This Isn't Peace

Matthew 10:24-39

“A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!

So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.

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 one’s foes will be members of one’s 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 up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it."

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I want everyone to close their eyes. (If you’re reading this, read these first few parts slowly. Really think about what I’m asking you.)  I want you to imagine a place that gives you peace. Go ahead, close your eyes, relax; find that peaceful bliss. Find that place where nothing can go wrong. You are away from your troubles. Your worries are gone; your fears no longer consume you. There’s no yelling, no arguing, and no fighting. You’re not in a hurry and you finally have time to catch your breath. This a place where you’re just away from it all. Isn’t this nice? Taking a moment of your day just to be at peace. Keep your eyes closed; remain in this peaceful place.

In your imagined place, who are you surrounded by? Where are you? What’s going on around you? And what are you doing? What did you sacrifice to get to this place of peace?

Where are your family and friends? Your spouse? Your parents or children? Your siblings? Or even your mother-in-law?  Are you at work? Or at home? Are you still even in this church? When you think of this imagined place, what’s missing? What have you given up to be here? What have you removed yourself from?

You can go ahead and open your eyes now.

Hopefully, these questions helped you realize that to achieve this sense of peace, we removed ourselves from the things that we love. We may have removed ourselves from our family. Our friends. Our job. Our house. We might have even removed ourselves from the very life each of us live. I see this as a fake sense of peace because we have removed ourselves from the things we love most in this world. Now, this place of peace is a nice place to occasionally go, but there’s a reason we don’t always live in this place. God never created this peaceful place as a place to stay. We live busy lives, and stress often overwhelms even the best of us. But that’s the life we were destined to live. And I if had to choose between a life of peace away from everything I love or a life filled troubles, worries, and fears caused by the things I love, I would hope I would choose the latter every time. Because that “peace” just isn’t worth it.

The problem in humankind is we lose ourselves when we become submissive to our worries, troubles, and fears and no longer remain submissive to God. We see this as a type of peace because it’s easier to let human problems control us. But this isn’t peace. It’s complacency. It’s the easy road.  There are times when we all no longer stand up for what we believe in and times we no longer remain true to ourselves or to our creator God. And that is exactly what this passage is telling us what NOT to do.

You see, in this passage, Jesus is telling his disciples to go out and spread the good news of Christ. But he is also giving them a warning. He tells the disciples they will face turmoil and they will have problems. He tells them life will be hard, especially when living a life of faith. But when they experience all of these hardships, Jesus also tells them throughout this passage to “Do not fear…” and “Do not be afraid…” because these disciples have great value in the eyes of God.

And then, Jesus says something weird, even for him. Now that saying something because let’s just be honest, Jesus said a lot of weird things in Scripture. But this one is weird because it seems to contradict almost everything he has taught up to this point. He says, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Now let’s think about this… the prince of peace is, in fact, not bringing peace to our world? He’s bringing a sword? Really Jesus, really?! A sword?! But it isn’t a sword; this is Jesus’s way of giving his disciples an option. They can turn away from everything they love and know. They can escape from their problems and go back to their old peaceful, submissive lives. Or they can defend what they believe – what they serve and what they love – and they take up a sword. But Jesus doesn’t stop there. Jesus also tells his disciples to be worthy, they must also take up a cross.

But in our lives today, what does the sword represent? And what does the cross represent? They both represent strength given by God. In those moments when we feel weak or alone or afraid, when our troubles, worries, and fears control us. God will equip us with a mighty sword. A sword to give us strength to do what is needed. Strength to stand up for what is right. To defend what we love and serve. To show that human problems will not control us. But sometimes God will equip us with something different; God will tell us to take up a humbling cross. Here, God still gives us strength but a different kind of strength. Strength to have mercy. To carry not only our own burdens, but also the burdens of our neighbors. Strength to continue to move forward in life, even in our darkest days. By giving all that we are to the Lord, God’s will give us the strength to take up our cross.

The message here is God is telling humankind to lay out our lives for Christ. When we try to live true Christian lives, God will equip us with the strength we need. Do not be submissive to human problems; be submissive to our divine God. And then announce for all to hear. Announce it in the light and announce it in the dark; announce it silently and announce it loudly. One of my favorite contemporary Christian songs – “Rooftops” by Jesus Culture – has the lyrics, “I shout out your name. From the rooftops I proclaim. I am yours. And all that I am. I place into your loving hands. I am yours. I am yours.” Troubles will not control us. Worries will not control us. Fears will not control us. Human problems will not control us.

Rather, give your life to God. We will run into problems; we all have troubles, worries, and fears – this passage warns us of that. But don’t lose your life being controlled by them. Don’t try to live in peace ignoring them. Embrace them; take them in and then give them up to God, along with every part of you. Lose your life for Christ and be submissive to God. God will equip us with that mighty sword and that humbling cross. God will give us strength. Because God created each of us to live full lives; abundant lives. And to do this, we just need to give all that we are to Christ.

Let the Creator God love us; let the grace of Christ save us; and let the Holy Spirit move us.

Amen.