Jesus Reveals an Unacknowledged Part of His Mission
David W Palmer
(Matthew 10:34 NKJV) “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.”
Jesus is continuing the pre-mission briefing for his apprentices. He began in Mat. 10:1 with specific instructions for the twelve’s first supervised mission to the surrounding villages. But now, to prepare them fully for success, he is becoming less specific and more general; he is teaching about himself, his kingdom, and reactions to his mission (See: Mat. 10:11–33).
However, what he says in the above verse is challenging to our thinking when we compare it to: all of our Christmas carols and cards, which say “peace on earth and goodwill towards men”; and our general commission, in which Jesus said, “Preach the gospel”—declare good news (See: Mark 16:15). These make his mission sound like peace delegations of reconciliation. In contrast, what Jesus says here— “I did not come to bring peace but a sword”—doesn’t immediately sound like good news. But this is not a tradition, or even a Bible student talking; this is our Lord Jesus himself declaring why he came.
Part of the reason that he said, “Do not think that I came to bring peace,” is because of Satan’s fierce opposition to the expansion of God’s kingdom. When Jesus sent his disciples to announce that the “Kingdom of God is at hand” (Mat. 10:6 NKJV), he warned them about the opposition and persecution that would resist their mission. This should be obvious and we should expect it; after all, gospel missions are literally God’s kingdom forcefully advancing against the kingdom of darkness—recovering people, possessions, and territory from Satan’s control; he fights back.
However, what the Lord says next is even more challenging than the trouble stirred up by the enemy when you are out travelling on missions for Jesus:
(Matthew 10:35–36 NKJV) “For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; {36} and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household’.”
Wow! Jesus actually says that part of the reason he came was to set people against each other. This is a long way from the “peace on earth, good will towards man” that we sing at Christmas—taken from: “On earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14 KJV). So what does God’s word actually say in that Christmas passage? An accurate English translation of the original is:
(Luke 2:14 NIV) “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Jesus did come to give peace, but only to those “on whom his favor rests,” or those who themselves have goodwill toward others.
“As a matter of fact real peace on earth exists only among those who are the subjects of God’s goodwill, who are characterized by goodwill toward God and man.”
Jesus is not into promoting hatred, splitting families, or creating enmity. Yet, he does know what it takes to follow him to heaven and to receive eternal salvation; he said it takes love for him that is so fervent that it makes all other loves appear like hatred (See: Luke 14:24–25). He also knows that we have an enemy who is evil, spiteful, and violently opposed to God’s kingdom.
When a person receives Jesus, and by his grace begins to break from the control of those under Satan’s kingdom, a power struggle ensues. At times, even family members reveal the truth of who controls their heart (and truly the satanic nature is the heart of all those who haven’t received Jesus’s new birth). They will fight your freewill, and try to manipulate you into their way of thinking—revealing that this has been their objective all along.
What Jesus says in these passages is very real. His presence sheds so much light that it exposes true motivations and inner natures. Our Lord Jesus is the expert on human nature and eternal matters, and if we want to be his disciples and make it to his kingdom celebration banquet, we must heed what he is saying.
The glorious church for which Jesus is returning will be filled with people who are immovable in their commitment to him and un-persuadable by any other person; for them, Jesus comes first, and he is Lord.
Today, I encourage you to have Jesus first, to follow his commission to preach the gospel, and to go on the missions he assigns to you. Yes, it is costly; giving your life completely to Jesus and following him as Lord can cause great disruption in your family. It will be a huge challenge to the way people control others, especially in the family “henpeck order.” Jesus came to correct this when it doesn’t line up with God’s will. That’s why he said he didn’t come to bring peace or tranquility on earth; he came to correct ungodly manipulation, control, and usurped authority.
Receive Jesus’s warning today; he said he didn’t come “to bring peace but a sword.” People will react when you submit exclusively to Jesus and his authority—that is, submitting to him by walking in the Holy Spirit, by hearing and following his inner voice, and through his appointed lines of delegation. This can be a huge challenge for those who haven’t submitted to Jesus. We should not be surprised if a man’s enemies become those of his household; they are often the ones most threatened by Jesus’s true authority, especially if they have been exercising ungodly authority—in line with Satan’s usurped kingdom.
When you change allegiance and begin to obey Jesus, this is God’s kingdom advancing—forcefully—and the enemy’s kingdom will react strongly. Yes, Jesus did “come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;’ and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’” But this will happen only if one has fully surrendered to Jesus while others have not.
Note that Jesus also warned of the danger of giving in to the manipulative pressure to preserve the tranquility of Satan’s arrangement—the status quo:
(Matthew 10:37 NKJV) “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”
P.S. I know this needs more explanation, but space will not permit it here. My book: “Jesus, What Does He Say it Takes to be Saved?” gives a more detailed explanation.
