June 21, 2020 – Matthew 10:24-39
Matthew 10:24-39
Not Peace? But a Sword?
Lectionary 12A – June 21, 2020
First Lutheran Church – Winnipeg, MB
I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
This is always a very surprising thing to hear Jesus say!
Even though we understand that he is speaking metaphorically when it comes to the sword,
we think, “Really? Really, Jesus? You come to bring division, not peace?”
In fact, in Matthew’s Gospel Jesus says next to nothing about peace.
He speaks of it here and in only one other place:
when he’s telling the disciples that if they come to a house and give it the blessing of
peace and that peace is returned to them, then they should take it back and
take it on down the road with them to someplace that will accept it.
This is so interesting to me: Matthew’s Jesus is seemingly just not that interested in peace.
In Luke’s Gospel – as we hear every Christmas Eve, the angels announce at the birth of Jesus:
Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!”
In John’s Gospel, on Easter evening Jesus appears among the disciples in a locked room and
says, “Peace be with you!”
There is much more talk of peace and especially “the God of peace” in Paul’s writings and in
the other letters of the New Testament.
But in Matthew, not so much.
Nobody would deny that God seeks shalom, the health, well-being, safety and security of
all living beings and of the earth we inhabit.
But isn’t it interesting that this is not a feature of Matthew’s Jesus?
Indeed, Jesus explicitly says in today’s reading, “I have not come to bring peace.”
What could he mean?
I think these words hit me with so much force this week because, well, we could use some peace.
The last few months have been very unsettling.
Those who suffer from anxiety seem to be particularly hard hit –
but it has been hard for many of us.
We worry about contracting COVID-19 – or unwittingly passing it on.
Those of us who have lost jobs or own businesses worry about income.
We worry about the ongoing effects of isolation.
And is all that weren’t enough, we worry about rising tensions over racial justice.
We have seen first hand evidence of discrimination against people of colour by
those whose first duty is to protect all citizens.
We have seen the numbers that confirm that people of colour are indeed incarcerated at
higher rates than others.
We have seen violence escalate as a result of these tensions.
And we worry that God’s long-promised peace seems more elusive than ever.
And then, today, Jesus says, “I have not come to bring peace.”
Great.
One thing that is helpful in thinking about this is that Jesus here is speaking descriptively,
not prescriptively.
That is, he is speaking about what will happen as a result of his ministry of
inclusion and justice-seeking: it will divide people as a consequence.
There will be resistance to his inclusive vision of manna-sharing and mercy-giving.
Those who have vested interests in the system as it is will resist –
and this indeed turned out to be the case.
Who, after all, put Jesus to death?
The religious and political authorities who had a vested interest in the status quo.
He is simply saying to the disciples today:
“This is what will happen to you if you follow me,
if you imitate me, if you do as I do, if you include all people equally in your ministries: you will be resisted.
You might bring shame to your families if you do the things that I do,
just as I have brought shame to mine and they think me crazy.
This has caused a division in my family but my allegiance to God’s vision for this world is
more important to me than this.
And it should be more important to you.”
He is speaking descriptively.
He is not speaking prescriptively.
That is, he is not saying:
“I’ve come to purposely stir up trouble between people.
My vision is for a world on fire where I set the strong against the weak and the weak prevail.
I have come to take up arms against all who would oppose me –
so take up arms and fight with me and we will destroy all those who disagree with us
so that none who disagree with us will be left alive.”
Indeed, when he says, “I have come to bring a sword” he is not speaking literally.
After all, when one of his disciples does pick up a sword when he is arrested later in the Gospel,
Jesus says, “Put your sword back in its place!
For all who take the sword will die by the sword.”
I think what Jesus is saying is more or less
what we have been witnessing the last couple of weeks:
When people protest on behalf of inclusion, and justice, and fairness, they will often be opposed.
Which is the reason why, let’s face it, they had to protest in the first place.
It’s descriptive: divisions are the consequence of protesting injustice.
But the protest itself does not seek division: it seeks healing.
The method of protest does not involve picking up a sword.
Apparently Jesus had the power and authority to slay those who opposed him.
After he tells the disciple to put his sword back in its place he says,
“Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than
Twelve legions of [warrior] angels?” (Matthew 26:53)
Instead, Jesus prays for his enemies and seeks to forgive them.
Perhaps like a modern day practitioner of non-violent resistance,
Jesus creates division by his protest, but seeks to overcome it through non-violent means
and by appealing to the humanity of his oppressor.
This was, after all, the great insight into Jesus’ methods by Tolstoy and Gandhi.
For us as members of First Lutheran Church – for us as followers of Jesus –
Jesus outlines the consequences of following him, but also the promise involved in it.
We are precious and beloved and we will be minded by God as we engage in our work of
following and imitating Jesus.
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
I take this to be a great encouragement in our work –
which is made doubly difficult by our not being able to gather together right now.
At this time, our work should seem more important to the well-being of society than ever.
As one commentator wrote this week:
To take up our cross and follow Jesus is not to deny our own belovedness, but to affirm – and demonstrate through our living – God’s naming all this world as beloved.
Naming all this world as beloved.
That is our task, by what we say and what we do as a community.
We do this on Sunday morning when we are able to gather – we welcome all.
We incorporate people into our community.
We work alongside organizations like The Excel Empowerment Centre that seek to
lift up immigrants and refugees and new Canadians.
And we are involved in the forming of a moral identity among our children.
According to Kelly Brown Douglas, a moral identity is one that is relieved of pretensions to superiority. It lets go of any myths that suggest one people is more valuable than another. . . A moral identity affirms the shared humanity of all human beings.
Friends, this work is more important than even in our current context.
Continue to work, continue to pray, continue to give.
And be encouraged by Jesus’ challenging but urgent words today.
So together, let us say, “Amen.”
Pastor Michael Kurtz
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