Reflecting on Luke 12:49-53“From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.”
Jesus did not come to turn families against each other.
But such division is a consequence of Jesus’s appearance.
The reason for the division is not in Jesus, but in us.
We see division from the start, when Adam turns on Eve, Cain on Abel.
History is filled with such family tension and division.
Jesus’s own family thought He was out of His mind (Mark 3:20-21).
When Jesus comes to bring peace, His people turn on Him too.
“He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” (John 1:11)
Think of the church divisions and splits through history, for faith in Jesus.
Think of religious persecution, with some family members betraying family.
Love comes to heal, reconcile and unite, but it is not always welcomed.
Pride, greed, bitterness, anger… such things stir up trouble.
To follow Jesus is to resist these, and to aim for love, peace, mercy, healing.
With Jesus we strive for peace and reconciliation, even if it causes division.
Division is inevitable in this world; may it not be because I am cruel or selfish.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, if it is possible, as far as it depends on me, I want to live at peace with everyone. Even though division is inevitable, may it not be because I am provoking trouble with pride, greed, bitterness, anger... Make me a channel of Your peace, grace and love.
As a Christian, I need to be a channel of His peace, practising the Way, showing the love of Christ, sharing the love of Christ. Yet love is not always accepted by the receiver who insists of going their own way. Even in my extended family I have inlaws and outlaws – those who accept the love of Christ and those who reject His Way. However, each day I need to let His Light shine through me, sharing that love.