A rewarded – but not easy – journey
by Carolyn Ehrlich
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Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34).
Read Matthew 10:34–42
I find it challenging to read this Scripture. I prefer the Christmas carol, I heard the bells on Christmas Day, with the repeated line ‘Peace on earth, goodwill to men’. So surely Jesus came to bring peace on earth. Right? But hold on, this is not what the Scripture for today says.
Jesus says, ‘I have not come to bring peace’. Well, that is a conundrum for me. I want peace on earth. I want what I believe I heard the carol say. As I investigate further, I find that the Christmas carol is based on a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who wrote the poem in lament for his son who had gone off to war against Henry’s wishes. And suddenly, I realised that what I thought I understood about peace on earth is built on a very sandy foundation. I might be the only one who has thought this way. But so often, I find that what I thought I learned in Sunday school, what I thought I understood about Jesus, is not actually what Scripture says. I misheard and misinterpreted.
So, what does Scripture say that could fit a little bit with that Christmas song? Well, in Luke 2:14, we find that what the heavenly host was doing at the birth of Jesus was praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased’. So, peace is not what Jesus is bringing to this world. Peace is, however, received by those with whom God is well pleased.
In this text, peace does not seem to mean the absence of conflict. We can expect conflict. How do we know this? Because that is what Jesus says. What are we to do then? Receive and serve. If we receive Jesus, we receive God the Father (Matthew 10:40). If we give our life for Jesus, we will find life (verse 39). If we serve (sacrifice) by giving even a cup of cold water to one of Jesus’ disciples, we will not lose our reward (verse 42).
Know then that in the rough territory of losing your independence to walk with Jesus in this sin-ravaged world, your courage, your willingness to accept rejection even from family, your self-denial and self-sacrificial living will be rewarded. Paul tells us this in Romans 8:18, ‘For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed for us’. The reward is worth it. Hang in there with Jesus.
Jesus, I long for peace in this world. I long for a world without conflict, warfare and enmity. Even though you did not come to bring that peace to the earth, you did come to bring peace among us. I can only experience this peace in you, which passes all understanding. Be with me as I go about my day today. Please help me to know your peace and put my suffering into your perspective, not mine. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
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