“Connected to Christ in Persecution, in Perseverance and in Paradise”
“Connected to Christ”
Matthew 10:24-39
Matthew 10:24-39
In the name of the Living God and the risen Christ. Amen.
“I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Wait a minute. Is this the same Jesus who, when at his birth, the choirs of heavenly angels sang of peace? Is this the one who is called the “Prince of Peace”, and we even name churches in this way as a reminder? Is this the same Jesus who promised, “Peace give I to you, my peace I leave with you… not as the world gives do I give to you…”? Is this the same Jesus who brings together Jew and Gentile, male and female, slave and free, and who draws all nations to himself in unity and love? And when we are assured of his gospel, and given the forgiveness of sins, aren’t we promised peace with God the father, peace with one another, and peace within ourselves?
And yet here he clearly says, “I have not come to bring peace to the earth, but a sword.” Any way you slice it, this is a difficult passage for us. But it’s challenging for us, perhaps in ways we might not expect.
The context of our Lord’s challenging words are what we call Jesus’ “missionary discourse” in Matthew. As we heard last Sunday, Jesus sends out his 12 disciples first to their own—their own communities, synagogues, and homes. The Lord does this, not because going amongst your own is easier, but because it’s harder. And I think we all know this on some level, don’t we, as we seek to be Christians in an increasingly anti-Christian world? What are the two things you don’t talk about with your extended family over thanksgiving dinner? Politics and Religion! And, you especially might be reluctant to talk about faith in Christ Jesus, because when you start talking about this, it’s really going to get really tense.
It was more than tense for the 12 as they’re sent out amongst their own. And Jesus gives them a number of words of warnings to take with them as they go. He warns that some will not welcome them; that they will be handed over to the ruling authorities, and betrayed; that they will be hated because of their association with him. He warns that, no matter how hard it gets, even if their lives or livelihoods are threatened, they are not to deny him before men. And, in a poignant and even disturbing image, he describes the division that faithfulness to his name will cause to be like a sword. Their connection to Christ will bring division, even down to closest, most essential, most fundamental unit in human existence: the family.
Note well, that Christians are not called to seek-out division. And certainly, we are not called to literal militancy as has so sadly been the case in Christian history. Indeed, as bearers of the name of Christ we are to be more humble, more patient, more long-suffering, more loving than our non-Christian friends, neighbors and relatives. But the Lord’s hard words speak a hard truth. Having faith in Christ, our allegiance to him and him above anything else, will be divisive, at times. We are not to seek out division and conflict, but the Lord assures us that it will come. And perhaps it’s helpful to just say that out loud: because we are connected to Christ, we will feel disconnection in this world.
Let me give you a couple of examples of people, in our own world, who would recognize the truth of Jesus words, and would even have a hard time reading the words of Jesus without tears on their eyes:
Example 1. A man from Indonesia who was raised in the Buddhist faith, but has just been baptized into the name of Jesus. He has been given this perfect peace of eternal salvation, but from the moment he is connected to Christ, he begins to “loose” his life. His Buddhist family forsakes him, and declares him no longer their son. He is forbidden to step forth in the family home. He now has no future with his Buddhist family, and little hope in a Muslim country. His connection to Christ brought a sword into his life.
Or an Orthodox Jewish woman who is introduced to Jesus the true messiah. She reads the New Testament, and is baptized. The love of Christ has so taken hold of her that she describes her whole life as “being turned up-side down.” When she reads the Old Testament in the light of the promises of Christ, she speaks of the veil now being lifted. She is more Jewish now, in Jesus, then she ever was before, she says. And yet her friends call her crazy, the synagogue says she is unwelcome, and her family…. well, they perform funeral rites for her the day she is baptized, because she is regarded as their “dead, lost, daughter.” They will never speak to her again. Her connection to Christ has brought a sword into her life.
Brothers and sisters, Jesus gave his disciples these very difficult words as he sent them out unto tremendous persecution. They were in the process of “losing their lives”— literally—because most of them would be asked to pay the ultimate price for their faith. To people such as these, our Lord’s words were painfully descriptive of the reality in which they found themselves: bearing the name of Christ reordered their lives and relationship in such a way that it would mean persecution, separation, anxiety and even death. Christ would bring unity to the people of faith, but also division in their relationships to the world. Being a Christian would mean little earthly peace in their lives. And it would be like a sword cutting through them.
Little earthly peace. That’s the key. The peace that Christ brings is not of this world; it is literally “out of this world.” That’s because the true peace of Christ transcends every human relationship, every possession we cram into our life, every ambition we might seek, and yes, the true peace of Christ transcends even our life itself.
I said at the beginning that as the disciples are sent out, he gives them a series of warnings about what their connection to him will mean. Being connected to Christ, through baptism, also brings comfort. Like the 12 sent out, we also are promised some things because Christ lives within us:
1) Jesus says don’t worry. Be not anxious. You have been given the spirit, and the spirit will speak through you.
2) Jesus says by standing firm until the end, you’ll be saved. Enduring faith leading to everlasting life.
3) God is almighty. He is the Lord of heaven and earth. He’s the one that can destroy not just the body, but the soul as well, and Jesus has said that he has gone to prepare a place for you in his father’s house. Take comfort in that nothing done to you in this life can separate you from God’s love.
4) Your hairs are numbered. The Lord knows every detail of your life—every trial suffered for his name, every anxious challenge, every heart-wrenching pain—and still loves you with an everlasting love.
5) You have infinite worth. The cost of two sparrows in Jesus day was a half-hour of labor. You could work for a 30 minutes and purchase a couple. And yet the Lord cares for these sparrows. How much more valuable are you? Know that you have been purchased by far more than this, by the shed blood of the holy lamb of God, who takes away your sins and the sins of the world.
6) Jesus advocates for you before the father. He speaks on your behalf. His perfect life, sacrificial death, powerful-filled resurrection is all that you need.
7) God will care for you, as you bear Christ’s name. Even if your own family rejects you, the Lord receives you. God’s provision will happen in the strangest ways, in the strangest places, perhaps even by those from whom you expect it the least. The human family is for but a time on this earth. The Christian family is eternal.
My friends, we are connected to Christ. We are his servants, his students, his household now. This will mean both difficulty and division in this world, but it also means that he will walk with us through the most difficult journeys, providing for us every step of the way. And it ultimately means that we will be with him forever in eternity. And so it’s good to always pray, “Come Soon Lord Jesus. Amen.”