The Prince of Peace Brings a Sword – Pentecost 5

The Prince of Peace Brings a Sword

Matthew 10:34-42 T Pentecost 5

INI

Everyone wants peace. Every generation and type of person has sought it in one way or another. The hippies wanted peace in the 60’s – meaning a ceasing from international war and strife. Different diplomacy groups, like the UN, have strove for peace for decades. Different national organizations strive for peace within communities. Politicians campaign on the promise of peace and unity.

Those are good goals to have. But they can’t ever achieve what they promise. Because it never addresses the root of the problem: a sinful heart. Instead, the sinful heart is coaxed and massaged into allusions of peace because that’s what people want to hear. But deep down in every sinful heart, there’s a spirit of divisiveness. A spirit of pride. A spirit of rebellion.

What can solve that? What can fix a soiled, evil, shriveled heart?

What even is peace, and how do we achieve it? There’s different ways of defining it – inner peace, not worrying about worldly goods, and a peace amongst people. Achieving that peace is where we often go wrong.

But truth is, we’re all eager to hear about peace. It seems we’re incredibly optimistic when we hear people talk about how ‘peace is around the corner’ or ‘this or that diplomatic move will fix everything!’

Turns out, humanity hasn’t changed one bit. If you look at the Old Testament lesson, Hananiah was a false prophet in the land of Judah. At this point, the nation of Babylon had invaded their land, even taking some holy vessels that were used for their worship in Jerusalem. Some of their family and friends had been taken captive by Babylon and removed from their homeland. In that situation, what do you think people who lived in Judah would’ve LIKED to hear? They’d like to hear that peace was just around the corner!

Insert Hananiah – who prophesied that Judah would have peace in 2 years, and that God’s people would return back to Jerusalem with the holy vessels used for worship. Was he right? Far from it. Jeremiah rightly put him in his place in our Old Testament text. Jeremiah pointed out that Hananiah gave a different message than God’s messengers before, who promised war, famine, and pestilence with other countries. Why? Because they were unfaithful to God’s covenant with Israel. But Jeremiah gave the unpleasant truth – that because of their unfaithfulness, God’s people were exiled to Babylon.

Like us, Hananiah prophesied peace to others in Judah simply because it was something they wanted to hear. People would rather hear comforting lies than saving truth.

And we do the same. We’ve not changed. We still prefer teachers who promise that everything is fine with God, and that you’ll go to heaven if you’re good, that doctrine doesn’t really matter, and that loving people simply means not offending them. Jesus warns that following God means there’ll be tension with the unbelieving world. He says “Whoever loves father, mother, son, or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” These are the kind of relationships that are the most precious to us in this life. What father or mother wouldn’t sacrifice anything to preserve their relationship with their children? But here, Jesus asks the question – would you sacrifice following me to be with them? And if the answer is yes, then Jesus takes a backseat to others, violating the first commandment.

In other words, Jesus points out something that’s often overlooked as we try to navigate peace in our most treasured relationships. What relationship do we value most? Our relationship with God, or our relationships with unbelieving parents, or unbelieving children, or unbelieving friends? If we don’t value Jesus first, we break the first commandment. Because then, we’ll speak false ideas of peace with those we value – saying things like “let’s not let religion get between us” or “believe whatever works for you” or “family harmony matters more than God’s truth”. We find a false peace through sin – a relationship held together by a string, not true peace. True peace can only be had through the Prince of Peace – Jesus Christ.

And as Jeremiah mentions in the Old Testament lesson, there’s only one prophet who can prophesy peace. “and when the word of the prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the lord has truly sent the prophet.” (Jeremiah 28:9) Surely, that’s Jesus, right? Isn’t Jesus the one who prophesies and brings peace?

Surely, He’s different, right? Surely the Prince of Peace came to unite everyone. Surely, He come to remove every division? But hear again what Jesus said “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword (Mat 10:34).” That doesn’t sound like peace to our ears…does it?

So, is Jesus the Prince of peace or not?

Well, let’s look at what else is happening Matthew 10. A few weeks back, the Gospel lesson was from the beginning of Matthew 10, when Jesus sent His 12 disciples into the harvest field. They were to go and proclaim that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. The sad reality? Not everyone receives the disciples and message of Christ with open arms. Some will run those messengers out of town, and others will embrace them and take them in.

