GET THIS!
Because of Jesus, five people in ONE household will turn against each other. There’ll be “ENMITY” between fathers and sons, daughters and mothers and even mothers’ in law will get-into-the-act and it’s not even – THANKSGIVING, yet!
Not good…
Jesus was NOT “AFFIRMING or ENCOURAGING division” but rather was “naming the reality” that was occurring around him.
We should NOT be “arguing” or “bickering …”
Lord knows there is enough “divisiveness,” “discord,” “hostility” and “animosity” going on in this world of ours ALREADY…
No more “dissension,” “antagonism” or “feuding” is needed or is necessary.
Enough is enough, already…
A little tranquility would be a good thing!
Rather what is DESPERATELY NEEDED is “friendship,” “civility,” “people of goodwill,” “kindness,” “helpfulness” and “feelings or attitudes of cooperation!”
C’mon, we can do THIS thing!
For the record, it would be a MIS-READING of Jesus’ words to “say or to think” that his mission or purpose was SOLELY to bring about DIVISION.
Nor is this justification for “WREAKING HAVOC” in the name of Jesus…
But on the other hand, it is also a MIS-READING of Jesus’ mission and purpose to believe that it was “identical” with UNITY. It was NOT!
Jesus and his message DID cause dissension between peoples and within families…
It did. Of course, it did. Something NEW always does! You know how much we “hate” change. We dig in our heels.
Some of us despise ANY AND ALL change…
We RESIST change. We FIGHT change. We CLAMOR against it.
All change, even “GOOD NEWS” change – will cause grief and conflict for the very simple reason that CHANGE normally means “giving up” OR “losing something” that was once held dear.
CHANGE means valuing one thing “over another”…or so people view it…that WAY.
Either you are “for” the NEW change OR you are “against” the NEW change. The resistance is “real and heartfelt.”
We are threatened by CHANGE and that which is NEW.
To follow Jesus… to follow some hitherto unknown “itinerant preacher-man…” To adhere to “his ways…” To abandon the “ways of old” …the ways of the fathers…
Was shocking and extraordinary…It was astonishing…to do so…
How could ANYONE?
To join his “new family of believers…” was almost “cult-like…”
A little bit “creepy!”
To turn your back on things that were “only valued YESTERDAY,” was seen as being completely and totally unheard of…
And yet, it was happening with greater frequency as people joined the Jesus Movement…
One after another…Values changed…Perspectives became altered…Behavior became modified…
…All of this, at a time when ALIENATION from family or clan could literally be a matter of LIFE OR DEATH…
It was REVOLUTIONARY to stress LOYALTY to anyone, other than God and family…
Joining the “Christian community” had real life consequences…
Separations DID happen and DID occur…and families WERE DIVIDED all over the person of “Jesus of Nazareth.”
Not EVERYONE was happy with the followers of Jesus or his movement!
It was like “sheep stealing…”
It was a negative. It was harmful…hurtful…it was anything but helpful. The Hebrew Bible declares that the Lord your God is a JEALOUS God.
If you love your WIFE, your CHILDREN, your GRANDCHILDREN, your WAY of LIFE, your HOME, your JOB, your CAR, your BOAT, your HARLEY, or that place up NORTH – MORE THAN YOU LOVE GOD, that is the sin of IDOLATRY.
I am sure many-a-parent reminded their sons and their daughters of this – AGAINST following Jesus…
Loving God comes FIRST. And next to that is LOVING the neighbor…
But this Jesus CHARACTER people were not too sure about him! Amen.