By David ReayMonday 11 Nov 2019LifeWords DevotionalsFaithReading Time: 2 minutes
“Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.
‘I have come to set a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
Your enemies will be right in your own household!’ (NLT)
Jesus says some surprising, even disturbing things. What was this ‘Prince of Peace’ meaning when we said he came to bring about family division? Where is the love in that?
We need to consider two things here. One is that Jesus often used exaggeration to make a point—camels passing through the eye of a needle; hating one’s parents; giving to all and sundry irrespective of circumstance. We need to establish the principle behind the seemingly rash statements without emptying his sayings of their still radical demands.
The other consideration is that Jesus is not saying he came to earth to specifically divide families. He is saying that a consequence of his coming to earth is that families will be divided. This is because some will accept him and others reject him. A common if sad reality.
Jesus is not trying to make families arenas of conflict. He is simply warning us that this might happen as his message of repentance and faith is shared. It is another example of Jesus refusing to sugarcoat his message. If we embrace him, it may mean strained or broken relationships with those who dismiss him.
Peacemakers are not always popular. Making peace is not always painless.
Blessings
David