Bringing the Sword

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.

I have come to bring not peace but the sword.”

Matthew 10:34

 

What?  Jesus came to bring the sword?  Doesn’t that go against everything that He stands for and is? Why not peace but the sword? The sword that Jesus was referring to is not a sword that cuts people open and kills people for no cause. This sword is the sword of Truth. And the Truth, as we can give witness to today, brings division. There will be people who stand by the Truth and others who say that is not their truth. The reality is that there can only be one truth, and if one thing is really true it cannot be false at the same time. So that “Well maybe that’s your truth but it is not mine” does not work. It’s illogical. If something is true, then it is true no matter how much you dislike or disagree with it. So, Jesus came to bring the sword and not peace because without the sword – without Truth there can be no true, lasting peace. You cannot have one without the other.

 

So, to follow Christ and to live out our identity as beloved sons and daughters of the Father means that we must always walk in the light with the Truth as our compass. It will not be an easy journey, but it is the only journey that will lead to joy and peace. May we ask the Lord to give us the strength and courage we need to not shy away from the Truth today.  



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