Jesus Teachings
often
perplexed His listeners,
and that hasn’t changed today. The modern Bible reader gets stumped by some puzzling and seemingly offensive statements, such as Matthew 10:34, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
Jesus came not to bring peace but a sword? What’s going on? We call Him the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Jesus also had a lot to say on loving one’s enemies (Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:27–28), forgiveness (Matthew 6:14–15; 18:21–22; Mark 11:25; Luke 6:37), and non-retaliation (Matthew 5:38–39, 44; Luke 6:27–29). He also cautioned Peter when Peter struck a soldier’s servant, telling him, “Put away your sword” (Matthew 26:52, NLT). How do we then understand the words “I came not to bring peace, but a sword”?
This difficult statement becomes clearer when we examine the surrounding verses. Those who use Jesus’ statement that He came not to bring peace but a sword to undermine the Lord’s credibility must ignore the full teachings of Scriptures and take the verse out of context.
Matthew 10 begins with Jesus sending
His disciples on a mission, providing them with instructions and crucial information. He tells them to focus on Israel (Matthew 10:6),
perform miracles (verse 8),
proclaim the arrival of the kingdom (verse 7), etc.
He also warns that they will be hated because of Him (verse 22).
In this chapter, Jesus reveals a conflict between those who believe in Him and those who don’t—a conflict that is still evident in our world. The cross reconciles humanity with God, but among humans there will be a divide, as not everyone will sign up for Team Jesus. While we’re called to pursue peace (Romans 12:18; Hebrews 12:14), we must understand the separation Jesus brings.
Jesus is and always has been a polarizing figure.
The Pharisees were divided about who He was (John 9:16). Among the crowds who heard Jesus speak, “some said, ‘He is a good man.’ Others replied, ‘No, he deceives the people’” (John 7:12). There was a variety of opinion on His identity, as the disciples reported: “Some say [You are] John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (Matthew 16:14).
Truth,
by its very nature, is separate from untruth. The sword of truth that Jesus wields divides even family members: “For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household’” (Matthew 10:35–36, quoting Micah 7:6). Due to people’s acceptance or rejection of the truth, Jesus was correct in saying He came to bring not peace, but a sword.
Paul asks a series of rhetorical questions in 2 Corinthians 6:14–16 that confirm that Jesus had not come to bring peace, but a sword: “What do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?” No one can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24); to pick up one’s cross and follow Christ is to turn one’s back on the world.
The Christian Post once featured an article on the late apologist Nabeel Qureshi. Qureshi described his conversion from Islam to Christianity as “the most difficult decision” in his life. He further expressed, “I asked God to kill me because I lost my family. I lost my friends in the mosque. I lost all the people who loved me the moment I became Christian” (Smith, S., “Former Muslim Nabeel Qureshi Prayed for God to Kill Him After Converting to Christianity,” July 19, 2016). This type of shunning is an example of the truth of Matthew 10:34 and is a struggle faced by many ex-Muslims.
In a “Christian culture,” fully committing to Christ can also bring about a sword. The devout follower of Jesus may be taunted, termed “holier than thou,” misunderstood, or embarrassed. Even in the best scenarios, the lifestyle of a genuine Christian differs from that of someone who merely professes the religion.
Identifying with Jesus comes at a great cost. It requires a reordering of priorities, self-denial, and the potential separation from loved ones. Just as a spouse desires full commitment, Jesus demands the same. The best part is, He initiated the covenant by shedding His blood for our sin. He made the first move, and the Holy Spirit empowers us even as we respond.
The statement, “I came not to bring peace but a sword,” should bring comfort to those walking a path similar to that of Qureshi. Nothing catches God by surprise, and the persecutions faced by Christians in this life will ultimately lead to glory. If Jesus already knew the divisive impact He would have, then we can trust that He knows what He is doing. In the meantime, we pray for our unsaved loved ones, seek opportunities to evangelize, and
live lives that glorify God.
Within all of us there exists a strong desire to be known and to know others. The most important Person to know is our Creator. In fact, Jesus taught that eternal life is not just a span of time; it is a relationship: “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3).
