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Not Peace


          Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law —  a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’(Matthew 10:34-36
          “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law —  a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’(Matthew 10:34-36)
           “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” (Luke 12:49-53)

          Uh oh! What happened to “peace on earth, goodwill toward men” and unity, and love? Families divided against each other? Yet, in today’s passage, Jesus says that He came to bring fire, which is used to refer to judgment and division. My own inclination is to say that whether Jesus wanted to bring these things or not, they were unavoidable. Either the world would bow to Jesus, or Jesus would bow to the world. The two can’t get along while being true to themselves.
          But I don’t think that’s being honest with the passage. This isn’t Jesus saying, “It’d be nice if we could get along.” It doesn’t even seem to be “well, it’s just the reality of the situation.” Jesus is talking fire and brimstone, and He’s not sounding the least bit remorseful or merciful. By bringing fire on the earth, He’ll purify it, and He’s looking forward to that day! While some may try to dodge this by saying that Constantine or King James or some other nasty person added this to suit his own purposes, there is no evidence for that – there is only their dislike for what Jesus is saying.
          If, as Christians, our goal is to follow Jesus and to become more and more like Him, then this is one of the attitudes we need to discuss. I’m not saying we should be hateful and nasty, but that we should look forward to the day of judgment because of the positive effect it will have. I’m also saying that we shouldn’t be surprised when divisions develop because we’ve chosen to follow Christ. They are inevitable and may be evidence that we’re on the right track. 

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