Luke 12:49 (DBY)

Passage

I have come to cast a fire on the earth; and what will I if already it has been kindled?

Nearby Context

Luke 12:47 But that bondman who knew his own lord's will, and had not prepared [himself] nor done his will, shall be beaten with many [stripes];

Luke 12:48 but he who knew [it] not, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few. And to every one to whom much has been given, much shall be required from him; and to whom [men] have committed much, they will ask from him the more.

Luke 12:49 I have come to cast a fire on the earth; and what will I if already it has been kindled?

Luke 12:50 But I have a baptism to be baptised with, and how am I straitened until it shall have been accomplished!

Luke 12:51 Think ye that I have come to give peace in the earth? Nay, I say to you, but rather division:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "come", "cast", "fire", "earth", "already", "been", and "kindled". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "come" and "cast", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 48's "but he who knew it not and..." into verse 50's "But I have a baptism to be...", so "come" and "cast" belong inside that flow. In Luke context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "come" and "cast" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.