Division, persecution, and salvation
Text: Matthew 10:24–39
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Our gospel text for today is a part of Jesus’ instructions to the Twelve before sending them out. He doesn’t sugar coat things at all. Rather, He paints a pretty bleak picture of what it looks like to be a disciple in the world.
As the people of God, we can apply Jesus’ words to our own lives. Being a Christian person is not always rewarding—it’s a tough world out there. Sometimes, it can be quite difficult and even cost us. It is often much easier to blend in with the rest of the crowd and avoid aligning ourselves with any faith in particular.
Jesus says that faith in Him will bring division and persecution, but also salvation.
Sanctify us in your truth.
Your Word is truth.
Amen.
Division
Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. (Mt. 10:34)
These are not words we expect to hear from the man who was born in a manger and who was called the Prince of Peace. Some of our favourite sayings of Jesus are about His peace:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (Jn. 14:27)
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (Jn. 16:33)
Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (Jn. 20:21)
Did Matthew make a mistake when He wrote down these words about Jesus bringing a sword? No—Luke records the same statement. It’s not a mistake.
Is this a different Jesus? Does He change His mind? Was He just in a bad mood?
Jesus came to bring peace—the peace which the world cannot give—but it’s not the kind of peace the disciples were expecting. The peace Jesus gives is everlasting and far deeper than just an absence of war.
Jesus did not come to bring political peace. He didn’t come to bring short-term, worldly peace either.
As nice as it would be, Jesus’ end goal is not to help people to get along. His end goal is to save the people He loves from the sin that has corrupted them. Jesus didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword. What is that sword exactly?
For the word of God is alive 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. (Hb. 4:12)
The sword that Jesus brings is His Word. It is this Word that pierces, divides, separates, and judges. We call this the work of the Law. It is this same Word that also binds, heals, comforts, and saves. We call this the work of the Gospel.
God’s Word is powerful because it does both of these kinds of work and in that order. The Law gets into us and digs up our sin and then the Gospel deals with it. Both Law and Gospel are at work every single time we gather for Divine Service.
Jesus came with a sword to divide sin from His world. That work hurts—His truth cuts deep and is often hard for us to hear—but it’s absolutely necessary. It’s like surgery to cut out a cancerous tumour or burning off a wart. It’s painful and extremely uncomfortable, but it has to happen before the healing can begin.
Persecution
Those disciples would’ve hoped that when Jesus called them to follow Him, they could just fall into line behind Him and let Him do all the talking. Jesus is already getting a fair bit of opposition and some are even calling Him a demon and a blasphemer. He’s not just unpopular but hated by the general public. But if Jesus stays out front and remains the public face of the cause, the disciples can sort of hide behind that.
But now Jesus is sending the disciples to do some ministry work themselves. Now they’ll have to decide whether they are up for being labelled as one of Jesus’ followers and all that that might entail. None of us want to associate with someone that is unpopular and generally hated by people.
All of Jesus’ twelve disciples would have had families and friends. I wonder how many of them approved of their decision to drop everything to follow this Jesus of Nazareth. I’m almost certain there would have been a bit of friction within their families and social circles. For some of the disciples, it might have even meant being entirely cut off from their families.
I doubt anyone here today can say that their entire extended family is 100% all-in Christian. All of us face some kind of opposition to our faith. For some of us, that opposition is very close to home. Maybe it doesn’t feel like full-on division, but you’re certainly not on the same wavelength. Maybe your choice to be a part of God’s church has cost you.
The division we experience is not something we cause as Christian people. We do not follow Christ just to stick it to the rest of the world. We’re not looking for a fight.
Sometimes, though, the fight comes to us. It is not our fault that our faith causes friction at times—Jesus is responsible for that. He came not to bring peace, but a sword.
Jesus is not saying that He came into the world looking for a fight. Neither is He saying that we should be aggressive towards anyone, no matter how much they hate us. He commands us to love and respect our parents and all in authority. At the same time, He also commands us to love and respect Him first.
If there is ever a toss-up between God and family and you’re really forced to choose, God comes first. That extremely tough call can come at a devastating cost, but it’s one we’re called to bear for His sake.
Jesus, and faith in Him, divides people. That division can result in persecution. Where is the good news? Why would we go through all of that?
Salvation
At one point in Jesus’ ministry, He became so unpopular that a whole bunch of His followers deserted Him. To them, this was all too much to bear. Following Jesus had too high a cost.
In John 6, we read:
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:66–68)
In our First Communion course, we’ve been talking about the two main things that Holy Communion gives us: forgiveness of sins and life with God. Where else can we go to get that, but to the Holy One of God who comes to us in simple, tangible, and ordinary things like water, bread, and wine?
Jesus knows full well the kind of opposition the disciples are going to face because He faces it Himself (and more). Yet, He tells them not to be afraid of those people three times.
So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. (Mt. 10:26)
It is often impossible to see past the difficulties, struggles, and challenges that the Christian faith will bring you. God keeps the outcome hidden from us, but all will be revealed in His timing. We may not know the specifics of how or when, but we do know what the outcome will be: “We believe that He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.” (Nicene Creed)
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Mt. 10:28)
Those who persecute us are like pesky flies in comparison to the power God wields.
“See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.” (Dt. 32:39)
If we are to be afraid of anyone, it’s God. Thankfully for us, the God who has power to destroy both body and soul is also merciful. He withholds that destroying power to instead heal, restore, and save us. That’s why He sent Jesus.
So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Mt. 10:31)
We are valuable to God. He is not a senseless tyrant who stays at a distance and watches us ants run around. He knitted you together in your mother’s womb and intricately created and continues to care for His world, of which humanity is is best work.
We’ll face opposition in this life because, as citizens of heaven, this world is not our home. We’ll experience division and persecution because of our faith, but God never forgets us or leaves us. He doesn’t just stay nearby—He comes to us and dwells among us, giving us His everlasting peace.
May that peace, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. Amen.
