It’s always pleasant when family members get along with each other. No one wants to sit down at the table on Thanksgiving Day, at the Christmas get-togethers, or the summertime backyard barbecue and there be a family feud. We hope that mom won’t start in with the criticisms, grandfather with his judgments, or any number of other fights being picked. Often we do what we can to keep the peace. Only on the game show is a family feud any fun! What about when the family rises up and attacks one’s faith in the Lord Jesus? We may want peace in the family, but sometimes that’s not possible, especially when it comes to the Savior. This is something that Jesus, Himself, said would happen. Let’s look at what He said.
Most of the time we think of the Lord Jesus as Someone who brought love and peace to everyone. However as our Scripture passage today opens, Jesus speaks about not bringing peace, but division (vs. 51). What kind of division? Why not peace? We do know that Jesus said that He would give peace to His followers (John 14:27). And we know that He wants unity among His children, fellow believers one with another (John 17:21-23). However, here Jesus is talking about the division that arises when one person accepts and follows Him, and the other doesn’t.
There are countless believers, both now and in the past, that faced opposition from their families when they accepted the Lord Jesus as their Savior. Sometimes this opposition is in the form of ridicule and scorn, as the family mocks the new Christian for the belief in Jesus and the Bible. At other times, especially in certain parts of the world, the opposition is much more violent against the new believer, sometimes even leading to death.
When someone gets saved and starts living for Jesus, there are often divisions in the house and families (vs. 52-53). Blood ties are not strong enough to stop the hatred that is thrown at the believer. The presence of Jesus Christ brings to the surface the evil of the human heart. The depth of that evil and the hatred of the heart for God were manifested in the Cross. The division is caused by the rebellion of men against the Gospel. Doing the work of the Lord will bring about persecution.
So what should the believer do to keep peace in the family? Should they just keep quiet, and never mention the Lord Jesus or His Word? Should they continue to attend the false religious practices that their families may take part in, attend a church that has long since turned away from Scripture and fundamental doctrines, or even participate in rituals from a false religion? No, the Scriptures repeatedly tell us that we should never participate in false religious practices. Jesus told us that He wants us to bring the Gospel to the whole world, which certainly includes our immediate family. We should always be polite and tactful when we speak with our families, but at the same time be clear and certain when we tell them about Jesus. If they refuse to listen we should never be obnoxious, but instead just politely tell them we are praying for them, and then if at a later time the opportunity arises for us to speak about God and His Word, again give a witness for the Savior.
However, there is no middle ground with Jesus. There is no having one foot on the side of the Savior, and the other in either false religious, agnostic, or atheistic family beliefs, just to keep the peace with them. Loyalties must be declared, and commitments made, sometimes to the point that families are severed due to the unsaved person’s hatred of Jesus. Sometimes this will mean a break in the family structure. Jesus said this would happen, that with Him there will not always be peace. There can be no peace between God and His followers and Satan and his followers.
As our Scripture passage concludes, Jesus quoted some old weather-related proverbs, which are still often in use today (vs. 54-56). He told us that if we are knowledgeable enough to read the signs of the weather, we need to be paying attention to the signs of the times. The Bible tells the signs that will indicate that Jesus’ return is near. Are we paying attention? Are we ready? That is so much more important than the weather. As we are looking and awaiting the Lord’s return, we need to take a stand for Jesus, even if it means our family and others turning against us.
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