Division and our response
Luke 12:49-52 “ Division and Our Godly Responses”
Not peace. But
division. Fire instead of calm. These do not sound like words we are glad to
hear but they are words Jesus spoke: “ Fire I came to cast into the
earth….peace , I say to you rather division….father against son, and daughter
against mother…” Luke 12:49 “ In the Mediterranean world of antiquity
the extended family meant everything. It
was not only the source of one’s status in the community but also functioned as
the primary economic, religious, educational, and social network. Loss of connection to the family meant the
loss of these vital networks as well as any connection to the land. LOSS OF
FAMILY WAS THE MOST SERIOUS LOSS ONE COULD SUSTAIN.” Social Science Commentary on the Synoptic
Gospels by Bruce Malina
The same word
“division” occurs in Luke 11:17 when
Jesus said , “ a house divided against
itself falleth..” In this passage Jesus
was talking about His baptism. This was
the baptism of the Cross, also in Mark 10:38 “ can ye drink of the cup that I
drink of? And be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” Yes, we have a cross as well . We are to take it up daily and deny ourselves
and follow after Jesus. Luke 9:23 “ And he said to them all , if any man will
come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow
me.”
All of us have
family members were are probably divided from in some way whether completely or
not. There may be a spiritual reason for
that the Lord says. G Campbell Morgan ,
my great-grandfather asks this question when he talks about the religious
leaders who watched Jesus on the cross. “
How are they occupied in the presence of the Cross? They are indulging in diabolical
pleasantry. They are laughing at the
dying Man.
There is division
in our families. There is division
because of the Cross. How do we handle
it? I was listening to the radio the
other day and heard a wonderful Christian deliver a paper on this very subject. He was asking, “ How do I deal with and help
family members that are not Christians?”
He gave six ways and the last one
is a surprise! No. 1 is “ do not argue”. He mentioned that you can usually tell when
someone wants to just argue or is sincerely asking a question they do not know
the answer to. We should not enter the
fray to argue. That is a big mistake and
we sometimes make it ourselves.
Number 2 is “ Love them more than ever” Now we may think this is a mistake but is
this not Biblical? We cannot change
anyone. Only God can do that. Our job is
show love , forgiveness and acceptance for who they are as a person . We may not always accept what they do but we
can show love to them in a sacrificial and godly way.
Number 3 is “ Show joy”
That goes without saying. No
grouchy person is going to be a great witness for Christ. Now we can all say sometimes we look like
that smurf that Mc Donald’s is giving in the “Happy Meal” for kids , “ Grouchy”
or maybe even “ Clumsy” but we should show the joy that Christ is giving and
has given and will give to us every day even in the hardest times of our lives.
Number 4 is “ Do your homework”. Be able to know what you believe and why you
believe it. It behooves you and I to
have some God-fearing ready answers to every one that asks us for the hope that
is in us given to others in kindness and love.
( I Peter 3:15)
Number 5 is obvious but we forget to do it. “ Pray” Pray for those whom we would see respond to
the good news. It is hard to not like
someone who you are praying for and are truly concerned about.
Now for the surprise.
The last one is the most difficult .
Number 6 is , “ Ask God to let someone else help them see the truth of
the Person of Christ since you are not able to.” That is hard.
This is especially hard with those whom we really care about and are in
our families. We may never see any
change if we just keep at it ourselves.
But God can bring someone else into their lives that can help them see
the truth. The author I heard on the
radio said he never got along his mother-in-law . Then his mother-in-law was having lunch with
a friend who recommended a book to her that changed her life. And guess who the author was-----her
son-in-law. She read it and herself listened to the good news and was
changed. We are often the stumbling block
instead of the building block that the foundation of the good news is built
upon.
None of us enjoy difficult times but they can have very
positive aspects if we look for them. We
can learn more about our own weaknesses and our need of God’s love and grace
for every day. We can see that we are
not alone in our trials because Jesus as we heard in the Epistle reading ,” (is) the author and finisher of our faith:
who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross despising the shame,
and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” We have to “ lay aside every weight , and the
sin which doth so easily beset us , and (run) the race that is before us with
patience looking unto Jesus”.
BCP-“
For Quiet Confidence
O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we will be saved, in quietness and confidence will be our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray, to your presence, where we may be still and know that you are God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen”
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