Jesus Asks a Question: “Do you think that I came to give peace on earth?”

Jesus Asks a Question: “Do you think that I came to give peace on earth?”

The Grand Inquisitor. Messiah Jesus was a Master of asking questions: some were open-ended, others were very pointed; some were out of curiosity, others were challenging; some seemed rhetorical, others seemed painfully obvious; some were to reveal Himself, others were to guide the other into self-understanding; some were intentionally provocative, others were to kick-start a conversation; some questions were asked to explore a topic to deepen understanding and stretch toward the truth; some were leading questions that He designed to suggest a particular answer, and others were questions in response to questions asked of Him; some were hypotheticals to stimulate the imagination, other questions were used  by Him as stepping stones to think logically from one point to the next. Jesus used questions to dignify the listener, letting that person know that He is taking that person seriously and listening carefully. Many of His questions were acts of friendship and used to pursue a more profound intimacy with someone. Jesus asked very few yes-no questions, and since time was usually irrelevant for Him when He was with people, He rarely asked a “when” question. Several biblical scholars have studied the gospels with Christ’s questions in mind, and they have literally counted a total of 307 questions in His various conversations and teachings. It seems that a worthy spiritual exercise when considering the many questions of Jesus is that we ask ourselves… should I take His questions personally, as if He was asking us that question right now?

The Question. “Do you suppose that I came to bring peace on earth? No, my mission is not to bring peace (“eirene”) but a sword. I have come to divide people against each other.” (Luke 12:51 and Matthew 10:34).

Another Rhetorical Question. Here we find Jesus asking another question to which He already knows the answer. He is asking the question to prepare His audience for the answer, to lead the listeners to the conclusion He wants to highlight. And His claim here seems to fly in the face of what we have been told repeatedly in the Gospels. Jesus is obviously contradicting himself in a major way. So which is it… is Jesus bringing peace to the earth or is He bringing division? As so often happens with the incomprehensible mind of God, this is not an either/or, it’s a both/and.

“Shalom” and “Eirene” = The ancient Hebrew word and the gospel Greek term translated as peace and means much more than absence of war: completeness or wholeness, as in the joining together of opposites; integrity, as in the effective holding together of separate pieces; to give/restore harmony; fulfillment; health; security; abundant well-being; tranquility; freedom from disquiet and disorder; reconciliation; resolution of conflict; healing of division; to flourish; prosperity.

The Prince of Shalom and the Great Divider. Jesus truly does bring a peace that passes understanding in so many ways. The angels sang “peace on earth to mankind” at his birth, while He promises to leave division in His wake. He gives His “perfect peace” to the disciples at the end, and yet He intends to sow discord among the people. He instructs His followers to say “peace upon this house” during their missionary journey, and yet He causes outright hostility in homes across the land. He commands His followers to harmonize with each other while at the same time brings disharmony everywhere He goes. He self-identifies as a Man of peace, but conflict dogs His trail throughout His ministry on earth. Peace is a fruit of His Holy Spirit, and yet He brings turmoil as He ministers to people. Jesus teaches that the peacemakers are blessed, but then He intends to be a division-maker in His ministry.

Layers of Peace. It appears that Jesus does indeed yearn to bring inner peace to His followers as an aspect of healing the heart of those who choose Him. And He pushes hard for His spiritual family to be at peace, to be unified together as they resolve conflicts. But now comes His sword of division. His introductory mission to the world is apparently not to bring worldwide peace to the earth. His final mission upon His return, though, is to bring peace and reconciliation to everyone for all time. But that’s not what He intends to do His first time around on planet earth. Jesus saw division as being the immediate result of His work, conflict especially within the homes. But the eventual purpose of His ministry was to divide in order to unite, to eventually bring peace, between people and between God and mankind. Jesus is the ultimate peacemaker. He wants to confront these deep differences and conflicts that inevitably come in His presence, and He earnestly wants to be the bringer of peace and healing and justice. So then, Jesus intends to bring peace to individual followers, to Christan communities, but not the world of humanity at large, until His triumphant return.

