Do Not Suppose I Have Come To Bring Peace on This Earth! - Matthew 10:34-39
34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 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—
36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
Reflection: As Jesus sends out the disciples, he makes sure to not "candy coat" what they are going to encounter. He wants them to be prepared for it and not surprised by it. He wants them to count the cost before they choose to follow him. In another section it is compared to a builder who counts the cost of a building project before they begin. This is so they will know what it will take to not only start the project, but complete it.
Jesus uses a very poignant example to press home this point. He uses the family unit and says a man will be against his father, and a daughter against her mother. It is very important to point out what this is saying and what this is not saying. First, Jesus is not overturning the 4th commandment to honor your father and mother. Jesus did not come to abolish the Law, but fulfill it. What he is saying is that any relationship that becomes more important to us than our relationship with God is a big problem. Our first obedience is to God, trusting God, who first established family as a gift and blessing, will honor our allegiance to Him.
Being a dad myself, the most challenging verse for me is the when he says anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Again we need to be very careful here to interpret what Jesus is saying, and ask God for wisdom in what this means for us. What Jesus is not saying is don't love your kids! Obviously the rest of the bible teaches us to love our kids and raise them in the fear and love of The Lord! And my biggest hope for my kids is that they would honor, love and obey God first in their lives. So what can this mean for us?
Well I can only tell you what this might mean for me and maybe you might find application as a parent, grandparent, or someone who invests in the lives of children and youth. It is important first of all that I model for my kids who is my first allegiance in my life. Do I seek God first in my day, in my decision making process, and in how I raise them? Do I show it by how I treat their mother? Kids will learn most about God from how I model my faith in every day life, not just words. Does that mean I'm perfect and don't make mistakes? No, but when i do sin, I ask for forgiveness from God and those I've hurt, including them. This might be the most important thing I can teach them.
And finally as I raise them, I show my allegiance to God in how I discipline them. Sometimes I want to be my kids' friend rather than their parent, and this actually does them a disservice and is an indirect way of putting them before God. Because God has called me as a parent to provide for their discipline and instruction as they grow up. I think there is a great need in our culture today for this. What do you think?
So hopefully this gives you a few ways to think about and apply these challenging verses. A lot of times we see these types of verses and throw our hands up in the air thinking they make no sense. But with sound interpretation under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can not only begin to understand, but apply these truths the Son of God has given us.
Let's pray. Jesus you have given us a challenge today. As we pick up our cross and follow you, we know you will be with us as we seek to honor and obey You first. As we do we know that all of our other relationships will fall in line with this call on our lives. We know as we seek You first all these other needs will be provided as well because you promise this to be true. In. Your name and in Your power we pray, Amen.
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
Reflection: As Jesus sends out the disciples, he makes sure to not "candy coat" what they are going to encounter. He wants them to be prepared for it and not surprised by it. He wants them to count the cost before they choose to follow him. In another section it is compared to a builder who counts the cost of a building project before they begin. This is so they will know what it will take to not only start the project, but complete it.
Jesus uses a very poignant example to press home this point. He uses the family unit and says a man will be against his father, and a daughter against her mother. It is very important to point out what this is saying and what this is not saying. First, Jesus is not overturning the 4th commandment to honor your father and mother. Jesus did not come to abolish the Law, but fulfill it. What he is saying is that any relationship that becomes more important to us than our relationship with God is a big problem. Our first obedience is to God, trusting God, who first established family as a gift and blessing, will honor our allegiance to Him.
Being a dad myself, the most challenging verse for me is the when he says anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Again we need to be very careful here to interpret what Jesus is saying, and ask God for wisdom in what this means for us. What Jesus is not saying is don't love your kids! Obviously the rest of the bible teaches us to love our kids and raise them in the fear and love of The Lord! And my biggest hope for my kids is that they would honor, love and obey God first in their lives. So what can this mean for us?
Well I can only tell you what this might mean for me and maybe you might find application as a parent, grandparent, or someone who invests in the lives of children and youth. It is important first of all that I model for my kids who is my first allegiance in my life. Do I seek God first in my day, in my decision making process, and in how I raise them? Do I show it by how I treat their mother? Kids will learn most about God from how I model my faith in every day life, not just words. Does that mean I'm perfect and don't make mistakes? No, but when i do sin, I ask for forgiveness from God and those I've hurt, including them. This might be the most important thing I can teach them.
And finally as I raise them, I show my allegiance to God in how I discipline them. Sometimes I want to be my kids' friend rather than their parent, and this actually does them a disservice and is an indirect way of putting them before God. Because God has called me as a parent to provide for their discipline and instruction as they grow up. I think there is a great need in our culture today for this. What do you think?
So hopefully this gives you a few ways to think about and apply these challenging verses. A lot of times we see these types of verses and throw our hands up in the air thinking they make no sense. But with sound interpretation under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can not only begin to understand, but apply these truths the Son of God has given us.
Let's pray. Jesus you have given us a challenge today. As we pick up our cross and follow you, we know you will be with us as we seek to honor and obey You first. As we do we know that all of our other relationships will fall in line with this call on our lives. We know as we seek You first all these other needs will be provided as well because you promise this to be true. In. Your name and in Your power we pray, Amen.
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