Christ Divides People Matthew 10

“And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased’” (Lk. 2:13-14, NASB).

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matt. 10:34, NASB).

I get up this morning and follow my usual morning routines that start my day. Following a routine is a catalyst for my day. It is time to check some items on the computer. I look at the news headlines on my home page. One headline says: “Bernie Sanders is now the front-runner. And moderates may be too divided to stop him.” Further in the article I read the statement: “Moderate and conservatives Democrats are split between Buttigieg, Biden, and Bloomberg. The party establishment is worried.” I am not surprised by what this headline says. I have been telling my wife since the impeachment trial of President Donald J. Trump ended that the Democrats are divided. I remember my daddy telling me when I was a young adolescent that if one party splits it is likely that the other party will win. What’s going on here? Why is Biden falling so much in the polls? Did he not announce that he is running for president because he has the ability to unite a divided country? Has he not been leading in the polls based on the assumption that he is the best candidate to defeat President Trump who is view by many as a president that cause divisions in the country? What is happening?

Well, this article is not about politics. It is about being a disciple of Jesus Christ. I find that most Christians that are against the President attribute the source of their perceived problems to the President. He is labeled as the devil. In our text today we learn that people are divided along many lines. Before we get into the text, Matthew 10 let us review what Luke records in Luke 2:8-14 when Jesus is born in Bethlehem. The angel spears to the shepherds watching over their sheep. The angels tell the shepherds that a Savior has been born in Bethlehem. The angel and the heavenly host praise God saying that because of His birth there will be peace on earth. Christians are puzzled that there continues to be divisions and hostilities between people groups. Did not the angels say that Jesus comes to bring peace? We need to look at the angel’s praise again. The angels say “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men whom He is pleased.” We cannot stop with the words “peace on earth.” We must hear the words “among men whom He is pleased.” Now let us look at our text and see if we can make sense of what Jesus is saying to His disciples in relationship to the angel’s praise.

Matthew 10 begins by telling us that Jesus calls His twelve disciples, and He gives them authority to do the work that He is calling them to do (Matt. 10:1). Jesus gives His disciples instructions to guide their ministry. He tells them what to do, how to do, and where to do. He gives them warning that they will not always be welcomed and accepted. They will be rejected and brought before the authorities accused of committing crimes. They are not to worry about what they should say for their defense. The Spirit of the Father will speak in them (vv. 19-20). They are not to become discouraged and give up. “‘You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved’” (v. 22). What is the reason that disciples suffer? Jesus explains.

Jesus says to His disciples, “‘a disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher and the slave like his master. If they called the head of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they malign the members of his household’” (v. 25, NASB)! We can say that the disciple is given authority by his teacher. At the same time the teacher is giving the disciple both the blessings of being a disciple and the curses of the teacher. As disciples of Jesus Christ we can be sure that just as Christ suffers because He does the will of the Father, we too suffer because we obey our teacher. We cannot enjoy Jesus’ blessings and be immune from His suffering. Jesus places special emphasis upon this teaching as He prepares His disciples to do the work that they are being called to do when Jesus return to the Father.

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘a slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me” (Jn. 15:18-21, NASB).

Christ divides people. The two scriptures cited at the beginning of this article may seem to contradict each other. Jesus is born to bring peace, not to the whole world, but to those who accept Jesus Christ as their savior. Jesus divides people because He comes with the words that the Father gives Him to say. Now, His words bring divisions because some people accept His words, and some people reject His words. Every person born on planet earth decides for themselves if he or she will believe His word or reject His word. Family relationships are not the deciding factor (vv. 35-36). Rather, it is the heart of the person that determines what is believed and disbelieved. “‘He who loves father or mother more than Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of Me’” (v. 37).

Christ divides people. However, divisions do not prevent the peace that the angels sing about. Christ divides people on the basis of their belief or disbelief in Him. People that believe in Jesus enjoy peace among each other because they all follow the instructions of the teacher, Jesus Christ. Although we might lose fellowship with our natural family members, we are assured of being in a spiritual family characterized by peace.

People want to know if they will see their family members and loved ones in heaven. There is a lot of speculation, discussion, and debate on this subject. It is the view of this writer that these matters while important to us now, they do not seem to be that important in the new heaven and the new earth when Jesus return. Jesus said that in heaven people do not get married. “Jesus said to them, ‘the sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead neither marry and are given in marriage; for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection’” (Lk. 20:34-36, NASB). In the book of Revelation John describes heaven as a place where all the people are focused on the Lamb and the One who sits on the throne. John does not seem to be concerned about the things of this age. All things are made new.

Christ divides people. If we are disciples of Jesus Christ we can expect divisions in our world. The world does not know the ways of peace. Jesus separates the righteous from the unrighteous. Those that believe in Jesus are called together to have peace with God and fellow believers.