We love to think of Jesus as our meek and mild Savior. However, when we read Matthew 10:34, it draws a stark contrast to that notion. Imagine Jesus saying He did not come to bring peace, but a sword! Yet, this is what He asserted in this chapter in Matthew.
Jesus often taught in parables. This is how many Rabbis taught on that day. So, it was not too strange to hear the stories and parables. Moreover, Jesus wanted people to not only hear His words, but to obey them. Obeying the word takes us into a deeper relationship with God. This is where our intimacy with Him is at.
Living in obedience to Jesus’ teaching will bring conflict and division in your life with the things of this world. Here lies the rub. We often want to live both ways. We want to take on the things of this world and say that we love Jesus, too. Still, Jesus said show your love for me by obeying me. (John 14:15).
Obeying Jesus brings challenge, tension, and separation. It brings a sword into our lives. As a result we are constantly choosing. We are choosing whether we are going to follow Jesus or the world. Thus, no peace as we choose. This is radical when you think about it.
We must not live on how we feel. Our feelings are fickle and lead us down the wrong path and away from Jesus’ teachings. It is the deception of Satan. Jesus did not sugar coat what we would face if we became one of His followers. There are sacrifices and sufferings. Even so, we also know there are blessings and rewards. There is a higher calling for us all. There is an abundant, victorious life here for us on the Earth. These are the things that Jesus knew would bring us heavenly peace on Earth. These were the spiritual things He emphasized and was pointing us to. Love & Blessings!