Waaaaiiiiiiittttt A Minute

Matthew 10:24-39New International Version (NIV)

24 “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

26 “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn

“‘a man against his father,
    a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
36     a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

Our scripture for this morning picks up right where we left off last week and continues the theme of the difficulties facing the disciples as they head out into the missionary field.  It is extremely hard for us to fathom the difficulties that they were up against.  Jesus even warns them that their own family members may turn against them.  In today’s world, some of what Jesus says in this section of scripture is difficult to understand but I will do my best to make sense of it for us today.  

Jesus says a few things that do not sound like the typical Jesus-isms.  For example, Jesus said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to earth.”  Huh?  I thought that is exactly why He came.  One of the Christmas time slogans is “Peace on Earth.”  I was a little taken back by this sentence.  Wait a minute, Jesus did not come to bring peace, but a sword instead.  I thought he rode into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey instead of a war-time stallion.  But I thought Jesus was a beacon of peace...  And what about the quoted scripture from Micah 7:6 that speaks about the divisions in one’s family?  This series of verses are not one spoken of much for these very reasons.  Jesus speaks of the sword and family divisions... Not the typical Jesus phrases we are used to hearing.  If cherry picked from it’s context, verses 34-36 do not paint a very good picture of our Lord and Savior.  That being said, the words used by Jesus here make sense to the Jewish community at the time.  Rabbis spoke of the coming of the Lord as a time that would divide families.  

So, here we sit having heard some things that we don’t often think Jesus would say.  Where do we go?  What do we do?  You have heard me champion the relationship aspect of faith and community and family but Jesus seems to contradict that this morning.  I sometimes wonder if God Himself has turned my own kids against me but I do not think this is what Jesus was saying.  You see, as Jesus spoke these words, your family heritage was the status of your wealth.  Your last name meant something.  The tribe from which your last name originated from meant something.  Your family ties were your social status.  Several generations ago, the same held true for our ancestors and to some extent, it still holds true today.  Your family ties meant wealth and status, or the lack thereof.  Families of power married other families of status only to extend their control.  A surname of a higher ranking status was not intended to be seen interacting with those surnames that were laborers.  For most of us today, this idea is lost on us but it was extremely prevalent as Jesus spoke these words.

So this brings to us this morning and the question of status.  Since surnames no longer really relate to status, many other things do: the house or neighborhood you live in, the cars you drive, the depth of your 401k and stock portfolio, your career, your education.  Family meant security to the Jewish community just as wealth and education mean security for us today.  Jesus was saying to those listening then and now that He has come to separate us from our security.  As hard as this is for us to hear, Jesus is more important than all of those things that point to status.  As he spoke the words, Jesus was telling the Jewish community that he was more important than family.  As we read those words this morning, Jesus is telling us that he is more important than wealth, status and security.  Biblical commentator Lance Pape says, “Jesus is not champion of family values.  He has kingdom values, and these are often not the same thing.”  Jesus has come to separate us from our 401Ks, from our cultural ignorance, from our privilege, from our justifications.  The sword he speaks of cuts those ties.  None of these things are more important than our relationship with him.  None.  

However, please do not take this to the extreme.  Jesus is not anti-family.  Jesus is about restoring and purifying relationships but when forced to choose between God and security (family, wealth, status, etc), Jesus wants us to choose Him.  When placing whatever makes us feel secure, whether it be family or wealth, before God then we are creating an idol.  A tough pill to swallow but our family could be the idol we worship instead of God.  We want the gospel to unite a home, to bring us closer to our family but Jesus warns this may not always be the case.  Again, not a reason to abandon those ties but Jesus is letting us know that our faith could possibly strain them.  Anyone caught in the middle of a denomination war and church division understands this well.  Jesus wants us to be aware that our securities are not more important than our faith.  While our faith may strain those ties, I think it is also gives us the perspective to eventually heal them.  Think about those families not raised in the church setting.  Think about those families who do not have the perspective of faith and may even strongly speak against it.  How will the gospel be received in those families?  It will most likely strain them, if not separate them.  Jesus is using this as a way to express that our relationship with God ranks above our relationship with each other in the hopes that our relationship with God will be the tool that brings unity.  More important than unity, is the potential for the love and mercy of God to be shared.  But the kind of unity Jesus seeks is only first found within our relationship with God.  We see so much going wrong in our world today and I believe that is because we have lost sight of who ought to be our first priority.  Once we start to make God our priority again, I believe we will again see unity bound together by the love and grace of God.  

I see so many people strongly convicted for one cause.  Whether it’s #blacklivesmatter or #bluelivesmatter or democrat or republican or whatever the cause, we stand behind these lines and hope the other side comes to the light and sees things our way.  We create a hardline and fail to budge.  We make our cause the one cause everyone ought to agree on or else they are wrong.  If that is your thought process then I bluntly and lovingly tell you that you are wrong.  Jesus is greater than those causes.  And I believe that making Jesus our number one priority again will help heal those deep wounds.  

So why have faith if it could possibly mean giving up family, status and security?  What does it mean to love Jesus more than family?  It seems extreme but this is exactly what Jesus calls us to.  We often say that our faith in and love for Christ is of the utmost importance.  But have we ever viewed it as more important than family?  Probably not and hopefully we do not have to make that decision like most of the disciples were forced to and choose faith in Christ over family.  Most likely, that scenario will not be brought before us but it is definitely worth at least thinking about.  If nothing else, the comparison will be a great tool to gauge our faithfulness to God.  Please understand that I am not asking you to abandon your family.  However, I am asking you to explore the depths to which you love God.  I strongly believe that this exploration will lead to healing.  And truthfully, it is possibly the only way to heal such strong divisions. Amen.