'Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.’ Luke 12:51
Matthew’s version of this scripture says ‘I did not come to bring peace but a
sword.’(Matt. 10:34) Wow! Jesus is saying he would bring separation,
division, or a sword that cuts and divides!
Those are extreme words. But what do they mean?
These few words of Jesus seem to contradict other scriptures
that indicate he would bring peace. For example, the angels declared ‘’Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace
to men on whom His favor rests.’ (Luke 2:14). Jesus said to His 12 apostles, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace
I give you.’ (John 14:27). Paul’s
opening greeting in each of his letters included the greeting of ‘grace and peace’. Jesus spoke these words to reveal gospel and a
kingdom so extremely different from the culture and kingdom of the earth, that
the very peace we have with the Father would bring division with those who do
not know it.
Receiving the peace
of God is a choice. We have peace with the Father upon being born again. As
far as our Father is concerned He is at peace with us and He offers that
continual peace in our relationship with Him. But we must continually choose
that peace…....an extreme choice that brings a deep inner sense of ‘it’s going
to be OK’. It’s the kind of peace in our
hearts that settles and calms the soul conquering circumstances that scream for
emotional reaction. It’s a kind of peace
that others see as either attractive or unattractive, i.e. out of the
mainstream, not ‘normal’. It’s the kind of peace that separates living in the
kingdom of God from living in the kingdom of this world. It’s an extreme peace found only in an extreme
kingdom, but………..it may bring
division or expose division that is hidden within.
Hebrews 4:12 says ‘The
Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it
penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it
judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.’ Jesus desires an inner peace for you that
comes from the unity of living only in
His kingdom. Trying to live in two
worlds or two kingdoms brings inner division…….inner contradictions….inner
turmoil that is divisive and lacking in peace.
Living in two worlds may bring a superficial, momentary peace with the
world around you but will not bring the inner peace of living only in
the kingdom of God. The Spirit of God
will always draw you toward the unifying peace of His kingdom, an extreme peace
that reflects your extreme relationship with the Father. This kind of living opens
you to the peace that passes understanding in your inner man. This is extreme living! The outer world
may not like it. However, you won’t care! You will have the
peace that overcomes whatever the world can throw at you. Embrace
His extreme peace on the inside and overcome division on the outside.
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