Luke 12
Not Peace but Division
49 "I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."
These have to be some of the most disturbing and confusing words Jesus ever spoke. Taken at face value, they tell us that Jesus came to divide families, destroy loyalties, and create havoc in the lives of people. This seems in so many ways antithetical to the manifold times Jesus said, "Peace be with you", and it seems to grate against the picture we have of Jesus as the mild, loving Jesus.
If we're honest with ourselves, however, we can't help but recognize that faithfulness to the teachings of Jesus calls for an obedience and a level of conviction which many simply cannot and will not accept. Stand up passionately for those on the fringe of society and you will discover that even people who like you feel you're a little too rabid in your beliefs. Refuse to capitulate to ethnic and racial putdowns or suspicions and a whole bunch of folks will wonder about you. Invite others into a conversation of what it means to really love the unlovable, to be tolerant of those who vehemently disagree, to seek to find the good in everyone and you will be labeled a do-gooder.
Jesus certainly is not stating here that family connections and devotion do not matter. He is not saying that we should not feel loyalty to our families when we follow him. While Jesus' own ministry brought tensions between himself and his family, there is no indication whatsoever in the Gospel accounts that Jesus intentionally sought to negate the importance of his family. He was, however, so focused on doing God's will within his short time here on earth that there was little if any time for personal family connections. And they, even knowing him to be the Messiah, couldn't always grasp the extremities of his teachings as they conflicted with traditional Judaism.
The essential truth here is that each of us must be willing to draw some lines in the sand when what Christ clearly calls us to do brings unavoidable conflicts. We can stand strong in Christ as kindly and lovingly as possible but we can never give up faithfulness to him and his teachings no matter what or who the loyalty. We don't do so judgmentally or arrogantly but we do commit to following him unwaveringly.
