Matthew 10:34-38
Grace, Mercy and Peace are yours from God our Father and
from our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Jesus said, "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.” (Matthew 10:34-38) This is our text.
A few of us can
remember the Waltons. On that old TV show there was the perfect family. They
sat, all together, around the table for every meal. They all said good night to
each other, pleasantly. It was an ideal home and family life. When there were
problems, they were solved in the course of the week’s episode. The Dad was
strong. The Mother was caring. The Grandparents were wise. The Children were
respectful. That’s what families should be like.
But then Jesus makes this surprising statement: “A
person's enemies will be those of his own household” (Matthew 10:36).
Jesus expected
that we, His disciples, His people, would have issues, and in particular,
issues in our families. We are often ashamed to admit how far from the ideal
our family life is, how less than perfect our family situation is. When
something is out of place we are embarrassed; we try to hide it; we do what we
can to make it look like all is in order, nice and tidy.
That’s why a Christian
may balk at what Jesus says. “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.”
“No!” one might
say, “It’s not supposed to be like that!”
Things should be neat and tidy. It seems like family life
for a Christian should be easy. If they are not easy and comfortable, something
must be wrong.
But Jesus expected that sin would upset your life and make
problems in your family.
By sin, I mean, (1) your sin: your anger- when it rises up
within you and you speak harsh words,
they hurt relationships and cause conflicts. Your selfishness – when you
think and care only about yourself, you ignore the needs and desires of loved ones
and when they are left out and lose out, relationships suffer. So repent of
your sin -- your part in the problems of your family and seek forgiveness from
the Lord and from family and friends.
By sin, I also mean, (2) other’s sins against you. It’s not
easy in this life. It’s not possible to have a home as perfect as the Waltons
when you live with sinners. Learn grace from our Lord. Learn from Him how to
forgive.
These two cases of sin in our families and closest
relationships are handled by repentance and forgiveness.
Repentance and forgiveness is the Thing. The message of
Jesus boiled down is just that: repentance and forgiveness.
Repentance:
Acknowledge and admit your guilt and sin.
Forgiveness: Jesus died the guilty one’s deserved death to
take your sin away.
Repentance and forgiveness are summed up and symbolized by
the cross.
The cross is glorious.
The cross is controversial and scandalous.
The message of the cross is this: admit your sinfulness;
sorrow over your sins; stop your sinful ways; take the forgiveness Jesus gives.
People don’t like to hear that message. It rubs the sinner
the wrong way.
Many would rather hear the world’s message: “Don’t worry
about sin.” “Find an excuse for sin, like, you were born that way.” “Ignore it;
deny its problems; shrug it off.
Some churches are geared more toward entertaining the
audience, putting on a good show. When you see their video screens and their
colorful images you might not see the cross. They might have nice pictures,
pretty plants, nice carpeting, but no cross anywhere in their church. Why? Because
the cross is controversial, disturbing, upsetting. So they abandon the cross
and its message, and in so doing forget what they are to do, namely call people
to repentance and forgiveness.
There are two completely different ways of life: In Christ
and Outside of Christ, on in other words, under the cross or avoiding the
cross.
Under the cross, there is bound to be stress and conflict
and division. Jesus said, “Whoever does not take his cross and follow me
is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:38).
Sin causes
problems. It disrupts our relationships. The fix is to be found at the cross of
Jesus. The cross of Jesus diagnoses sin and so it magnifies sin and identifies
divisions.
We want things
easy. Jesus says, “Take up your cross.” If things were easy, you wouldn’t need
the Lord or His cross.
He wants you to
learn, to grow, to be shaped to think in terms of the cross and its message of
repentance and forgiveness.
Today, June 29, in
Church tradition is the remembrance of Sts. Peter and Paul. These two great apostles
share one Saints’ day. And its
interesting that these two did not always get along well.
Once at a church
dinner Peter was visiting with some gentile Christians when some Jewish Christians
came in, the respected, old guard. Peter got up from the novice gentile bunch
and went over to the more prestigious group and began talking with them.
Paul was there at
the same time and saw all this happen. Now Paul was the newer apostle, he didn’t
have the political capital that Peter did. But Paul had to speak up about Peter’s
actions, because Peter made the impression that some Christians were better or
more important than others.
Paul made a scene.
He confronted Peter to his face, in front of everyone, to make it clear that
Peter’s favoritism was wrong.
Theirs is a great
example of how the message of the cross does not bring peace, but a sword. The
temptation when you are in a situation like Paul’s is to do nothing, keep your
peace, let everything be easy and comfortable. Christians are doing that too
much.
That’s what Jesus
meant when He said, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the
earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
Amen.
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