Luke 12:51 (DRB)

Passage

Think ye, that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, no; but separation.

Nearby Context

Luke 12:49 I am come to cast fire on the earth. And what will I, but that it be kindled?

Luke 12:50 And I have a baptism wherewith I am to be baptized. And how am I straitened until it be accomplished?

Luke 12:51 Think ye, that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, no; but separation.

Luke 12:52 For there shall be from henceforth five in one house divided: three against two, and two against three.

Luke 12:53 The father shall be divided against the son and the son against his father: the mother against the daughter and the daughter against her mother: the mother-in-law against the daughter-in-law and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "think", "come", "give", "peace", "earth", "tell", and "separation". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "think" and "come", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 50's "And I have a baptism wherewith I..." into verse 52's "For there shall be from henceforth five...", so "think" and "come" 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 "think" and "come" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.