kingdom of God, not earthly respect, riches, survival, or honor (Luke 12:1–48). To follow Jesus, they will even need to be willing to sacrifice family relationships. Next, Jesus tells the crowd they should notice that change is coming; they need to repent to each other and to God to be ready (Luke 12:54—13:9). Matthew 10:34–37 records a similar warning.

Jesus teaches the disciples about proper priorities. This includes recognizing that God knows all things, even secrets. Believers should honor God more than they fear death, or than they worry about things like food and clothes. Christians are to remain ready for Christ's return, even as faith separates those who believe from those who do not. These ideas revolve around the central theme of verse 34: that a person's heart reflects what they value most.

Luke 12:1—13:9 compares the world with the kingdom of God. Jesus has condemned the hypocrisy of the Pharisees (Luke 11:14–54). He now instructs His disciples to reject the fame and security that Pharisees crave, and hold lightly to their lives, wealth, security, and even family. He then warns the crowd to be wise about their relationships with other people and with God. The next two units each include a miracle and teaching on God's kingdom and salvation (Luke 13:10—15:32). Then the final section in the "travelogue" repeats that three-unit pattern (Luke 16:1—19:27) before Jesus arrives in Jerusalem.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.