The key to truly knowing God is found in what God has revealed about Himself in the Bible. He wants to be known (see Acts 17:27). The problem is our sinfulness. We are all sinful (Romans 3), and we fall short of the standard of holiness required to commune with God. We have “exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles” (Romans 1:23). So, in order to truly know God, we must first acknowledge our sin and repent of it (see Acts 3:19).
In turning from sin, we must turn to Jesus Christ, the only Savior from sin. In Jesus alone is salvation (Acts 4:12). We receive Jesus by faith: “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12, NKJV). Jesus’ death and resurrection provided for the forgiveness of our sin, and He alone is the way to a personal knowledge of God: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me” (John 14:6, NKJV).
Jesus revealed to us who God is, so in knowing God we must look to Jesus: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. . . . Believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me” (John 14:9–10; cf. John 17:6). Every work that Jesus did was in obedience to the Father in heaven (John 5:19). Every word Jesus spoke was straight from the Father (John 12:49). To know God, we must know Jesus.
Another key ingredient in truly knowing God is reading the Bible, God’s Word. In the Bible we have God’s revelation of His character, His promises, and His will. It is through the Bible that we know that God is “a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (Psalm 86:15). It is through the Bible that we know that God is “mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes” (Deuteronomy 10:17). It is through the Bible that we know that God is “the King eternal, immortal, invisible,” worthy of “honor and glory for ever and ever” (1 Timothy 1:17).
Truly knowing God
also comes through our commitment to obey what we read in the Scriptures. We were saved unto good works (Ephesians 2:10), and, as we obey the Lord, we become part of God’s plan of continuing to reveal Himself to the world. We are salt and light on this earth (Matthew 5:13–14), designed to bring God’s flavor to the world and to serve as a shining light in the midst of darkness. Jesus Himself placed the greatest importance on loving God with all we are and loving our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37–40).
These are the
keys to truly knowing God.
Of course, those who know God will also be committed to prayer, fellowship with other believers, sincere worship, and walking in the Spirit. Jesus taught His disciples about the Holy Spirit, contrasting the world’s ignorance of Him with the disciples’ knowledge: “The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:17). It is through the Spirit of God that we have “adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:15–16). Through Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit, our lives can be filled with God, and we can experience the joy of truly knowing Him.
In 1 Timothy 1:15, the apostle Paul summed
up the gospel of God’s grace:
“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief” (NKJV). The magnitude of the gift he had gained in Christ was best understood by Paul when set before the dismal backdrop of his own deep depravity. And so, with humble gratitude, Paul accepted the title “chief of sinners.”
One Bible commentator describes the grace of salvation as “the gift of God. He gives it ‘without money and without price.’ It is His munificent, magnificent gift in Christ Jesus, to the very chiefest of sinners” (Exell, J., ed., Biblical Illustrator, Vol. 5, entry for Acts 28:28, Baker Book House, 1975).
The word “chief” in 1 Timothy 1:15 (NKJV, KJV) is a translation of the Greek term protos, meaning “first, leading, or ranking above all others.” It is also rendered “foremost” (ESV), “worst” (NIV), “worst of them” (CSB), and “worst of them all” (NLT). Paul saw himself as the chiefest, highest-ranking, worst of all sinners. A sinner is someone whose life and actions are contrary or in rebellion to the will and laws of God. Just before his conversion, “Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers” (Acts 9:1, NLT).
Paul said, “I am chief,” not “I was chief of sinners.”
As an apostle, he never strayed from the heart of the gospel—that “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8, NLT). God’s salvation was always intended for sinners (Matthew 1:21; Mark 2:17). Paul kept his past depravity and ongoing corruption at the forefront of his mind because he saw it as an essential companion to the full apprehension of grace.
Paul testified to the church in Corinth, “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me” (1 Corinthians 15:9–10). To the Ephesians, he said, “Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8). The more we comprehend the weight and extent of our sinfulness, the better we can grasp the magnitude and scope of God’s forgiveness and grace at work in our lives.
When we recognize and remember the truth about ourselves—our old way of life with our weaknesses and failures, our lack of hope and purpose, and our utter helplessness apart from God—we remain exceedingly humble and grateful for what Christ has done for us. Like Paul, we rejoice and “thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. . . . But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:12–14, NLT).
