Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.

                                                                                                               Matthew 10:34-36 

Peace with God is a marvelous thing but unfortunately not everyone will rejoice with our decision to follow Christ. Today’s passage is a stark reminder of the reality that we are in a spiritual war and that there are only two sides in which to choose.

It may be confusing for some to read that Jesus is referred to as the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) yet He tells us that He did not come to bring peace on the earth. That is because the peace that He does bring is the kind that we have with God, as we have already seen. What Jesus is saying is that there will be a great divide between those who belong to the kingdom of heaven and those who do not. We see this contrast in Jesus’ words in John:

He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

                                                                                                                           John 3:18 

The division is between believers and unbelievers, the saved and the lost, the spiritually alive and the spiritually dead. These two cannot live in harmony with one another. To suggest otherwise demonstrates a failure to understand the reality of good and evil. Those who belong to Christ should desire for others around them to come to the same saving knowledge as they but do not expect unbelievers to understand nor accept our decision to follow Jesus.

This is revealed through the words of Jesus when He says, “For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.” When a family is spiritually divided, family members can experience a type of alienation with one another. Fellow believers should always be able to unite around one another because of the power of the Spirit within them. Likewise, non-believers will usually group themselves as well. The things of God, the church, Bible study, prayer, and the using of spiritual gifts are all foreign to the unsaved. They simply will take no interest in those things. But they will have loyalty and it will usually be a dedication around worldly things. But the distinction is real and often times easily detected to those around the situation. Perhaps the following is one of the best distinctions made between the two groups: 

Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

                                                                                                            Matthew 10:32-33 

When we openly, sincerely confess the name of Jesus, we know, according to the promises of God, that Jesus will also confess us before the Father. But the opposite is equally true. When someone denies Jesus in this life, they should not expect that Jesus would receive them in eternity.

Ironically, it is often professing believers that leave a negative “taste” in the mouths of unbelievers. This is tragic. But it is often because the gospel is not taught correctly. When people believe that “good” people go to heaven and that “bad” people go to hell, the gospel has not been effectively disseminated. Christians are not those who necessarily live better lives than others rather believers are those who have placed their faith in Jesus as the sole basis for their salvation. Yes, works should follow, but it is faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross that brings salvation (Romans 4:4-5). Everyone is equally in need of salvation (James 2:10). And when we are saved, that does not mean that we will never sin again, it simply means that we are now equipped with the necessary weapons of spiritual warfare designed to give us victory over the trappings of the world (Ephesians 6:10-19, 1 Corinthians 10:13). This is because the presence of the Spirit means that we now desire the things of God rather than the things of the world, evidence of true salvation. But for the unbeliever, this will often be viewed as foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18). Neglecting their own need for salvation, they will often fixate on the failures and shortcomings of everyone else around them, especially those who profess the name of Christ. This is evidenced in the following: 

For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign (insult) you… 

                                                                                                                   1 Peter 4:3-4 

Perhaps we will be viewed as being “no fun.” Perhaps it is because we will not bow our knee to the very “gods” that the unbelieving world so cherishes. Whatever the reason, there will be a divide between those who belong to Christ and those who do not and it will often surface in the kind of treatment shown.

For believers, we are to love our enemies, “do good” to those who hate us, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who mistreat us (Luke 6:27-28), more evidence of a life guided by the Spirit. But we should always expect that persecution and division will naturally come because unbelievers do not prioritize their lives in the same manner as would we. Yes, Jesus came to bring us peace with God but the opposite will often be the case when it comes to man. Don’t be surprised if that happens rather continue to love others and accurately present the gospel to them!