AMY LARSON
Staff Writer
Article In Matthew 10:24, Jesus tells a crowd that he did not come to bring peace, but to bring division. What does this mean exactly? I think that Jesus was saying that those who follow Him are separate from those who do not. While Jesus does not elaborate in the surrounding verses, telling listeners exactly what he meant, I think the meaning of this verse is found in many of Jesus’ teachings.
For instance, society — both in our era and in Jesus’ — says that “self” is the number one priority. “Look out for number one,” the old adage goes. Do you notice that we are happy to help others once we are provided for? We are content in sharing once our needs have been met? We have learned from an early age that the most important person (ourselves) should be served first.
Yet Jesus calls us to be separated from this ideal. He says that if we truly want to be great, we must become slaves; if we really want to be first, we must place ourselves at the bottom. Jesus tells his followers that he came to serve, not to be served (Matthew 20:26-28). To gain high regard, Jesus points toward humility, not fame.
Jesus also tells us that when we really want to have everything, it shouldn’t be money we’re after. “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,” Jesus tells his followers in Matthew 5:3. Those who recognize the poorness in their lives without God are the same people who will eventually be the most authentically affluent.
The things that society trains us to desire (brand name this-and-that, fancy cars, and an enormous and well-decorated house) are not the things that bring true prosperity. Only when we acknowledge our need for God can we be filled up with the things that will actually make our lives rich.
Our culture tells us that we need to be recognized for the good things we do. Awards shows, banquets and honorary events are so common. I am certain that either you or someone you know has received an accolade of some sort.
So often, we are good to be rewarded. However, this was never how Jesus intended us to live our lives. Jesus says that our acts of kindness should be done in secret. He even calls those who call attention to their good works “hypocrites” (Matthew 6:2). Instead of seeking rewards and honors from others, Jesus says that our secret works are seen by God, who sees everything.
Finally, society says that we should reject those who treat us poorly. If someone does not act toward us in the way in which we’d like, we should retaliate. This was even true in Jesus’ time, so his ideas were revolutionary even then. In Matthew 5, Jesus advocates love for enemies. Instead of revenge, Jesus told his followers that they should do good to those who hate them. When we are persecuted, we should pray for the person who has caused us pain.
None of these things are easy. However, Jesus seemed to believe that his followers were capable of a complex love that enabled them to adjust to living a life that conflicts with the demands of society. For a Christ-follower, life is about becoming more like Him, until one day when we’re face to face with our Lord, all things are made clear (1 Corinthians 13).
Jesus reminds us that we were never meant to be like everyone else. You and I were meant to lead more challenging, but far more fulfilling, lives. At times, it won’t be easy or simple. Yet, Jesus reminds us not to worry. “In this world you will have trouble,” he says in John 16:33. “But be cheerful, courageous and undaunted. I have overcome the world.”
11-15-2007