Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.

"Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.' He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

"He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."

- Matthew 10:34-42

Jesus has been instructing the Twelve on going out to their first mission. He taught them to preach that The kingdom of heaven is at hand. He said, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves." In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught that a disciple is not above his teacher -- that they will suffer for His sake and that of the gospel. He repeatedly taught "do not fear" those who can kill the body but not the soul, and He taught of the power of the Father, which is almighty, and in Whose hands is their ministry, and all things. He said, "But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body to hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." He taught, "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."

"Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.' " Jesus' words here are referenced from Micah 7:6. The prophet was telling of a time of corruption and betrayal, deeply set into the society, a turning away from God and from the ways which are godly. So Jesus puts us -- and specifically, the disciples -- into a setting in which betrayal may abound. It is a time in which He is not welcome, and they "are not greater than their master." The leadership has even called Jesus Beelzebub, claiming that He cast out demons by the power of the ruler of the demons. So what is in store for His disciples? They really must not be surprised by the falling away of relationships, the need to form hard choices that may come to them in His service.

"He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me." Relationships may test our faith: obligations of one and the other may conflict. It depends on the choices of each person, where their heart is, and upon our relationship to Christ. In a modern conversation, we could think of something like an addiction problem in a family. Christ may lead one away from time spent with relatives who do not wish to help one's longterm spiritual health, for example. The possibilities are endless. But here, a key point is Christ's mention of the cross. The cross is a point of choice, some sort of conflict with "the world" (as in "the ruler of this world") that forces us into a choice for our own spiritual well-being, our relationship to God, to Christ, to love. This is a key juxtaposition of the spirit of discipleship, an illustration of what it is to enter into a world as sheep in the midst of wolves. My study bible has a note that reads, "The gospel can create sharp conflicts within families because of unbelief and evil in people. To carry his cross to the end, a true disciple must be ready, if absolutely necessary, to sacrifice even family relationships."

"He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." In the end, choosing His Way becomes a question of loyalty, love and need. What do we need most? Are we willing to discard those things we may think are precious in order to better love, in order to find a more truly loving way of life? This is where Christ leads, in that place of the cross, where we seek to learn a better way, and may have to turn back from things we think make up who we are. It is a place of repentance and change. It is a place of a new life. Moreover, it is a place of deepening relationship.

"He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." Jesus expands here on the relationship built between Himself and His disciples, and the choices they make as they carry their own crosses in life. The relationship is such that they become an extension of Him. They have been told from the beginning of this discourse that His power, His kingdom is with them, within them. (See The kingdom of heaven is at hand.) In relationship, they bear Him, they bear the Father and the Kingdom, and by extension, those who receive them receive the same. My study bible says, "The disciples and missionaries are ambassadors who represent Jesus. All who extend help to them will receive God's reward." The tone is about relationship, in this kingdom which is characterized by love, and contrasted with the "worldly" one of corruption, manipulation, violence, cruelty.

What do we understand of this passage in our own lives? Surely, to each carry our own crosses might mean that we can expect to make hard choices. We may have to choose between things that we consider our very lives to be made up of. We may have to 'cast out' things we think are precious. But when the choice comes, we will know it. And choice always means personal change, repentance -- the Greek word is metanoia, "change of mind." Our new lives will come to us in Him, in relationship to Him and to His Way. And that is the cross we carry. We walk through the world that works in different ways, we start with this basic relationship that supersedes all else, and as we go forward, we learn and grow. We carry the cross we are given, and life shapes anew in the direction in which He leads us, He gives. What way do you choose for Him today? How does He lead you? It may not be in matters great to anyone else, it could be in something 'very small.' But small or great, He calls. What new thing does He lead you to today? Remember it is a relationship of love, and extends out to all else, all others as well.