We don’t beat ourselves up in self-defeating condemnation (Romans 8:1); rather, we give praise, glory, and honor to God for His generous gifts of mercy (1 Timothy 1:16), grace (Ephesians 3:7; 4:7), peace with God (Romans 5:1), membership in the family of God (Ephesians 2:19), and eternal life in His presence (1 John 2:25).
Some of us may have started out like the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable, so profoundly unaware of our sinfulness and need of salvation that we prayed, “I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers” (Luke 18:11, NLT). But, eventually, we ended up like the humble tax collector who “would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’” (Luke 18:13, ESV).
Paul called himself
“chief of sinners”
because he, like the tax collector,
was acutely aware of his sinfulness and
understood how much
that sinfulness had cost his Savior.
This self-identification is the discovery of every person whose eyes have been opened, whose conscience has been awakened, and whose heart has been pricked by the Holy Spirit. It is the humble posture of every believer who acknowledges he is utterly helpless and dependent on God for salvation (Romans 5:6). It is the admission we all must make: “Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the chief.”
When the Pharisees saw Jesus eating and socializing easily with tax collectors and sinners in Matthew’shome, they were scandalized. They questioned why Jesus would hang out with the most despised “lowlifes” of society. According to their self-righteous standards, no truly godly teacher would fellowship so intimately with the world’s “scumbags.” Unashamedly, Jesus responded to their hypocrisy by saying, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Matthew 9:12–13, NKJV).
Jesus presents Himself as a doctor and healer of those who are spiritually sick (the unrighteous sinners of the world). God loves sinners (Romans 5:8) and sent His Son into this world to save them (1 Timothy 1:15). Repentance is the treatment plan, and forgiveness is the cure Jesus offers. “Those who are well” or “the healthy” (NIV) don’t need a doctor. Jesus’ critics thought they were healthy and saw no need for a doctor, but, in reality, they were deceived. Jesus is not implying that the Pharisees were righteous. Removing all sarcasm and irony from Christ’s statement, the verse might read, “I haven’t come to call on those who think they’re righteous, but to treat those who know they’re sinners.”
Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6—“I desire mercy and not sacrifice”—as an indictment against the Pharisees. They do not understand the verse’s true meaning and therefore do not perceive their own spiritually reprobate condition. The Pharisees observe the letter of the law perfectly. They are flawless in their execution of religious rituals and sacrifices. But, if they were truly righteous, they would appreciate the spirit of the law by demonstrating God’s kindness, compassion, and mercy toward the outcasts of society.
When doctors call on sick people, they must get up close and personal with them to have any hope of helping and healing them. So, too, Jesus calls sinners to Himself. His love for the lost compels Him to come down to where they are and get mud on His feet with them (Hebrews 2:9; Philippians 2:7; 1 John 3:16). “The Pharisees prove their religion by keeping clean. Jesus proves his love by getting dirty” (Knowles, A., The Bible Guide, Augsburg, 2001, p. 419).
Jesus came “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). He did not leave heaven to pat self-satisfied religious people on the back and ignore everyone else who fails to measure up to the Pharisees’ meticulous standards. Jesus came to call “all who are far off” (Acts 2:39) and bring them near by His blood shed on the cross (Ephesians 2:13).
Tax collectors
and
sinners know they are
spiritually sick
They long for God’s healing forgiveness. They are “the poor in spirit,” “the meek,” and “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matthew 5:3, 5–6). On the other hand, the Pharisees are blind to their own neediness. They think they are healthy but are instead “blind fools” (Matthew 23:16–17, 23–24; see also Luke 6:41).
Jesus said,
“I have not come to call the righteous
but sinners to repentance.”
The “righteous” are respectable people in the eyes of the world and those who are righteous in their own eyes. “Sinners” are the outcasts of the world. If we are to follow in Christ’s footsteps and not be like the Pharisees, we will get our hands dirty, too. We will reach out to the rejected, the homeless, addicts, prostitutes, criminals, afflicted, diseased, abused, and marginalized in our society.
