God's Saving Sword: Matthew 10:24-39 - Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

[Jesus said to the twelve:] ²⁴“A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; ²⁵it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!
  ²⁶“So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. ²⁷What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. ²⁸Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰And even the hairs of your head are all counted. ³¹So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
  ³²“Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; ³³but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.
  ³⁴“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
 ³⁵For 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;
 ³⁶and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.
³⁷Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; ³⁸and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” (NRSV)

Sword by FilippoL1982.  Creative commons image on flickr

My parents always told me they’d be proud of me no matter what I did with my life.  I’m thankful for that assurance—because I know that they meant it.

But it would’ve been quite awkward if my parents had to say, “our son went off and joined the circus.”  Or, what if I converted to Islam or became an atheist?  What if I married someone of the same sex?

Unconditional love is always easier said than done.  I’ve known people who were disowned by their families because of the person they marry or the vocation they choose.  Families get split apart over end-of-life decision or dividing up the inheritance.  Make one little mistake or one decision that doesn’t conform to the expectations of your group, and you may find yourself on the out…

This was an experience shared by most, if not all the earliest Christians.  In Jesus’ day, most people adhered to two religions—the Temple Judaism the Pharisees and Sadducees—or the cult of the Roman Emperor.  In fact, these were the only two religions that were legal. 

Furthermore, your religion was your father’s religion.  Everything from your marriage, your vocation, and your identity were ascribed to you by kinship.  Converting to Christianity would’ve brought great shame to one’s family— because Christianity was new religion that was fundamentally absurd.  Why would anyone want to worship a crucified Messiah who rose from the dead and ascended into heaven? 

So when Jesus says, “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword,” he is making it clear that when people are drawn into the kingdom of God, those kinship ties are going to be threatened—and perhaps broken. Parents will turn against children and children their parents.  Families will be broken apart.  Those who once knew the love an acceptance of their kin will find themselves put out, with no possibility of reconciliation. 

Because God’s kingdom and its priorities are in conflict with the kingdom of this world, people are going to be divided.  Christians will suffer great losses.

I don’t know any Christians who’ve been disowned by their families, though I do know plenty who’ve been called stupid and ignorant by their own kin.  I’ve talked to plenty of Christians who’ve had to choose between their jobs and their honesty.  They refuse to lie or cheat or steal to keep their jobs. 

But do you remember what got Jesus into trouble?  He loved the wrong people. He blessed the poor.  He ministered among the outcast and unclean.  He befriended the hated.  And—he spoke truth to rich, powerful, and respected people who preyed upon the lowly and vulnerable. 

Jesus’ most vicious enemies believed in the same God—but they called God’s Son the devil.  They were so convinced of their own righteousness and drunk on their power to demand total conformity to their brand of religion—and punish dissenters—that they didn’t see God’s Son in their midst.

Because God’s kingdom and its priorities are in conflict with the kingdom of this world, people are going to be divided.  The sword travels in the wake of God’s kingdom radically transforming this world—and the kingdom of this world isn’t going down without a fight. 

It’s going to slice right through relationships and the security of belonging.  It’s going to separate you from possessions you believe you can’t live without.  It’s going to disrupt your plans and put you into a frighteningly unfamiliar world.   People are going to shun you, defame you, and disown you. 

Understand that Jesus doesn’t want you to shun people who reject your Christian faith, like a cult leader would.  Jesus brings the sword, not you.  Nevertheless, God’s kingdom will cause division.

But Jesus’ sword is a saving sword.  For everything and everyone you lose, Jesus will give you anew.  In losing your old family you gain a new one.  In losing your old identity you gain a new one.  In losing your old life you gain a new one.

What a joy it is to see God’s kingdom already breaking into our reality today.  We as the church express God’s future when we bless the poor; when we welcome the outcast and unclean; when we befriend the hated.  We herald God’s kingdom by speaking out against injustices against and reforming our own behaviors and lifestyles to support that kingdom.  Forgiveness and mercy bind us together instead of mindless conformity and submission.  

Jesus’ saving sword brings us into a life beyond this one—a family living into God’s future, where everyone belongs.