“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 a person's enemies will be those of his 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 his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matthew 10:34-39.
Of all the statements in Scriptures, this must be one of the most disturbing, curious and difficult to grasp until the purpose of His coming is clearly understood.
He entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:1-9.
The last statement in the story of Zacchaeus is a powerful word when viewed in context and then compared to the last statement in the previous box. “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Jesus literally came to tear the culture of his day from its foundations. But the rift continues today as our culture in the United States drifts further and further away from her heritage.
Think for just a moment about your friends and family and where they stand in relationship to culture and faith in Jesus Christ. At the moment we are in thet midst of a election year that is focusing upon the faith of two men who are contestants for the Republican nomination. Both are deeply involved in their respective faiths and are being chastised for what they stand for. While culture says that there should be a ‘Separation of Church and State’, the media certainly makes it a point to seek answers from Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee concerning faith. The problem is not so much that ‘Separation of Church and State’ is the question, but rather the fear of having a man of faith, again, in the White House. Jesus Christ does indeed bring a sword, and not peace, into our lives.
Zachaaeus simply wanted a good look at this curious Jew that was causing so much conflict in society and at the places of Jewish worship. I have often wondered what he the two said to one another when Jesus walked with him to his house. Probably, “How are you doing today?” and “How about them Cowboys?” “Have you driven a Ford, lately?” I write this in light of possible small talk between, say, Billy Graham and yourself. Billy would come back and immediately ask, “Are You going to Heaven?”
No doubt, a similar line of conversation took place between Zachaaeus and Jesus because we find Jesus saying, “Today salvation has come to this house…” A sword came to this man’s household. Can you possibly imagine what took place after Jesus left……and ole Zach was alone with his family?
Having lived among a Catholic dominated culture for many years, stories of individuals coming to Christ out of Catholic tradition are frightening. These persons are often separated from family, friends and priests with insults and hatred. No peace there.
And what takes places within the heart of the person that begins his journey of coming to know Christ is almost never easy, especially for those who have no relationship with any kind of church. For those who have grown up with the idea that Sunday is for church like Monday – Friday is for school and work, the idea of coming to faith in Jesus Christ is as simple as putting on a pair of shoes.
However, there are some who come from lives that have never known what it means to go to a Bible Study or worship on Sundays. And these individuals are not necessarily ‘bad’ in the sense of being drug users, etc. That would be bad enough, but the result is the same. Friends and family are wondering what has happened to Jim or Sue. Why are they going to church and carrying a Bible now? No peace there.
What must be clearly understood about the Christian faith is that when one chooses to follow Christ some things will not have to change, things will change or change has not taken place at all. “And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:39. No peace in this, either.
This simply means that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17. Something completely new takes place. There is a show on television that is a rather amusing one and the storyline is always the same. Old houses are remodeled and when the job is complete there is no resemblance to what it once looked like. This is similar to what takes place I the life of a new believer. However, the change for the believer is forever and things to do not wear out…they keep on changing and improving. No peace there.
In Jesus the Sword of Truth comes and the life of the Christian really knows no peace because the turmoil of daily living in a sinful world is a continuous battle between good and evil. No peace there because the believer finds that the battle is on going until Jesus comes……
The real reason that we sometimes fail to have peace as believers is that we fail to follow the words of Christ. In this there is no peace of mind and heart. For Jesus has said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27. The key to understanding Christian peace is, “Not as the world gives do I give to you.” This is one of the critical statements that must be understood. Peace in the Middle East and the dreams for political peace as we understand and desire peace is not the same that Christ speaks of. The peace that Christ brings is not as we hope for and desire it to be.
Remember that the Jews of Christ’s day rejected Him for the same reason that He is rejected today. His peace is spiritual in nature, not political. For this reason alone, the peace that Christ brings is not what we will ever see in the Middle East. Sorry about that, Christ brings the sword, not peace……
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