We’ll love the unlovable, dine with the undesirable,
and befriend the forsaken of the world. Like Jesus, we’ll have compassion for the single parent, the widow, the divorcees, and the elderly
(Matthew 9:36)—compassion that moves us to act on their behalf (Matthew 15:32; Luke 7:11–17). Like the Good Samaritan(Luke 10:25–37), we’ll show mercy with deeds of kindness by walking “in the way of love, just as Christ loved us” (Ephesians 5:2).
Matthew 10:34–36
describes Jesus telling the disciples that He came not to bring peace to the world, but a sword. Jesus’ sword was never a literal one. In fact, when Peter took up a sword to defend Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus rebuked him and told him to put away his sword, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52). Why then, did Jesus say, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” What kind of sword did Jesus come to bring?
Among the names of Jesus Christ is that of Prince of Peace. Such verses as Isaiah 9:6, Luke 2:14, and John 14:27 make it clear that Jesus came to bring peace, but that peace is between the man and God. Those who reject God and the only way of salvation through Jesus (John 14:6) will find themselves perpetually at war with God. But those who come to Him in repentance will find themselves at peace with God. Because of Christ’s sacrifice, we are restored to a relationship of peace with God (Romans 5:1).
Still, it is inevitable that there will be conflict between good and evil, the Christ and the antichrist, the light and the darkness, the children of God (believers) and the children of the devil (those who refuse Christ). Conflict must arise between the two groups, and this can and does happen within a family in which some are believers and others are not. We should seek to be at peace with all men but should never forget that Jesus warned we will be hated for His sake. Because those who reject Him hate Him, they will hate His followers as well (John 15:18).
In Matthew 10:34–36, Jesus said He had come at this time not to bring peace to the earth, but a sword, a weapon which divides and severs. As a result of His visit to the earth, some children would be set against parents and a man’s enemies might be those within his own household. This is because many who choose to follow Christ are hated by their family members. This may be part of the cost of discipleship, for love of family should not be greater than love for the Lord. A true disciple must take up his cross and follow Jesus (Matthew 16:24). He must be willing to face not only family hatred, but also death, like a criminal carrying his cross to his own execution. True followers of Christ must be willing to give up, even to the point of “hating” all that is in our lives, even our own families, if we are to be worthy of Him (Matthew 10:37–39). In so doing, we find our lives in return for having given them up to Jesus Christ.
Jesus was in the area of Tyre and Sidon, a coastal region in extreme northeastern Galilee (Matthew 15:21) when a Canaanite woman came to Him with a request to heal her demon-possessed daughter. For a while, Jesus did not respond to the woman’s entreaties, and she followed Him and continued to beg for mercy. Finally, the disciples, feeling that the woman was a nuisance, asked Jesus to send her away. Then Jesus said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24).
We should understand Jesus’ words here not as an outright rejection of the Gentiles—moments later, He heals the woman’s daughter (Matthew 15:28)—but as a fulfillment of prophecy, a setting of priorities, and a test of the woman’s faith.
In Jeremiah 50:6, God calls Israel His people and “lost sheep.” The Messiah, spoken of throughout the Old Testament, was seen as the one who would gather these “lost sheep” (Ezekiel 34:23-24; Micah 5:4-5). When Jesus presented Himself as a shepherd to Israel, He was claiming to be the fulfillment of Messianic prophecy (Mark 6:34, 14:27; John 10:11-16; see also Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 5:4; and Revelation 7:17).
Jesus’ words to the Canaanite woman also show an awareness of Israel’s place in God’s plan of salvation. God revealed through Moses that the children of Israel were “a holy people to the LORD . . . chosen . . . a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6). It was through the Jews that God issued His Law, preserved His Word, and sent His Son. This is why, elsewhere, Jesus tells a Samaritan that “salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22). In Matthew 15, when the Jewish Messiah says that He was sent to “the house of Israel,” He is simply connecting His presence with God’s purpose in Old Testament history. Christ was “born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law” (Galatians 4:4-5).
Every ministry must have priorities, and Christ’s ministry was no exception. When Jesus sent His disciples to preach the good news of the kingdom, He expressly told them, “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:5-6). Jesus did not forbid their preaching to all Gentiles; He did, however, narrow their focus to the areas which should be most receptive—those who knew the Law and were expecting the Messiah. Paul, in his missionary journeys, followed the same priority of preaching to the Jews first (Romans 1:16).
