Peace

Matthew 10: 34-39 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; ³⁶ and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’^{[e] 37} He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁸ And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁹ He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

This verse came to my mind as I was watching a movie about the crusades in Jerusalem fighting against the Muslims. One of the knights in the movie had a wish ‘that one day the Muslims and Christians shall live hand in hand next to each other’. As great as this wish sounds, it reminded me of the words of Jesus about peace, saying ‘Do not thing I came to bring peace, but the sword..’ What a strange words for Jesus to speak, and I remember them disturbing my mind the first time I read them.

It says that Jesus did not come to bring peace on earth. To bring peace, yes, but not here on earth, because until the day Jesus comes back there will be a war between God and satan over the souls of people and nations. And as much as I would love this wish of peace to occur I know there will never come a time that Muslims, Buddhists Christians, an any other religion will live hand in hand next to each other, because this is not Gods purpose. His will is that everyone will be saved, so every path that leades to death will not be one He lives in peace with. Because more than a feeling, peace is a person, and if we want to enter this peace there is only one door. And this has nothing to do with God not loving unbelievers or those who worship falls gods, in contrarily, He loves them too much to let them live a life that misses the beauty and fullness of what He intended it for.

And this does not mean we cannot be friends with one another, but God does gives us a warning that we should Not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. So more than a issue of friendship, it is about a yoke, about being unequal joined together. Because the yoke of our Lord is easy, and His burden is light, but that of a falls god is a heavy yoke of slavery and emptiness. Walking together would mean there cannot be harmony and it will lead not one, but two people of the road.

Christ and Belial just have no similarity with each other,

 "For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? ¹⁵ And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ And what agreement has the temple of God with idols". (2 Cointhians 6:14)

So as friendship might be there in the natural, in the spiritual there are two kingdoms apart from one another. One is operating out of hate, purposed to steal and destroy, the other is operating out of love, purposed to save and give life. That’s why it is so important to look at others through the redemptive eyes of Jesus, filled with love knowing we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,^[c] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).

And then the verse continues saying we are not worthy of Christ if we love anyone, even our parents, sons and daughters more than we love Him. And as much as the words in the verses can sound negative, they actually are very positive. God wants us to taste the fullness of life, remove every limitation that holds it back and get us in line with His purpose for life. The prize He paid for this was high, and what He has to bring is of unknown value. He is simply saying that anyone who goes easy with this, loving less more, is just not worth it. Because when we really want to live without any compromise, we will face choices we have to make. And if we choose a path of less, a path that not honour God’s gift even if it means losing friendships and relatives, we are not worthy of the high price God paid for us. I mean, would you offer up your sons life for someone, if you knew this person would afterwards chose death anyway, for any reason? Would you count this person worthy?

There will be moments we have to take up our cross and decide to live for Jesus, and nothing less.  It is about understanding that He is all in all, the purpose of life and life itself. He is the truth, the way and the life. So if we want to live life our own way, making our own decisions neglecting Jesus, we neglect the one who gives life and we will lose it. But when we chose to lose our live for His sake, acknowledging there is nothing in life outside of Him, He will give us Life in its fullness. The more we separate ourselves for Him from our flesh and the ways of this world, the more space there will be in us for the fullness of life to live in us.

For you^[b] are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

      “ I will dwell in them
      And walk among them.
      I will be their God,
      And they shall be My people.”^[c]

 ¹⁷ Therefore

      “ Come out from among them
      And be separate, says the Lord.
      Do not touch what is unclean,
      And I will receive you.”^{[d]
       18} “ I will be a Father to you,
      And you shall be My sons and daughters,
      Says the LORD Almighty.”^[e]

 2 Corinthians 6: 16-18