Mat 10:36 | KingComments | STEP | The Lord does not paint a bright future for His disciples on earth. He has not come to bring peace on the earth. He even says that twice. Certainly He originally came to bring peace. So it was proclaimed at His birth ( ). Because of the rebellion of man who went so far as to reject the Prince of Peace, that peace could not be established on earth. Peace is there only for those who confess their sins. Peace comes in their hearts. At the same time, there is a separation between them and their unbelieving environment which persists in sin. New life is hated by the unbelievers just as the Lord Jesus was and is hated. The sword of division brings separation in family relationships and between housemates. It causes situations that reveal whether there is real love for the Lord Jesus. The choices that are made will show whether the love for Him transcends any earthly love. He cannot be satisfied with second place. To Him belongs the place that surpasses everything and everyone. He who doesn’t want to give that to Him, but lets love for a family member predominate, is not worthy of Him. Christ must be more precious to His own than father or mother or even own life. The love for our own life can rob Christ of His place much more than the love for our family. We are also not worthy of Him if we do not follow Him in His way of rejection. In our hearts we may want to give Christ the first place, but an open confession should also accompany that. This is seen in the taking up of our cross, that is, the taking of the place of contempt in the world. The cross is the place where Christ died as the despised One. There we lost our life, that life we lived for ourselves, and found new life.

‏ Matthew 10:36

No Peace, but a Sword

The Lord does not paint a bright future for His disciples on earth. He has not come to bring peace on the earth. He even says that twice. Certainly He originally came to bring peace. So it was proclaimed at His birth (Lk 2:14). Because of the rebellion of man who went so far as to reject the Prince of Peace, that peace could not be established on earth. Peace is there only for those who confess their sins. Peace comes in their hearts. At the same time, there is a separation between them and their unbelieving environment which persists in sin. New life is hated by the unbelievers just as the Lord Jesus was and is hated.

The sword of division brings separation in family relationships and between housemates. It causes situations that reveal whether there is real love for the Lord Jesus. The choices that are made will show whether the love for Him transcends any earthly love. He cannot be satisfied with second place. To Him belongs the place that surpasses everything and everyone. He who doesn’t want to give that to Him, but lets love for a family member predominate, is not worthy of Him. Christ must be more precious to His own than father or mother or even own life. The love for our own life can rob Christ of His place much more than the love for our family.

We are also not worthy of Him if we do not follow Him in His way of rejection. In our hearts we may want to give Christ the first place, but an open confession should also accompany that. This is seen in the taking up of our cross, that is, the taking of the place of contempt in the world. The cross is the place where Christ died as the despised One. There we lost our life, that life we lived for ourselves, and found new life.