Not Peace, but a Sword
Mat 10:34-39 NLT
Mat 10:34 “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.
Mat 10:35 ‘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.
Mat 10:36 Your enemies will be right in your own household!’
Mat 10:37 “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.
Mat 10:38 If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine.
Mat 10:39 If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.
HICJ Notes
Jesus did not come to bring Peace, those who choose NOT to follow Him will hate and be the enemies of those who DO want to follow Him. The Sword however does not mean Christians should be violent or harm others. Jesus never promotes violence among people. Jesus said so Himself.
“Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword.
(Mat 26:52 NLT)
Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”
(Joh 18:36 NLT)
Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
(Eph 6:17 NLT)
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
(Heb 4:12 NLT)
LASB Notes
Matthew 10:34
Jesus did not come to bring the kind of peace that glosses over deep differences just for the sake of superficial harmony. Conflict and disagreement will arise between those who choose to follow Christ and those who don’t. Yet we can look forward to the day when all conflict will be resolved. For other verses on Jesus as peacemaker, see Isa 9:6; Mat 5:9; Joh 14:27.
Matthew 10:34-39
Christian commitment may separate friends and loved ones. In saying this, Jesus was not encouraging disobedience to parents or conflict at home. Rather, he was showing that his presence demands a decision. Because some will follow Christ and some won’t, conflict will inevitably arise. As we take up our cross and follow him, our different values, morals, and goals will set us apart from others. Christ calls us to a higher mission than to find comfort and tranquility in this life. Love of family is a law of God, but even this love can be self-serving and used as an excuse not to serve God or do his work. Don’t neglect your family, but remember that your commitment to God is even more important. God should be your first priority.
Matthew 10:38
To take up our cross and follow Jesus means to be willing to publicly identify with him, to experience certain opposition, and to be willing to face even suffering and death for his sake.
Some Content taken from Life Application Study Bible copyright © 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1996, 2004 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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