When Jesus Brings Division In confronting sin, he’s anything but “meek and mild.” “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division” (Luke 12:51) It’s hard to hear these words from Jesus. Maybe we’d expect them from a hot-headed revolutionary or a fanatical extremist—but not Jesus! We may prefer to think of him as the meek shepherd, humbly and gently leading his flock along the path of righteousness. But we can’t skim over these words, even if they make us uncomfortable—not unless we want to miss out on a full grasp of his mission. Jesus really did come to put an end to peace and bring division. He came to dispel the “peace” of the status quo and bring instead the “division” of transformation and change. Jesus is a force to be reckoned with, who takes an axe to the “roots of the tree,” the places we try to avoid looking at. You might even say he is a revolutionary because he comes to take us from death to life! Just how does Jesus bring division? Within each of us, he separates sin from virtue, exposing and cutting away what is opposed to him. Like a fire, he burns away our impurities and leaves only pure gold. His word is like a sword piercing, dividing, and judging the thoughts and intentions of our hearts (Hebrews 4:12). He transforms and purifies us, making us children of God. But through the work he does inside us, Jesus can also divide us from others. We may find conflict with our friends and even family members as we try to understand and live out our faith. When we are no longer conformed to the fallen values of this world, we will draw a reaction—and sometimes it will be harsh. Still, this is one way Jesus can use us to bring others to himself: He makes us “the salt of the earth,” convicting people by our example. Instead of shrinking from Jesus’ words, embrace them! We may have qualms about what he wants to do in our lives, but we shouldn’t. If we let the Holy Spirit cleanse and renew us, we will draw people to Jesus—even as we’re challenging them to change! “Jesus, I say ‘yes’ to the fire of your Spirit! Burn away all that’s not of you, so that I may be your light in this world!”
Posted on: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 22:39:29 +0000
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