Jesus Promised Peace Within. So when Jesus offers His peace to each of His followers as a gift, He is telling us many important things: He is offering our reconciliation with God through Him; He is desiring that we flourish in mind and body and spirit; He is trusting that we grow in an inner harmony, blending together those loose ends within each of us; He is pushing for an outer harmony as well, between people at battle with each other; He is granting us untroubled hearts and minds. When Jesus offers His peace, He is opening the door to a soul-satisfying contentment in each of us. That is the gospel of peace, a deep, fearless peace that defies easy description, a life-long heavenly experience on earth that is not comparable to anything else we can experience. Shalom (peace) ranks the highest of all values in the Hebrew Bible, according to Jewish scholars. Shalom is the most important goal in all of life. “Rabbinic teaching describes it as the only vessel through which God’s blessings can flow into this world.” (Rabbi Arthur Green, These are the words: A Vocabulary of Jewish Spiritual Life).

Jesus Expects Peace with One Another.  Proclaiming the peace of Christ surely invites the devil to get involved and add his discord and division. The One Another’s reveal what it looks like to lay down your life for your friends, to put your self on the shelf in a daily martyrdom, sacrificing yourself for someone else’s benefit out of love. These One Another’s described below describe what it takes to live in a healthy, peaceful community. With the transforming power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we can indeed enjoy a life together that reflects the peace of the eternal Kingdom of God, a community that has a heart for one another.

PURSUE SHALOM: ‘Make every effort to live in peace with everyone.” (Hebrews 12:4). Live in harmony with others; intentionally help in the combining of separate people into a unified whole; lend a helping  hand in reconciling apparent differences with others; adjust yourself in order to fit together with others; as much as is possible, honestly be of the same mind with others; be agreeable and forgiving; join together with others in a unifying purpose; actively listen to achieve mutual understanding; bravely pray that God’s shalom will flood the atmosphere with His presence. “Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” (Romans 14:19, NRSV).

1. Bear One Another’s Burdens: To lift up and carry; to take up and walk with; to intercede for someone else, whether through prayer or caregiving, whether tangible or intangible; to relieve someone of something that weighs heavily on them.
2. Build Up One Another: To edify; to strengthen; to empower; to affirm certain qualities; to help someone or a group to grow to maturity; to construct a building, an edifice, of faith and character in another person or group.
3. Warn One Another: To admonish; to caution; to place into someone’s awareness; to reprove gently; to call attention to; to alert another person’s thinking; to offer sound advice and guidance.
4. Encourage One Another: To “paraclete” each other: Called to come alongside someone in need, in order to help and bear burdens by Pointing to God, Advising, Reminding, Advocating for, Comforting, Listening, Exhorting, Teaching and E
5. Restore One Another: To set right; to repair; to refit; to mend; to rejoin; to bring back to its original state; to heal.
6. Honor One Another: To show deference to; to prefer over one’s self; to highly esteem; to greatly respect; to revere; to focus on the importance of another.
7. Bear With One Another: To put up with; to make allowances for; to willingly endure; forbearance; to tolerate; to have patience with; to accept someone despite their weaknesses.
8. Exhort One Another: To urge to continue in the Faith; to beseech in strong terms; to come alongside to offer encouraging guidance; to inspire courage and hope; to call upon someone to act; to give affirming words that strengthens others.
9. Confess to One Another: To acknowledge openly; to freely admit to wrongdoing; to announce one’s guilt; to concede one’s shortcomings; to repent of sins; to agree with God that one’s sin is a sin.
10. Wash One Another’s Feet: A simple act of hospitality; a house servant’s task; involves placing someone else’s dirty, smelly feet into a bowl of water and carefully using one’s hands to cleanse those feet of all dirt, grime and sweat, and then drying the feet with a clean towel; a common, menial act of service and humility; exercising the ministry of touch to the untouchable; the powerful sacrament of servanthood.
11. Harmonize with One Another. When separate parts intentionally combine into a beautiful whole; to reconcile apparent differences into a combined unity; to adjust in order to fit together; to be of the same mind; to unite in the same direction in will, affection and conscience; to join together in unity of spirit and purpose, with one heart and one passion; to be agreeable and get along; mutual understanding.
12. Forgive One Another. Forgivenessis a sign of mercy, the process of giving up the right to punish. If someone wrongs you, to forgive that person would be to give up the right to punish that person in your heart. Forgiveness is giving up the right to hold a grudge, to keep score, to seek revenge, to stand in ultimate judgment of that person. Forgiveness is one way to honor the dignity of the other person, it is one step in the healing of the inevitable woundedness between people.

