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‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father,and a daughter against her mother,and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:34-39)
A dear reader of this devotional pointed out that most preachers ignore this part of the larger passage for this coming Sunday. Another dear reader pointed out that I was ahead; he was right. I don't know how that happened; goes to show what happens when humans try to share God's word. So, I will address the "hard part of the passage." It is confusing at first reading. How can the Prince of Peace say He did not bring peace, but a sword? What I believe Jesus is saying is what we should already know; it is not easy bring a disciple. And Jesus is bring honest that sometimes we will find that in our homes there will be those opposed to a full commitment to Jesus Christ. While a campus minister, a young man came to Jesus through our ministry. He got excited about Jesus and went home and tried to tell his mother. She was furious! This young man had his own church and how could he say he now had faith?! She forbid him to continue attending our Bible studies and events. So, the young man would tell his mother he was going to a dance, and she okayed that. In truth, he was coming to our events. There have been others that have told their parents they felt a calling into ministry only to have one of them say, "Lord, forbid!" (You can't make this stuff up!). But, these two, of many, illustrations show exactly what Jesus was talking about. Some people are okay with wearing the label of being a Christian, but to say that one will abandon plans for a secular career for a spiritual one, will cause some division in their home. A dear friend, successful in law, had his wife leave him when he said God called him into ministry. She said she was called to marry a lawyer and left him for a lawyer. You may have your own story of how your inner peace came with a price of discomfort or worse within your own family.
Jesus says to be worthy of Him means to love Him above anyone or anything else. And that includes fathers and mothers, sons and daughters. And that also includes taking up the cross and following Him. The cross will mean the insults, the criticisms, the setbacks, the denials, the rejections that come to those who follow Jesus more than they follow the world. And is it worth it? You know it is! So much so, that Jesus says, "Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it." Is it worth it? Is it worth dying and spending eternity separated from God simply because you wanted a few years of peace here? It's a decision we all have to make.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we trust in You and we want to follow and serve You. Guide me to a discipleship that puts You above all else. Help me to share Your love in a way that convinces the world that fleeting things don't last, but Your love does. This I pray in Christ Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Love Jesus today in a way that shows where He stands in your life!
Eradio Valverde
