Title Still the Lord (Matthew 10:34-39)
Contents
During the Friday night prayer meeting, Sister Kim Jong-un, who works on the 4th floor, came up. He said that he was going to pray for a while, and he said that he came up because he was very troubled and wanted to pray, and he briefly talked about his worries.
He believes in Jesus alone in a Buddhist house, but his disabled parents persecute him because he believes in Jesus and tell him to go out and live alone if he wants to believe in Jesus. So it's heartbreaking.
Also, I have a friend who does not believe in Jesus, and I have a conflict with this friend. Before he believed in Jesus, there was no friction or conflict, but after he believed in Jesus, he experienced disagreements and feelings of distance. And because I believe in Jesus at work, I feel sad and sometimes uncomfortable when I look at the employees, so there is a conflict.
If he had not known Jesus, there would not have been such conflicts, but these days, I have heard people confess that the more they want to love Jesus, and the more they want to entrust their lives to Jesus, the more severe the conflict is. So I said, “This is a holy concern. It is proof that Jesus lives in you.”
Ladies and gentlemen, the text we read together today is truly surprising. Looking at these words, it is the exact opposite of the image of Jesus as we know it up to now.
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the world; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. I have come to bring a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man's enemies are members of his household. He who loves his 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 up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:34-38).
How scary is that? The Lord came to this earth to give a sword, to give discord, to give a cross, and to fight. However, this verse is not to be interpreted as a parable. I didn't mean it metaphorically. This is a real situation.
Jesus came to give us a sword.
Don't you understand? The Lord is the Prince of Peace. He is peace that He came to bring us peace. So, in Ephesians 2:14,
“He is our peace, who made the two one, and broke down the wall that was in between” (Ephesians 2:14).
is saying
But isn't it a bit contradictory to say that Jesus came to give us a sword?
Here, the sword is clearly a sword, but is this a blunt sword? It will be a sharp-edged sword that cuts and pierces. But how terrifying are you to give us this sword?
But this statement is true. Please think carefully. If you believe in Jesus, you will receive a sword. This sword stabs us.
With the coming of Jesus, war began in this world. Conflict began with the coming of Jesus. Before Jesus came, there was peace in the world as it was. When I didn't know Jesus, I lived my heart comfortably just like that. But since Jesus came to this earth, pain like being stabbed with a sword appeared everywhere. Also, bloodshed, pain, and troubles appeared everywhere.
How much blood have you shed for believing in Jesus? How many people lost their lives in the guillotine because of their faith in Jesus? According to your legend, all the disciples died as sacrifices for martyrdom. Jesus certainly gave the sword.
Also, this sword is the sword of conscience. The sword of conflict.
Things that were not in conflict before believing in Jesus come to us as conflict because we believe in Jesus. If you believe in Jesus, you will be troubled even if you go in and out casually before you believe in Jesus. Before believing in Jesus, while driving a car, I made a random U-turn and ignored the signal. This is the sword.
That is why Hebrews 4:12 says that the word of God is a sword.
“For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
The sword of your words pierces us. The sword of conscience pierces us.
So rejoice when the sword pierces your heart. Because it is proof that the heart of Jesus is still alive to me.
Think more. hurt more. And be stimulated by stabbing your dull souls with the sword of the Lord. Instead of pretending to be like that, live your life of faith while worrying and struggling at times. This is a holy concern. This is a necessary sword for the life of a disciple.
A knife is a scary tool for young children, but it is a really necessary household item for adults. If you are a mature Christian, I hope that you will no longer be afraid of the sword and become believers who can be agonized, hurt, and stimulated while thanking the sword.
This sword will make us like pure gold. This sword will make us pure.