I came not to send peace, but a sword

I came not to send peace, but a sword

 

Matthew 10:34-37 『Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.』

Jesus is said to be the Prince of Peace, but he said, “I did not come to bring peace.” In Isaiah 9:6, it says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father,” The Prince of Peace.』He was called the Prince of Peace. But he came to give swords to the people of the world. Most churches interpret and say that “discord arises because believers and non-believers are mixed in the family.” Although it may not be that wrong, it cannot be considered a complete interpretation. And we can see discord arising even within churches that claim to believe.

The purpose of Jesus coming to this world was to save sinners and redeem sinners from under the law. The words “Jesus came to give a sword” should be understood in the same context as “He came to save sinners.” He called Jesus the Prince of Peace, but Jesus came not as peace and peace in the world, but as the King of Peace who mediates peace between God and sinners. Jesus came to bring peace between God and mankind, who were enemies. He becomes the King of Peace by breaking down the enmity and coming for the sake of reconciliation between God and humans. These words of Jesus cause discord in the world.

He is telling the Israelites, “Jesus came to give us a sword.” The sword is the word of God, and this word was not given to the Gentiles, but to the Israelites. Because at that time, the Israelites all had the word (law) of God. The discord Jesus speaks of does not mean fighting, but separation. When Jesus took away the sins of the world by dying on the cross, he said, “It is finished.” In other words, all of God's promises have come true. These words apply to the people of Israel. God gave the law to the Israelites, and God fulfilled the law through Jesus on the cross.

When Jesus died on the cross, he said, “It is finished,” and then died. There is a separation between those who believe that Jesus Christ, whom God sent, has accomplished everything, and those who do not. This is discord. That is why Jesus expressed it by saying that he came to give Israel a sword. So, the gospel was spread to the Israelites through Jesus Christ, but most of the Israelites rejected Jesus' words and even crucified him and killed him.

Even today, there are those who believe that the death of the cross provides forgiveness for past sins. Those who claim this are all within the law. So conflicts arise within the church. And they are divided into those who believe in present resurrection and those who believe that resurrection will occur in the future when the body dies. Likewise, disputes arise in churches.

Those who do not believe in present resurrection are like old people who have not been reborn into resurrection life. The old self must die. (Romans 6:6) Those who are born again have lost their old self. The person whose old self dies is a new person with a spiritual body who was born of the Holy Spirit from heaven. Regarding those born of the Spirit, Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

Apostle Paul also says in 2 Corinthians 3:14-16, “But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail unkened away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.”

The Old Testament means the law. Even though the Apostle Paul said that Jesus came and fulfilled the law, Paul points out that when people read the Old Testament, they do not know what it means because the meaning of what Jesus fulfilled is obscured.

Today, there is conflict between those who believe that Jesus took away all the sins of the world through his death on the cross and those who do not believe, and those who believe that Jesus was reborn into heavenly life through his present resurrection and those who do not believe that he took away all the sins of the world. This is not a story of conflict between people inside the church and people outside the church.