God's Grace, Mercy, and Peace are yours through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen!
The text for today's sermon is found in the Gospel reading, Matthew 10:34 "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword."
Without Jesus, we would have no peace. We know the Peace which Jesus brings. Peace which the world could not possibly provide or even understand. Peace even throughout trial and tribulation. In times of joy. In times of pain and sorrow. In times of death. So then why is Jesus saying that He didn't come to bring peace?
Jesus is pointing out that there will always be division between those who are faithful to Christ and His Word and those who are not. We see this in the world. We even see it in different Christian denominations. Just look at the animosity from those who celebrate pride against those who humble themselves before the cross of Christ in repentance for ALL sin.
Jesus is not being radical here. He is simply speaking to a generation of people who have been led astray into idolatry by those who came before them. And He is describing what happens when one generation escapes the idolatry of the generation before. Division.
For those who are missionaries in other cultures, this is a very tangible problem. When younger generations come to faith in Christ, shame, shunning, and even execution are all very real options for various religions. Under Islamic rule, parents have the honor of killing any child who gets baptized into the Christian Faith. A formerly Muslim woman wrote a book exposing this based on her own experience of converting to Christianity.
In the Tamil religion of India, missionaries found that it was almost impossible to get anyone baptized. The younger generation was too afraid of the public shame they would receive from their parents and grandparents. Converting to Christianity would cost them their reputations and their livelihoods.
And in Buddhist countries, children are taught to fear not only their parents, but their dead ancestors as well. They believe that they will be punished if they don't make their dead relatives happy in their spirit life. That's why at funerals they burn fake money and pictures of houses and cars so that their dead family member will have those things in the spirit life. It's also why, in homes and businesses, altars are set up with food so that the ancestors will be fed and not haunt them. They are told that their dead ancestors are always watching over them, and if they do anything dishonorable (like convert to Christianity) the spirits of their ancestors will punish them.
Faithfulness to Christ causes division. Even within the family. Now, we don't see those kinds of examples since most everyone we meet is roughly connected to the Christian Faith. Even though they are common in other parts of the world. But we do see this sword of division when one generation of Christians is trying to be more faithful to Christ's Word and commands than those who came before them.
Like if there is an unbiblical practice happening in the Church. It doesn't matter how the practice got there. Think about how hard it is to change that practice.
Such as, for instance, individual cups and wafers for communion. When Jesus said, "Do this in remembrance of Me," He had one loaf of bread and one cup. He shared one loaf of bread with His disciples when He said, "THIS is my Body." He took one cup from which they all drank when He said, "THIS is the cup of the new covenant in My Blood." Paul even says that just as there is one loaf and one cup, the Body of Christ is unified.
That was the practice of the Church for 19 centuries. But now that most congregations use individual cups and wafers, how difficult do you think it would be to go back to the Biblical practice of only one cup and one loaf? It might even cause division.
This is the difficulty of faithfulness to Christ. In the world. Even amongst family members. And to this Jesus says to follow Him to the cross and lose our lives. To humble ourselves and trust in Him above everything else. To see His sacrifice as the only one which can save us. To see His shed blood as the only offering which can cover our sins. To see His death as the death that we deserve. And to see His resurrection as the only Way to life everlasting.
When the Church is looking to the cross of Christ, we are trusting the same faithfulness of Jesus to provide mercy and peace which we do not deserve. He gives both solely because of His steadfast love for you. And we humble ourselves under His faithfulness so that we might, through repentance and forgiveness, be more faithful to Christ's Word and His commandments.
Jesus does bring the sword. His Word reveals sin. It cuts in the world. It cuts in our own families. It cuts even to our own hearts. But Jesus also brings Peace. By His faithfulness to live, die, and rise from the grave for you. So that forgiveness, new life, and eternal salvation are yours.
And so we follow Jesus because Jesus is Lord. To Him be all glory, honor, and worship now and forevermore! Amen!
May the Peace of God which surpasses worldly understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen!