In tomorrow’s gospel from Luke (12:49-56), we get a most striking vision of a pissed off Jesus complaining about His burdens and claiming (in my 21st Century voice)

You think I’m the bringer of peace! Idiots! I bring conflict!

It is a hard enough gospel to take, and my (very different) homily will go up here tomorrow. There’s something that didn’t make it into the sermon, though. Here’s what I’m wondering about.

Jesus highlights who 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

What do you notice? Parents and children. Nowhere is Jesus talking about siblings or neighbors or friends or lovers. He isn’t speaking of enemies or liberals and conservatives or rich and the poor. He isn’t listing the people who fight or even the generic family feud.

It is parent and child.

And Jesus is highly understanding of those relationships, considering His own interesting one.

And He further has a strained one with his Mom and siblings, who He all but disowns in favor of His friends.

It may even be suggesting something actually normal–that parents and children fight. Like my Scotty, Sass and her Mom.

Back in junior high, my best friend, Evan gave me the last puppy of the litter. Their dogs, Boomer and Nessie were my buddies. I loved them to pieces. Sass was the runt of the litter and the one they couldn’t sell. I was so honored to have her.

A few weeks later, Evan brought Nessie, the puppy’s mother to visit. She barked, growled, and snapped at the puppy, as if to say “you aren’t supposed to be here.” With dogs, the kids are supposed to move out and go away forever. Maybe conflict is natural.

I think there is something more provocative at work than simply “the way it works.” Something that also bears with it the idea of Divine paternity:

Doing what GOD wants may mean doing other than what GOD used to want.

In other words, doing what Jesus calls us to do. What Jesus came to do. Which involves rejecting GOD’s ways to better fulfill GOD’s ways. To fight with Dad because Dad isn’t always right. Because sometimes we are right. Sometimes we need to fight, like Jacob by the Jabbok. Sometimes we need to say no, I think you’re wrong.

Because we need to do what Jesus says next, that we need to know what is at stake, rather than go along with it all. The very next verses have Jesus suggesting we reconcile on the way to court

because we will lose

and get stuck in jail

and being right is useless behind bars.

We are called to determine what’s right. To determine what’s really right. To learn that determining what’s right is way more important than trying to prove we’re right.

To know, we have to wrestle with the one who teaches us what’s right. We have to fight against our fathers.

[Not literally. I love you, Dad!]