Matthew 10:32-42
Jesus Did Not Come to Bring Peace on Earth
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.
40 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
Luke 12:49-53
Jesus Came to Bring Division and Not Peace
49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Matthew 18:1-4
The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
Have you ever noticed that the weather is one of the easiest subjects to talk about?...You can bring up the weather to a mere stranger, and often get a positive response or smile...The weather is easy to talk about...But bring up Jesus (or the subject of Jesus) to that same stranger (instead of the weather) and listen for or to His response...God created the weather and He created us in His image, yet the subject of His Son brings controversy and division...I think this or some of this has a little to do with our aging or our maturing (if one can call maturing and not being able to talk about our LORD and Savior -as being mature)...I think one could talk to a four, five year, or six year old about what they think of Jesus and the attitude and what they say would not bring in any controversy, problems, or issues...But over time and as we get older we learn and have experiences that give us some hate, some pride, some non-tolerance, and something in there that makes Jesus, a tough subject...So, to me it seems to be in part about aging...I think this is why Jesus teaches us, that we need to change and need to become like little children to enter the kingdom of God...
When Jesus came to earth, He tells us He did not come to bring peace...This maybe a surprise to some but while He was here on earth He was a very divisive Person...He made you think and talk about God...If you followed Him around, no Man had ever centered their life around God as He did...
Our minds grow as we experience different things and get new and more information over time and our minds somehow complicate (unlike the little children parable) Jesus and what He taught...The history or roots, of this deception, maybe from the evil one -in the Garden of Eden...The evil one deceived Eve and then Adam in the Garden...He told them that that would not die, and that there eyes would be opened and they would know good from evil...They certainly got there eyes opened and had to leave Paradise...They were deceived, and lied to by the evil one...There experience with evil, no doubt, gave them more knowledge, but they did not become divine and were never became immortal...They both died...
Jesus is Divine and is Immortal...We see dying and people passing away, and our lives moving on...This is one of the reasons Jesus is hard to talk about...He is still alive...It is about our understanding -about our understanding of things...We do not know how He is divine, and how He became immortal...Oh, we know that God, His Father made Him this way, but we have never been told how...And when we don't understand things, we have a hard time discussing those things...
Another reason, I think, it is difficult to talk about Him, -He is about a relationship, and our relationships...In fact, those closest to Him have a very personal relationship with Him...Some people have very little or feel not very close to Him and these differing types of relationships (to me) make it more difficult to talk about Him...To put it another way, if we all felt and loved Jesus, in much the same way -we would all be on the same page, and would talk about Him daily...
Another reason, why He is hard to discuss and talk about, is He was intentionally controversial...He said it would be that way...He came to bring division and not peace when He came...Jesus says this in both Matthew and Luke...Those who had ears to hear, heard Him claiming to be God in the Flesh...He forgave people's sins, when He was on earth...He said I and the Father are One...He said before Abraham was born, He was living...Then He tells His disciples, I will be with you always, even to the end of this age or till the End of Times...He said He would send the Holy Spirit (that is why He had to leave earth)...And most of all when Thomas called Him, "My LORD and my God.", He never disputed that claim or corrected Thomas...
The weather is easy to talk about and Jesus is not...Bring up Jesus at your next get together or party and see what kind of reaction you get...He stood up two thousand years ago and said I came to bring division, and that division and controversy still remains...Jesus wants us to spread His Word and His Gospel, but it seems hard...He could make that easier for us, but He doesn't...But He says “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven...But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven."...So, although He knows the how hard it is for us, the controversy and the divisiveness He brings, He still wants us to acknowledge and speak about our relationship with Him to others...