The presence of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, will create division, not a generic, over-arching unity. This division occurs when people make a conscious decision to follow Jesus and leave behind their previous way of life and walk away from the evil that held them captive.
The division Jesus creates is not about all the things that divide us against each other when we are played like pawns in the hands of corrupt political systems or are divided over the opinions we all have about a potpourri of social issues. It is a division that is created when Jesus is declared as the King of kings and Lord of lords.
In one discourse about His life and message, Jesus said, “Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other!” (Luke 12:51).
Following that stark comment, Jesus gets specific about where this division will take place. “From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against—or two in favor and three against. Father will be divided against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; and mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law” (vs. 52-53).
When Jesus is elevated to His rightful position as the only way of salvation and no one comes to the Father except through Him, that doesn’t play well at family gatherings where those sitting at the table with us are worshipping false gods and living in open expressions of evil.
This division was not a one-time event. When Jesus declared Himself the Living Water, an abundance of opinions surfaced, “So the crowd was divided about him” (John 7:43).
After healing a blind man at the Pool of Siloam, opinions about who Jesus was became the fuel for a volatile conversation. The Pharisees stepped in further inflaming the conversation, and as a result, “So there was a deep division of opinion among them” (John 9:16).
On one occasion, Jesus was describing Himself as the Good Shepherd telling the crowd those who know Him will know His voice. He said a good shepherd will lay down his life to protect the sheep. “When he said these things, the people were again divided in their opinions about him” (John 10:19).
If we follow Jesus, we will not always leave a smooth sea of relationships in the wake of our lives. When truth disturbs deception and rattles the demons who delude the minds of people, stuff hits the fan. How we respond in those moments is an opportunity to speak the truth in love and not remain silent and compromise our commitment to Him. As Paul wisely admonished, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18). When the truth about Jesus is the cause of the division, that peace is not always possible.
If I may, I’d like to provide a paragraph from a chapter in my book “Bible Gems from Jerusalem” which deals with this very issue: “With Jesus’ appearing came new revelations and understandings which would eventually shed their light over the whole human race. However, it was also at this time that a fierce debate sprang up over the Nazarene’s mission and identity which has never yet died away. When He did not appear in the Temple during the first festive days [Feast of Tabernacles] all the pilgrims, from every part of the country and from abroad, were seeking Him and inquiring after Him. The question on everyone’s lips concerned the true nature of the charismatic teacher from the north, and John recorded their confused discussions as they murmured in low voices for fear of identification with His cause. Their broken fragments of conversation distilled elements of eagemess and hope, suspicion and skepticism, perplexity and faith. In the fascinating Seventh Chapter of his Gospel, the Evangelist delineates with penetrating insight the nature of the controversies surrounding the Person and work of Christ.” I would suggest there are at least three controversies John delineates here.
we are not called to create unity, but to strive to preserve it.
most challenges that I face deal with honoring and respecting the individual gifts, passions and pursuits of divinely gifted leaders.