He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me

 "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

In our readings in Matthew chapter 10, Jesus is preparing those twelve  He has chosen to send out on the first apostolic mission.  (See readings from Monday and Tuesday.)  In yesterday's reading, He 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 notes that just before Jesus' most violent death on the Cross, He promised peace to His disciples.  But the existence of evil, it says, necessitates spiritual warfare.  The earth to which Christ came was under the authority of Satan (John 12:31; 2 Corinthians 4:4).  Therefore it is essential that Christ wage war against the leader of vice with weapons of virtue (Ephesians 6:11-18).  Another note in a similar passage in Luke reminds us that there are two kinds of peace.  There is a false peace, which is a shallow harmony that results from ignoring issues of truth.  But genuine peace is a reconciliation to God through faith in Christ and surrender to truth.  Genuine peace has division as a byproduct, because not everyone wants truth.  In the fallen world, my study bible says, divisions are necessary for truth to be manifest (see 1 Corinthians 11:18-19).

"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.'"  This fulfills the prophecy of Micah 7:6, from which Jesus is quoting.  In addition to its literal meaning, which my study bible says has been experienced in the Church since the time of Christ, the picture of the older generation being divided from the younger generation also symbolizes the rejection of the new covenant by followers of the old covenant, as well as the spiritual struggle between our old, sinful state and our renewal in Christ (see Ephesians 4:20-24).  It is a picture of spiritual struggle in many dimensions.

"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."   Jesus Himself is the fulcrum, the central figure around which all else gathers meaning and relationship (12:30).  He boldly places Himself as Son in this position, and teaches what it is to be a disciple.

"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."  Here is another extension of meaning which is given through relationship to Christ.  My study bible says that apostles are ambassadors who represent the Lord.  Therefore, all who extend help to them are showing mercy directly to Christ, and will receive God's reward (see 25:40). 

Jesus' life isn't something we can limit to a set of circumstances or events that happened 2,000 years ago.  Here He quite clearly indicates that the life that is in Him, and that which commands discipleship, has an extension and a meaning and a presence that goes far beyond what we normally think of as the life of a person in this world.  Christ Himself becomes that which gives meaning and value and relationship.  His truth ("I am the way, the truth, and the life" - John 14:6) becomes the truth that is the center dividing line between all things and against which all else is measured and given meaning.  Indeed, as the quotation from John indicates, He is that truth.  St. Paul writes, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).  And Jesus is also that Word (John 1:1).  His Person, His presence, fills things with meaning and gives us a dividing line between all things, even to the point of our closest relationships.  His call is for a loyalty that comes between everything, even piercing to the division of soul and spirit, as St. Paul says, and discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart.  The power of God's word gives us true relationship and teaches us about both love and peace.  What is love, if it is not measured against the love He teaches us?  Relationships have all kinds of flaws and faults, but it is God who teaches us the measure of our love.  It is the Lord who gives us a sense of how precious are our souls, how beloved we are in God's sight, even when others fail us.  There is a transcendence here that asks of us to see more clearly what is what, and gives to us things the world cannot give.  We are asked to align ourselves with that love and with that presence, to live and dwell in it, to participate in it.  It extends its meanings and values to us, illuminating everything else, and extending itself to our deepest relationships which stand or fall depending on that reflection.  Do we have love?  Do we need His truth a little more deeply?  Where do our loyalties lie -- and where is our peace to be found?  This is what it is to take up His cross and follow Him.  We understand our lives by His light.  We shed that light upon others.  To reject or accept is to know what choice is, and where division lies.