““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.”
Matthew 10:34-36 ESV
The Prince of Peace and a Rock of Offense. Do you ever read a quote from Jesus and think, “Ouch?” If you haven’t, you’re probably not reading your Bible right. The Gospels are full of the wisdom, the gentle encouragements, and the grace that Jesus offered. There are also plenty of occurrences when Jesus would drop some bombs! It’s become a super catchy modern teaching that Jesus’ strongest rebukes were reserved only for those in the pious religious leaders. Ok. Tell that to the Canaanite woman whom Jesus called a dog in Matthew 15. Or the multitude that He told to eat His flesh and drink His blood in John 6.
Now, in all of these instances Jesus was kind. He was giving each of them precisely what they needed to hear in those moments. But, it’s important to recognize that the kindness of God does not always feel “nice.” So often, we picture Jesus like He is meek and mild guy with the warm, inviting eyes just waiting for us to engage with Him. Very frequently in scripture, however, Jesus was the friend you aren’t always comfortable inviting to the party because He just might say the thing that everyone is thinking but doesn’t say so they don’t make people uncomfortable.
Make no mistakes about it; closeness to Jesus will make you very uncomfortable… until you learn to become more comfortable with Him than you are with your sin.
That’s the good type of uncomfortable. That’s the uncomfortable that we all need to become more comfortable with and, as you do, you’ll notice that certain people around will start to have problems with that.
Don’t get me wrong, we don’t need to go out of our way to be offensive. We should also be less inclined to say the harsher truths from a safe distance. Even when done in all sincerity, a convicting Facebook post aimed at the general mass of unbelievers on your friends list is almost always not the best way to go about it. That being said, when it is the right time to proclaim truth and shine your light into the darkness, be aware that few things are more offensive than turning on the lights in a dark room.
So, how can Jesus be both the Prince of Peace and bring a sword between us and our friends and families? The peace that Jesus brings is not the mediocre “peace” between family members who choose to overlook the truth in order to not ruffle feathers. No, He gives us peace with God. His atonement on our behalf has satisfied the wrath of God and allowed us to experience true peace with our Heavenly Father. When we enter into the kingdom of heaven, however, our former masters and those who still walk in darkness will be increasingly aware of their enmity with God when they see our relationship with Him as well as our unity and love for one another. This will either cause them to be convinced of their own sinfulness and coming destruction (Phil. 1:26-27) or cause them to hate you as they hate our Master. (John 15:18)
He is peace but He also divides.