Jesus Promises to Bring Conflict and Division:

Jamey Johnson, Willie Nelson, Chris Stapleton & Lee Ann Womack – Gotta Serve Somebody

The Two Paths. One common theme in the Hebrew Bible is known as the “Two Paths” principle. The Jewish authors of Scripture believed strongly in the existence of free will, and often spoke of the two ways that people can choose to live their lives. There are only two kinds of people, the Bible often said, those  who choose to follow the ways of God, and those who do not. Yahweh was often returning to this idea as He inspired His leaders to write about the choices that people need to make. Psalm 1 contrasts the blessed ones who follow the ways of God vs. the foolish ones who choose to follow their own path. Proverbs is centered on the choice of becoming wise and righteous or foolish and wicked. And with these choices, there will inevitably be some who accept one path, and some the other path. Division was expected and seen as a fact of human life in God’s world. Some people will choose faithfulness to God, and some will choose to reject Him. Yahweh did not accept indecision, sitting on the fence of belief vs. unbelief. So this approach of demanding a decision ultimately led to separating people into divided groupings, and it still does. Other examples of this “Two Path” principle include:

1. Moses = “Look! I have set before you today a choice… on the one hand, life and good; and on the other hand, death and evil. If you love the Lord your God, follow His ways, and obey His commands, you will live, and the Lord will bless you in the land. But if your heart turns away, if you refuse to listen to Him, I am announcing to you today that you will certainly perish, you will not live long in the land you are entering. I call on heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have presented you with life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore, choose life, so that you will live, loving the Lord your God, paying attention to what He says, and clinging to Him – For that is the purpose of your life!” (Deuteronomy 30:15-20).
2. Joshua = “Choose this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord Yahweh.” (24:14-15).
3. Elijah = “Elijah came near to all the people and said, ‘How long will you jump back and forth between two different positions, refusing to make a decision? If you believe the Lord is God, follow Him; but if you think Baal is, then follow him!” (1 Kings 18:20-21).

The Jewish Roots to Jesus and His Sword.  Naturally, being raised in the Hebrew Scriptures and thoroughly Jewish in His understanding, Jesus continued this line of teaching in his ministry. He realized that, in the spirit of the “Two Paths” principle,  His ministry on earth would wield a sword, He would leave division because He would ask people to make a choice, a commitment. Jesus was the New Moses, demanding a choice. Either a person was for Him or against Him. Some would follow Him, and some would not. And there we see, not peace and concord, but division and disharmony. Examples of His sword are:

