The Prince of Peace carries a sword
Have you ever been in a tough situation where you witness or participate in an argument that positions loved ones on opposite sides and where things get really heated? As a Pastor, I have worked with couples, families and friends who are at odds and have all of the drama. In those moments, I always utter a prayer like, "Jesus, you are the Prince of Peace so . . ." or "Jesus, you said you give us your peace so . . .". Of course this is a powerful prayer and very appropriate, but lately I have been thinking, “What about Matthew 10?” Jesus says there:
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 a person's enemies will be those of his 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 his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Jesus was preparing the 12 for persecution and this statement juxtaposing peace and the sword is one that is hard to swallow in times of drama. Imagine my wife and I in an argument and at some point I stand up and shout in my Maximus Decimus Meridius voice, "I didn't come for peace but with a sword!" and maybe followed up with a "Are you not entertained?!?!?!" I think we all know how that would go.
But it brings this fine line of what was Jesus saying. I have said before that whenever God has spoken things into my life and it seems confusing, I find that if I just press through the confusion, I find greater intimacy with Him. You see, Jesus says things that confuse the mess out of us in order to get the mess out of us! But to stop in the confusion isn't ok! Trust Him and let’s press into what this statement means.
This passage was written 800 years before Jesus was born when the angels declared "peace on the earth":
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Jesus also says;
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
So is Jesus contradicting Himself? While I wouldn’t dare presume to speak on His behalf, here is what I feel the Spirit teaching me in these moments where it seems like The Prince of Peace is wielding His sword. We don't see either the peace or the sword in an appropriate light. We all have desires (conscious or subconscious) that, when matched with our limited perspective, evoke a strong emotional response when God’s plan turns out to be different.
I have shared with people many times that Jesus creates chaotic moments but provides peace in the midst of them. He even tells us plainly in John 14 that He doesn't give peace like the world does. As Anne and I sat last night with dear freinds who have walked through lots of chaos in their marriage (watch the link to the left), the wife made a crazy statement. Toni declared, "I'm glad Jerry cheated". WHAT!?!? This seems like such an impossible statement for a wife to make sincerely. But the explanation is this fact: Jesus brought peace with a sword in their lives.
In the Matthew 10 passage Jesus is saying I didn't come to give you the peace you think you are looking for. The peace that people are looking for can be so twisted in our sinfulness and is often purely selfish. I'm bent to desire peace for my own self versus letting the Holy Spirit be the Helper that Jesus speaks about in John 14 just one verse before.
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
Don't get it wrong. There are moments where Jesus just speaks peace and it calms the waters, but as I type this I'm listening to this song that says,
There's no shadow You won't light up
Mountain You won't climb up
Coming after me
There's no wall You won't kick down
Lie You won't tear down
Coming after me
We like to think of the walls as someone else's walls, the shadows as someone else's shadows, and the mountains as someone else's mountains. Sometimes that is true, but here is how good our God is: He will light up my shadow, He will climb my mountains, and He will kick down my walls. The things in my life that I hold dear can become too dear. I don't often desire the sword in my life but as I look back at those times, I cherish that sword I never would’ve asked for. It came to deliver me peace.
As I look back over 2018 to this point, I think of the things that have felt like a swords - slicing, stabbing, and piercing into my soul. But I can testify to this fact: that sword has turned into peace. I'm not sure where you are or how the first 200 days of 2018 have played out for you. But please know that Jesus's sword is one of ultimate peace.