The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 12:51,
"Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division."
This statement of Jesus is in stark contrast with many who believe just the opposite: that Jesus came to bring peace on earth, that all mankind might get along. The division Jesus speaks of is among even the most closely related. In case we might have misunderstood him, Jesus pointed out the kind of division he had in mind: "From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 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."
While this may not fit in with many of our thematic Christmas cards that are sent each year, the reality is that Jesus came to offer the kingdom of God to all and this creates a condition of "haves" and "have-nots". In Luke 13:24 Jesus said, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to." Many are simply not going to be saved and exist outside of God's kingdom. Those outside the tent, locked out from the things of God, remaining estranged from him, are resentful of those who live their lives in fellowship and harmony with God. Having rejected the message of faith, spurning the invitation of God in order to remain in their sin and darkness, they look with contempt and ridicule upon those who have.
The murder of Abel, by his brother Cain, in Genesis is a bewildering account, Genesis 4:1-16. In it, we read Cain became angry with God because God did not look upon him and his offering with favor as he did with Abel and his offering. Abel did it God's way, but Cain wanted to do things his own way, rejecting God's desires. Driven by his anger and sense of rejection by God, Cain killed his brother. In 1 John 3:12-13 John tells us, "Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you."
Here is the cause of the division Jesus spoke of. Those who decide to remain in their sin, who reject God, quite naturally resent those who respond to God's invitation. I picture them as standing outside the tent of God, angry and resentful at their rejection by God: angry and resentful of both God and those who have turned to him. Like Cain, in their rebelliousness and hostility, they have committed themselves to the sinful ways of their hearts and follow the devil's lead. They live in that hostility toward God and all those who have made the choice they themselves have rejected.
This can be seen clearly by those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith, and I believe we see it not simply on a personal level, but also with groups of people and in the arena of international affairs. Satan has his and is in conflict and odds with God and his.
All of this is by design and foretold by the Lord. Jesus Christ never said he came to unify mankind, but to divide mankind. That division is marked by the line dividing those who embrace Jesus Christ in faith and those who refuse to do so. The peace represented in the coming of Jesus Christ to planet earth on Christmas was peace between God and men. A peace established through the gospel of faith and enjoyed by those who embrace it.
This peace is captured in Paul's comment in Romans 5:6-11, "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." This is the peace the heralding angels proclaimed that night.
Jesus Christ did not come to bring peace among men, but division. He came to bring an offer of peace for mankind with our heavenly Father.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
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