Matthew 10:24-39
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to this earth” we hear Jesus telling the twelve disciples in Matthew this morning.
- “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.”
Oh My…this is tough stuff!
- Breaking up of families.
- Not bringing peace to this world.
- But rather division and a violent sword.
- This is harsh.
I have seen these words of Jesus used to justify war or the breaking up of families because a parent is undocumented…
- Or because a family member comes forward about their sexual orientation.
- And the list goes on.
But here’s the thing:
- When we read the Gospels in their breadth and scope this message is so out of character for Jesus.
- The one who proclaims good news to the poor and who brings liberation for the oppressed.
- The one who commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves.
- To welcome the stranger.
- To feed the hungry.
- To provide health care to those who are sick.
- The one who sought to tear down walls that diminish.
- And who gave his life so that the world might be saved.
- Well…let’s take a closer look.
Our gospel this morning comes a bit after our Matthew reading we heard last Sunday.
- Last week we saw Jesus summoning the Twelve and commissioning them to continue his work in the world.
- And now today we hear Jesus telling the disciples about what it means to be a disciple:
- One who will bring the good news of Jesus out from the dark and into the light.
- One who will not just whisper Jesus’ good news but who will proclaim it for all to hear.
OK then…as Jesus explains this…he gives the Twelve a sharp warning about what they will face when they do follow Jesus in this good news work.
- And it’s not pretty.
- Just before today’s passage…Jesus says to the Twelve:
- “See I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves.
- Beware of those who will hand you over to councils and flog you in the synagogues.
- You will be dragged before governors and kings because of me.
- People will hate you because of my name.
- Some of you will be betrayed even by those you love.
- Even brothers will betray brothers.
- Fathers will betray children.
- And children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.”
Why? Because Jesus’ good news disrupts.
- It challenges the status quo.
- It is a threat to the Empire and those who hold power in it.
- And so there are going to be people who will get ticked off and will resist it… and often will do so with force.
- Being a disciple of Jesus is risky business.
- And this is what Jesus is warning the Twelve about.
- Jesus did not come to keep the peace.
- Rather he came to make peace.
- A kind of peace that would bring about the sword from those who found it threatening.
- A kind of peace that would cause divisions.
- Even among family members and friends.
- A kind of peace that would bring about Facebook wars and twitter trolls.
- Uncomfortable holiday dinners and changed relationships.
“But have no fear” Jesus says.
- “For nothing is covered up that will not eventually be uncovered…
- And nothing is secret that will not eventually become known.”
- And there it is…” the truth will set us free.”
Therefore…we should not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul…we hear Jesus tell us.
- We should not fear what others will think of us…or what they will tweet about us…or how they will respond to us.
- Jesus urges us to only worry about how God sees us.
- For we are beloved.
- We are cherished.
- We are more valuable than many sparrows in God’s eyes.
“So” …Jesus concludes… “Take up the cross and follow me. Those who will find their life will lose it.
- And those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”
- Jesus is saying that as followers…we must deny our old selves that make the Gospel centered on us while diminishing others.
- We must deny our constant desire to have power over others.
- We must stop trying to save our self-importance by striving to always be first.
- To be the most successful…to have the biggest home…to be the smartest…to be the most faithful.
- We must give up our need to always be liked by everyone.
This is our sin:
- We put God in our own image.
- We speak for God with our own interests and needs in mind.
- We make God look like us.
- We were made in God’s image.
- Not the other way around.
- What comes after Jesus’ death on the cross is the resurrection…New Life.
- To take up our cross means that something must die for new life to come about.
- To take up our own cross means we must follow Jesus’ way that sees the image of God in our neighbors and in ourselves.
And I think this is what Jesus was trying to convey in our passage in Matthew.
- This little triad was passed down from Miss Susan’s grandmother.
- And it is so simple.
- And through the years I have heard it said often.
- To follow Jesus and take up the cross means we must live our lives putting:
- “God first. Others second. Me last.”