Matthew 10:34–39
34“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35“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; 36and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.
37“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. 38“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39“He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.
Focused Thinking:
What is the context for these statements?
Jesus correcting the Jewish understanding of the coming of the Messiah.
The Jews thought the Messiah arrival would usher in a time of peace.
The first coming of the Messiah doesn’t bring world peace; the first coming of the Messiah brings personal peace.
The second coming of the Messiah is what the Jews were looking for in the first coming of the Messiah. One day there will be universal peace (Isa 9:5–7), for the Prince of Peace will resolve all conflict. (See also Zech 9:9-10l Matt 5:9; Jn 14:27).
What does Jesus mean when says he came not to bring peace, but a sword?
The sword represents division.
The sword will separate families, friends, and nations because the truth forces people to make a choice.
Matt 10:35–36 is a quote of Micah 7:6.
In Micah, these divisive conditions led to a yearning for the Messiah; in this context they were caused by the Messiah’s coming.
35“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; 36and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.
Conflict and disagreement will arise between those who choose to follow Christ and those who do not.
Jesus was not encouraging disobedience to parents or conflict at home. Rather, he was showing that his presence demands a decision. Because some will follow Christ and some will not, conflict will inevitably arise.
Do not neglect your family, but remember that your commitment to God is even more important than they are. God should be your first priority.
Jesus did not come to make such divisions happen; instead, his coming, his words, and his call inevitably will cause conflict between those who accept him and those who reject him.
Who may oppose following of Christ?
Government (Matt 10:18–19)
Religious People (Matt 10:17)
Family (Matt 10:21)
What is Jesus saying the following verses?
This sounds controversial at first, but it isn’t.
This sounds inconsistent with other commands, but it isn’t.
37“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. 38“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39“He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.
Jesus is telling his disciples that they must have a singular loyalty to him.
When discipleship conflicts with family loyalty, following Jesus must take the priority over natural love of family. If one must choose, one must choose Jesus.
Love of family is a law of God (Eph 6:1–4; 1 Tim 5:8), but even this love can be self-serving and used as an excuse not to serve God or do his work.
What does Jesus mean by the use of the word “worthy”?
Worthy is this context means willing to follow and serve (See Matt 10:11).
What is Jesus communicating with the illustration of “taking up your cross”?
To take up your cross represents the humility and submission characteristic of followers of Christ. Jesus’ words became graphically clear after his own crucifixion. Jesus spoke prophetically, lived our His words, and provided the example for us to follow.
Death on a cross was a form of execution; a prisoner carried his own crossbar to the place of execution. Spiritually speaking, taking up the cross means dying to self, repenting of sin, it is literally “dying to live.”
Taking up your cross is a picture of living and doing the will of God.
39“He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.
The Christian life is a paradox:
To attempt to find (or save) your life means only to lose it.
A person who “finds” his or her life to satisfy desires and goals apart from God ultimately “loses” life.
By contrast, those who willingly “lose” their lives for the sake of Christ actually “find” them. They will receive great reward in God’s kingdom.
Matt 10:39
“Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”
Matt 16:25
“For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”
Mark 8:35
“For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.”
Luke 9:24
“For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.”
Luke 17:33
“Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it.”
John 12:25
“Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”
The best way to “find” life is to loosen our greedy grasp on earthly rewards so that we can be free to follow Christ.
Personal Application:
I need to do a series on the paradoxes of God.
I’d love to find or create a list of the all the paradoxes in the scriptures.
We need to renew our mind constantly with the paradoxes of God.
We need to be intentional to think according to truths of God’s paradoxes because they are obviously different than our logical human thinking.
Interactive Prayer:
Prayed offline today.
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