Section 3
life was greatly restricted and restrained in His humanity, in His flesh. Therefore, the Lord was anxious and desirous for the release of His di vine life. Once the divine life was released from within Him, He could impart it into His many believers. This is the basic thought in 12:49-53.
COMING TO CAST FIRE
ON EARTH
In 12:49 the Lord Jesus says, "I came to cast fire on the earth, and what can I desire if it has already been kindled?" This "fire" is the impulse of the spiritual life, which comes from the Lord's released divine life and which causes the divi sions mentioned in verses 51 through 53. In these verses we see that there will be divisions even in the families of the believers. These divi sions come from the fire which is the impulse of the spiritual life, and this impulse comes from the Lord's released divine life. His life was concealed, and the Lord wanted it to be released. He wanted the fire to burst into flame.
In verse 49 the Lord says, "What can I desire if it has already been kindled?" This part of the verse may also be rendered, "How I wish that it were already kindled!" This indicates that the fire was not kindled before the Lord's death. We