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In the parable of the rich fool (12:13-21) Jesus gave a warning against preoccupation with the accumulation of material wealth. Further, he exhorted his disciples to overcome anxiety by trusting in God’s ability to provide for the necessities of life. They must give priority to the search for God’s kingdom (vv.22-34). Like good servants, they should always be ready for the final advent of Christ (vv.35-48).
Jesus declared that he had not come to bring peace, but division (12:49-53). He had come to bring fire on the earth and wished it were already kindled (v.49). Many scholars (e.g., Coke, 1:575) think the imagery of fire refers to the division and persecution provoked by Jesus' ministry. Clarke (1:443) relates it both to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans and to the influence of the Spirit “in the destruction of sin.” Others explain it as the purifying activity of the Spirit. John Wesley (Notes, 252) regards it as the fire of “heavenly love.” The same idea influenced Charles Wesley (9:58-59):
O Thou who camest from above,
The pure, celestial fire t'impart,
Kindle a flame of sacred love
On the mean altar of my heart.
The baptism of which Jesus spoke (12:50) was his suffering and death. Thus Paul could write of “having been buried with him in baptism” (Col 2:12).
Jesus warned the people that the signs of the Day of Judgment were present. In readiness for that day they must be reconciled to God (12:54-59).
Finally he called on them to repent (13:1-5). In the parable of the unfruitful fig tree (vv.6-9), he offered them a new beginning in life but warned them of the consequences of rejecting his offer.