Finally, Jesus’ words to the Canaanite woman served as a test of her faith. She came to Jesus believing that He was the “Lord,” the “Son of David,” and the giver of mercy (Matthew 15:22). His delayed answer and seemingly exclusionary statement brought from her a further, passionate, public expression of her faith in His unlimited power (Matthew 15:27).
This act of compassion and healing of a Gentile is a beautiful picture of Christ’s ministry to the whole world—the Jewish Messiah is also the Savior of all who will believe (Matthew 28:19; John 10:16; Acts 10:34-36; Revelation 5:9).
The writer of Hebrews informs readers that God’s Word is more than simply a historical record of events and people: “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
In this passage, Word of God refers to His revelation in a general sense, meaning any method God uses to communicate with humans. Our primary exposure is through His written Word, the Bible. We learn in Scripture that the Word of God is alive and active—it not only lives but works. Let’s explore these two characteristics of God’s revelation to humankind.
The original Greek word translated here as “living” means “to have life” or “alive.” The Word of God is alive because God is a living God (Hebrews 3:12). Jesus said, “The very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63, NLT). In the parable of the sower, Jesus compared God’s Word to seed (Matthew 13:1–23). Seed, like the Word, is a living organism that, when spread and planted in fertile soil, produces abundant life.
Christians are made alive spiritually and eternally because we are “born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). Believers “enter God’s eternal rest” (receive God’s free gift of salvation by grace through faith alone and not by self-effort, Ephesians 2:8–9) through the life-giving power of God’s Word. This truth is the main point the writer of Hebrews has been driving home in the previous verses (Hebrew 4:1–11), that no one can enter God’s true rest except those in whom God’s message has taken deep root and complete control. God does the work of salvation by the power of His Word when we submit to God’s dominion and trust Him to save us through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
The term active in Hebrews 4:12 means “effective, powerful, producing or capable of producing an intended result.” The Word of God is vibrant, dynamic, energizing, and productive. It is not static or idle in the lives of genuine believers. The apostle Paul explained that the Word of God is “at work in you who believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
God’s Word is powerful, not only to give life, but also to deliver warnings and bring judgment and punishment to the disobedient: “Is not my Word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29, ESV).
God’s living Word
is not something to read or listen to passively and then forget.
James taught Christians to look “intently into the perfect law that gives freedom” and to focus on it by doing what it says (James 1:23–25). Paul told Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17, NLT). If we let God’s message do its work deep inside, it will change our character and behavior.
Astonishing, life-generating things happen when
God’s Word goes forth.
It is fully capable of accomplishing its purpose:
“The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay
on the ground to water the earth.
They cause the grain
to grow,
producing seed for the farmer and
bread for the hungry.
It is the same with my word. I send it out,
and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
and it will prosper
everywhere I send it”
(Isaiah 55:11, NLT). On the Day of Pentecost, when Peter preached the message of salvation in Jesus Christ, those who heard it “were cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37), and about three thousand people were saved (Acts 2:41).
The author of Hebrews described the Word of God as “sharper than any double-edged sword.” Paul called it “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). This sword imagery also appears in Isaiah 49:2, Revelation 1:16, and Revelation 2:12. As a sharp, double-bladed sword, the Word of God is our definitive offensive weapon against the assaults of a spiritual enemy.
When Satan tempted our Lord in the wilderness, Jesus wielded the sword of God’s Word to counter the devil’s attacks
(Matthew 4:4). His example teaches us to do the same.
The vital power of God’s message
exists in its ability to pierce and penetrate
the innermost depths of the human soul.
It can cut through any obstacle to access and inspect our unspoken thoughts and hidden secrets (Matthew 10:26; Luke 8:17; 12:2; Mark 4:22). It can cross-examine and judge the attitudes of our hearts.
Because the
Word of God is living and active,
Peter encouraged Christians to pay close attention to it (2 Peter 1:19).
May we let it be a lamp to guide our feet and a light to illuminate our path through this life
(Psalm 119:105).