Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be 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 daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.

                                                                                                   Luke 12:51-53 

Today: Read Luke 12

We live in a fairly civil society. We learn to be polite and to respect the views of others. We are told not to discuss politics or religion, as it will probably cause arguments and divisions. We know that avoiding “deep” conversations will grease the way for a more comfortable and socially acceptable meeting with others. But what is in the human heart will ultimately reveal what makes someone tick and will yield valuable information on the “why” behind how they behave.

In a perfect world parents, children, and extended family would all love the Lord and choose to serve only Him. But that is not reality and Jesus knew it. In today’s passage, Christ reminds us that sometimes the persecution and rejection that comes to believers will often originate within their own family. There is a great divide between God and mankind and it is only bridged and traversed through the cross of Christ. Likewise, there are two distinct life paths that everyone is on, one leading to spiritual life and the other to spiritual death. One is described as light while the other darkness. Good and evil, life and death, blessings and curses, these all describe the difference between those who belong to Christ (believers) and those who do not (unbelievers). And when someone is outside the body of Christ, the ways of a believer will appear to be utter nonsense.

While Jesus brings peace between God the Father and redeemed mankind, the change that Christians undergo will not be received with the same enthusiasm by those outside of the body of Christ. If there was ever a validation for the gospel it is the utter disdain that some express even at the very mention of the name of Jesus. He truly has come to bring division. For myself, there is no clearer example of this as what we see in the use of foul language in movies and other forms of entertainment. If the script calls for the use of something other than a “bad” word usually there will be a name inserted into the dialogue. Think about it. Have you ever heard the name of any religious figure being denigrated like you see the name of God and Jesus Christ being used? I have not. If there is a name that will be drug through the mud of verbal indecency, it will be the name of God or Jesus Christ.

So Jesus brings division between people but the focus of Jesus’ instructions in this passage are aimed at reminding all of us that this division can often be observed in the same family. We do not get to choose our bloodline or genetics. We are not able to pre- select which family we will be born into in this world. We might love the family that we have or we might lament our origins but either way, it is easier to enjoy a healthy family life when everyone in the unit is saved and dedicated to the proposition of living for Christ. Religion, secular humanism, and “living for the moment” are all substitutions that can be seen in the life of families. But only when Christ is at the center of our family unit can we fully enjoy what God had in mind when He created families.

With all of this talk about division, there is a positive aspect to being a Christian in the face of opposition. Because the Spirit of God abides within the life of a believer, when the saved come into contact with others who belong to Christ there is an immediate recognition of commonality. Whether it is on an airplane or standing in line at the supermarket, it is not hard to identify those who belong to Christ. We may have never met the person before yet when we discover that they too are a believer, there is an instant connection. This connection comes because the Spirit is acting as a unifier.

If you are in a Christian family then you are truly blessed. However if you find yourself in the minority with members of your family, I would like to encourage you to keep pressing on in faith and in the calling that God has placed on your life. Pray for your family members and find others who are like-minded that can join you in that. Other believers can also provide support for you in the difficult times. But just remember, the division that exists between you and those in your family who are lost will vanish as they too come to saving faith in Christ. Talk to God today about what you can do to share the gospel with your family.

For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

                                                                                                 Philippians 2:9-11