1. The Narrow Gate or the Wide Gate. “Strive to enter in at the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are they who go in by that way. Because narrow is the gate and narrow the way which leads to life, and few there are who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14). Everyone will have to make a decision one way or the other, Jesus is saying. Either we each choose the narrow entrance or the wide entrance. Spiritually sitting on the fence is impossible. Many Greek scholars say that in this context “destruction” is referring to this life more than the next. They believe that ‘destruction’ is not intended to refer to ultimate matters as much as temporal ones, just like Moses in the earlier passage in Deuteronomy. Destruction here does not mean damnation, and life does not mean salvation. Jesus seems to be saying that those who choose the wide way are those who will end up wasting their life, squandering their prime opportunity to live with an intimate relationship with God. Those who enter through the wide gate are going to live an unblessed life, an unfulfilling life. Jesus instead wants people to enter through the narrow way, His Way, to live an abundant life, a spiritually satisfying and fulfilling life, the way life is meant to be lived.
2. Lukewarm is Not Acceptable! Jesus stated that the believers in Laodicea were just like the water being delivered by their famous aqueduct… lukewarm, undrinkable by God. They are just like that distasteful water, unacceptable to God, unsatisfying, worthy to be spit out. The believers are tepid, they have no passion for God, they have no fervor to live the Way of Christ. They are satisfied with a lukewarm faith. They meet no resistance from their highly secular neighbors because they don’t stand for anything spiritual in value, they offer no alternative lifestyles or world view. They would never have to pick up their cross and suffer indignities and be thus refined in God’s fire of suffering. They were content with how their comfortable life unfolded. Jesus wanted to re-ignite their indifferent faith. He wanted to spark their spiritual dormancy. Their material life was so loudly calling to them, that they didn’t hear the Lord patiently knocking on the doors of their hearts. ( 3:14-22). Jesus is saying that He would rather they choose to accept or reject Him, as opposed to doing neither.
3. The Way. “I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). Jesus makes things qujte clear… I Am the Way, and all other options are not the way. So either choose Me as the road to follow in your life, or go on the other road. You have to make a decision: My way or the highway. The Person of Jesus provides the only way to reach the Father. He is the only road to God. He is the pathway to Yahweh. Access to the Father is only through Him. As spelled out in the Gospels, Jesus is the only way to God and to abundant, eternal life. There is a Jesus way to do things, a Jesus way to live life. His way is energized by and rooted in love. Love is the Jesus way. He began His Farewell Discourse with this declaration, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35). Love is the distinctive way of life for Jesus-followers. Love is the defining lifestyle, now, as it was in the early Christian community. In fact, members of the Christian Faith were even called people of The Way before they were called Christians (Acts 9:2). Early believers deliberately chose Christ, they adopted the Jesus way, and were known by their love for each other.

Becoming a Peacemaker in the Midst of Division. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.” (Matt. 5:9). A peacemaker is an ambassador from another Country, God’s Kingdom, bringing offers of peace, well-being and wholeness from the King to all people in all situations. The Jewish understanding of peace, shalom, would include a sense of well-being within and harmony with others. In fact, when asking someone about their general well-being, the people of the Bible would ask, “How is your peace?” If one was at peace within and without, one would be living in shalom, thinking that “all is well.”  A peacemaker is one who will seek to:

1. Reconcile the world to God through Christ, the Prince of Peace, in His ministry of reconciliation. (II Corinthians 5:18-20).
2. Walk into a volatile situation in which there is more heat than light, and is able to turn down the heat and add some new light.
3. Bring two competing parties to cooperate for the common good.
4. Heal brokenness between people who have hurt each other.
5. Build an atmosphere of prayerful serenity.
6. Enable uncompromising people to come to a truce and have further discussion.
7. Inject one’s own peace of mind into a troubled situation and create a calm atmosphere.
8. Ease the fears and anxieties in those who need peace of mind and spirit.
9. Help persons to feel comfortable with an “agree to disagree” negotiation.
10. Stimulate others to flourish in wholeness, not merely survive.
11. “We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them.” (II Cor. 5:18-20, Message).
12. Helping people live in harmony with their deepest differences.
13. Develop the tools and relationships needed to heal racial or ethnic discord.
14. Advocate for the unjustly treated, in order to bring about a lasting change and a humane concord between the powerful and powerless.
15. Enable two groups to talk productively instead of argue counterproductively.
16. Bring a spiritual balm to a festering wound between injured persons.
17. Add a winsome objectivity to people stuck in being selfishly subjective.
18. Help people to resolve their personal conflict and restore their relationship.
19. Help a conflicted person to resolve inner conflicts and enjoy peace of mind.
20. Provide the spiritual direction needed to restore a friendship between God and a person hostile to the Faith.
21. Help battling people or parties to “trade their swords for shovels and their spears for rakes.” (Micah 4:3, Message).

“I leave the gift of peace with you – My peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace.” (John 14:27). “Everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you, and will give you great confidence as you rest in me. For in this unbelieving world, you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must cheer up and be courageous, for I have conquered the world!” (John 16:33).

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