Jesus Brings Division!
Do you think that I came to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. Luke 12:51
You read the title and you may have asked yourself, “What? Jesus brings division? Didn’t the angels sing about peace when Jesus was born?” I can even remind you that the first words that Jesus spoke to his disciples when he appeared to them in the upper room after he arose were “Peace be with you.”
One division that Jesus came to bring was essential. It was the division that took place when Jesus was on the cross. He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” There Jesus was the Lamb of God. He became the guiltiest person who ever lived, because God the Father had placed all the sins of mankind on Jesus. “The wages of sin is death” the Lord states. In order for that condemnation to be removed, a payment had to be made. Jesus endured the division and through it we are reconciled to God.
But there is another division that Jesus brings. This division exists in the people that reject Jesus as the Savior. There are those who just regard the story of Jesus a myth or a fabrication. Some believe the idea of being responsible to God is a story made up to keep people in line. They reject the story of Jesus.
Another source of division is the idea that people can live how they want to live. They believe they are right with God on their own. So the news that Jesus is the only Savior is a news that divides. It also causes division between people.
Rejoice in the division that Jesus has brought. Coming to him in repentance, we give thanks that he has separated us from our sin and made us a child of God.
Lord Jesus, thanks for the precious gift of life in you. Amen.