And what do you think happens to those families where the son or daughter might receive the kingdom that Jesus brings, becoming His disciples – but the father and mother who’ve grown up with the Jewish religion their whole life, refuses? Is it worth losing the life you know, being with the closest relationships we have on this side of heaven, to follow Christ?

That’s the question. And that’s the reality Jesus presents us with. But also, hear Jesus’ words not as indicating purpose – He didn’t come to earth for THE PURPOSE of bringing the sword. Rather, Jesus has come to bring the kingdom of God. And THE RESULT of that breaking into our lives is that a sword is brought. Division between treasured relationships may be a part of living in God’s kingdom. Not because that’s His desire, or design. But because when one lives for Christ first, and when one takes up his cross daily, choosing to follow in the life that Jesus has bought for them with His holy and precious blood, there can be a crossroads in our most treasured relationships.

Think of the apostle Paul. Before his conversion, Paul was being trained in the Torah, and highly admired amongst the Pharisees. In fact, he persecuted and killed Christians early on. He had a promising future ahead of him. But once Christ revealed Himself to Paul on the Damascus road, everything changed. The man that the Jews once loved and admired was now hunted by them. His own beloved teachers and admirers and peers sought to beat, imprison, and kill him! But Jesus didn’t reveal Himself to Paul for the purpose of ruining these earthly relationships. Rather, Christ brought peace to Paul. But the result of that peace was division with those who rejected Christ.

Another example is Perpetua – she was a young Christian in the 3^rd century. Her pagan father begged her to renounce Christ. She loved her earthly father and sought no harm to him – but she refused to deny Jesus, her Lord. Jesus didn’t desire her to destroy that daughter-father relationship. But, her confession of Christ brought the division that Christ foretold.

Even though divine peace is given to those who believe in Jesus, conflict will come between those who believe and those who don’t repent and believe in Christ. That’s the reality that Jesus warns us will happen in discipleship. Not that we as Christ’s disciples will need to bring the sword, bring the division to every conversation and interaction with an unbelieving world. In fact, that would be anti-Christian behavior. But again, division may be the RESULT of a life lived with Christ in His kingdom.

So, where’s the peace then? He’s the Prince of Peace, right? If Jesus didn’t come to bring peace to the earth, at least in the way we conceive of peace, then what peace did He come to bring?

Jesus refuses to bring a peace that compromises truth. The kind where everyone gets along to go along. He never promises an easy life. A life where all conflict is avoided – with family, friends, or the like.

But Jesus does bring another kind of peace – a peace that Jesus came to WIN.

The biggest source of division was never between nations, tribes, or peoples. It wasn’t ever between parents and children. It wasn’t between political parties or religions. The greatest war and division was between us and God. Sinners and God. Our sin has made us God’s enemies. Because of our sins, there’s a giant chasm between us and our heavenly Father. His holy wrath stood against us – and there was nothing we could do to smooth out the relationship. So, we stand before Him today and everyday, bowed in humble submission – because we know who we are and what we deserve.

So, the Prince of Peace did something that no one else could do. He could’ve allowed the sword of God’s wrath to come down upon us. But He allowed the sword of God’s wrath to fall on Himself. At the cross, the punishment that we deserved was placed upon Him. And through this sacrificial act, peace was won. As Isaiah prophesied about the only prophet who could bring peace – “The chastisement that brought us peace was upon Him. And by His bloodied stripes, we are healed.” Christ won peace not by ignoring sin, but by taking it upon Himself, paying for it with His own life.

That’s why before there can be true, real, lasting peace between fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, or ANY valuable relationship – there must be peace between God and sinners. And once that peace is given to you in Christ, no earthly conflict can take that away. All because Christ gave His own life. And we must learn to lose our life too. Jesus said it – “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it (10:39).”

Everyone wants peace. No one likes disputes and will often go along to get along – which isn’t really peace. But the peace that settles disputes for eternity can only be found in the blood of Jesus.

So yes, following Christ may cost you relationships in this world. That wasn’t the purpose for why Christ came, but it’s the result of the kingdom He brought. It may cost you comfort. In some parts of the world, it’ll cost your life. But it’s worth the peace that surpasses all understanding. Because it’s a peace that’s been made between you and your Creator by the crucified and risen Prince of Peace. This peace, no man can take away.

INI

Pastor Joshua Ralston