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"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. 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
In recent readings, Jesus is preparing His twelve chosen apostles for their first mission. For the earlier readings of this teaching and preparation, see The kingdom of heaven is at hand and 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 continued, "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in 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. 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." My study bible points out that "just before His Passion, the most violent of events, Christ promised peace to His disciples. But the message here is that the existence of evil necessitates war. The earth to which Christ came was under the authority of Satan (John 12:31; 2 Cor. 4:4), who deluded the whole world. It is therefore essential that Christ wage war against the leader of vice with His weapons of virtue." Jesus' words remind us of what "spiritual warfare" is about, especially when taken into the context of His teachings in yesterday's reading. This battle is one for hearts and minds, and its essence is in the urgency of choice, of the choices we're offered through grace.
"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. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. " To illustrate His point, Jesus quotes the Prophet Micah, from a passage lamenting lack of faith and the inability to trust in a community or society (for Micah, it was sorrow over the sins of Israel). My study bible says, "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 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." A note here says, "The disciples and missionaries are ambassadors who represent Jesus. All who extend help to them will receive God's reward."
What does it mean to represent Christ in the world, to be an ambassador representing Him, and His kingdom? These are questions we really have to consider, if we take His words seriously. I don't believe they're just addressed to the Twelve Apostles, but really, they are words for each of us to take to heart. If we really took it seriously that we are ambassadors, that people look to us to see what our faith does in us, then why would we not make better use of our choices? It's a kind of awareness that brings home this image of the sword, in the sense that it gives an urgency to the ways in which we choose to live, even when we think nobody is watching. It's possible that we may often find ourselves creating an image for others we hope they'll find pleasing, or perhaps an image that serves another goal, one more immediate, or one taught us by someone else. But striving to present the image of Christ to the world entails a completely different point of view or mindset. I don't think it's as simple as asking, "What would Jesus do?" but it's akin to that. Through prayer, we're linked with Christ, with God the Father, and with the Spirit He's promised to the Apostles (in yesterday's reading). When we keep the directions in mind that He's given to the Twelve, then we can also take a kind of extended perspective through prayer when we ask for guidance in our lives. That is, how each one of us may do that in a unique way, as we are created unique but necessary souls and persons -- each with their own part to play. It's good to be reminded that what we seek to do is bear His kingdom into the world, bear His image in ourselves to others, and that this just might not please everybody. We bear that image and that Kingdom not just into our own communities (whatever we may think them to be), but like the Apostles, it's something that is shared wherever we may be. Some may accept and some may reject. Those who receive have their reward, and may be drawn from outside our understood community. We may even face persecution, perhaps slander or accusations about our motives ("If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!") But the point is wherever we go, we always have this choice to make, this grace offered us, this capacity to bear that image and to bring the Kingdom near as best we can -- and to glorify God by doing so. That's the real priority here, in Jesus' teaching. So, in what ways do you do that today? There are so many ways! Remember, some may receive us, and some may not -- but that's not the real challenge He poses to us, at all.
