Division

“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, 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 her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Luke 12:49–53
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Division
There are difficult passages in the Bible that we must wrestle with. This is one of them. How can a God who is love say that He comes not to bring peace but division? It does not square with our vision of who God is and how He should conduct Himself. But as we unpack these verse we come to understand that Jesus is expressing a deep desire to fulfill God’s plan of salvation once for all, even though it means going to the cross. The depth of His commitment naturally forces His followers to choose what is most important for them, as well. And as we wrestle with so great a challenge, let us take comfort in the One who calls us. For He is always faithful. May our Lord Jesus keep earthly relations from causing us to make Him and His kingdom anything less than our first priority. May He continue to strengthen us and lead us back into the way of everlasting life.