Luke 12:49

I came to cast fire

(Πυρ ηλθον βαλειν). Suddenly Jesus lets the volcano in his own heart burst forth. The fire was already burning. "Christ came to set the world on fire, and the conflagration had already begun" (Plummer). The very passion in Christ's heart would set his friends on fire and his foes in opposition as we have just seen (Luke 11:53). It is like the saying of Jesus that he came to bring not peace, but a sword, to bring cleavage among men (Matthew 10:34-36).And what will I, if it is already kindled?

(κα τ θελω ε ηδη ανηφθη;). It is not clear what this passage means. Probably τ is be taken in the sense of "how" (πως). How I wish. Then ε can be taken as equal to οτ. How I wish that it were already kindled. Ανηφθη is first aorist passive of αναπτω, to set fire to, to kindle, to make blaze. Probably Luke means the conflagration to come by his death on the Cross for he changes the figure and refers to that more plainly.