Not Peace, But a Sword: What Does Jesus Want From Me?34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. What the hell am I supposed to do with this verse. It doesn't seem to fit. It isn't the Jesus you think you know, and it doesn't make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Instead, it challenges everything you think you know about about love, about family, and about sacrifice. Those of you who know me, know that family is one of, if not the most important things in my life. I have three siblings who I am extremely close with (my brother is a grade below me, and my sisters are both in middle school) and parents who I truly believe could not have done a better job raising a child. And I am supposed to love God more than I love them? My parents are wonderful people. I would go as far as to saw the best people I have ever known. My father is my hero and role model. I strive to live up to the man and the father that he has exampled to myself and my siblings. I remember distinctly growing up how he would drive me to all my baseball tournaments. We would get up at 6 AM (even after a full week of work or travel for my Dad) and listen to Hootie and the Blowfish while driving through McDonald's to get our ceremonial pregame McGriddle. He was always at my games, and even though I know that he traveled while I was a kid (and still does to this day), I don't remember that as part of my upbringing because of the effort that he put in when he was around. He is amazing in his kindness, and seemingly endless in his wisdom. And I am supposed to love Jesus more than him? My mother is an intellectual. She is a woman of exceptionally high spirit and has an incredible grasp of practical sense. She has been a guiding compass in this world for myself as long as I can remember. She gives great advice and seems to be able to predict the future in ways that I wouldn't believe had I not experienced them first hand. We can talk on the phone for hours about the most recent Broadway show, or the latest news on the TV, or really any little thing in my life. She is more invested in my success than any person I have ever met. And I am supposed to love Jesus more than her? What about my brother? A fearless dreamer and a visionary; who sees the absolute best in me and my talents. Who loves me for who I am, regardless of the mistakes I make. Who holds myself to a higher standard than even myself and who helps to fuel my creative spirit. Or my sisters? Who love me in the purest way possible. Who look up to me and even take my advice when I give it to them. Who are sad when I leave, and so welcoming and excited when I am able to come home. Am I supposed to love Jesus more than them? What of my girlfriend? My potential future children? Their potential children? My Potential nieces and nephews? My friends? And even myself? Am I supposed to love Jesus more than all of this? The answer is yes. I am asked to love him more. This is the challenge of Jesus in this verse. He teaches that those who love him more than all people or things in this life will find eternal life in him. The problem with that is I'm not sure if I can. I can not imagine loving someone as much as I love these people. I don't believe I have the faith of Abraham to be willing to sacrifice my son purely on the word of God. I don't even know if I have the courage of the apostles to follow the son of God across the land to our almost certain deaths. I don't know if I could die for my faith. Hell, I struggle with doubt often even without a gun to my head or a knife to my throat. But here is what I believe. At the end of the day, God created the world. One way or another, he created all the things I have in my life. My family, my girlfriend, my friends, and the people who have made my blessed life what it is. And for that, I love God dearly. Because who among the world is as blessed as God has chosen to make me?
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Isn't this Supposed to be Easy Once reading the Gospel, I was immediately challenged by the teachings of Jesus in Mathew. This was honesty not what I was expecting, and I'm not 100% sure why. Its not that I thought Jesus was soft, quite the opposite. But I was stunned at some of the initial teachings in Mathew. There are a few I'd like to discuss briefly.
Concerning Divorce: Jesus comes out really strongly against divorce in this text, going as far to say that the only acceptable reason for a separation is "unchastity" (a women who was not a virgin before her wedding). In my reading, it seems to heavily imply that only the man has the power to end a marriage. To Top it all off, the final shocking aspect of this passage is that Jesus says that women who are divorced commit adultery and those who marry a divorced women also commit adultery. With divorce being such a prevalent and sometimes necessary situation in society today, my own values currently stand at odds with this teaching. How am supposed to explain to a women in an abusive marriage that not only are they unable to end the marriage, but would be committing a sin if they do. Marriage is not something to be taken lightly and this verse emphasizes that. However, this teaching is something I struggle with for sure. Expanded Definition of Adultery A second teaching that I find challenging is what Jesus says about adultery. Jesus teaches that not only does adultery consist of sexual conduct outside of marriage, but that a man has committed adultery in his heart with every women he has lusted after. To me, this doesn't leave much grey area, and seems to suggest that I have committed adultery with every women I have ever had the hots for. Perhaps there is some grey area regarding whether or not you are married or in a relationship and having these thoughts verses being single and thinking about these things. But it is a teaching that expresses the value of extreme mental and sexual self control and not something I expected Jesus to comment on. Love For Enemies and Golden Rule The final text I'll comment on today is the idea of loving your enemies and treating all people how you would want to be treated yourself. These values are at the core of Christian teachings, yet they are often the most challenging to do, and we often fall short. It is easy to love those we already love. It is much more difficult to find love, forgiveness, and compassion for those we hate. What makes this more difficult is that Jesus put no limits on this commandment. It extends to the likes of terrorists, sinners, the sick, the mentally ill, the violent, the evil, and the people who have done us personal wrong. It is this challenge that makes following in the path of Jesus so difficult. |
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October 2017
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