Jer 38:4–6, 8–10; Heb 12:1–4; Lk 12:49–53 Are you for Peace of Division? Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division… You may be wondering in your mind these statements of Jesus. You may ask, how could the Prince of peace (Is 9:6) cause division? How could the same one who advocate for peace be against peace? How could the one who invites wearied hearts to come and have peace (Matt 11:28) and the one who bequeath peace on his disciples (Jn 14:27) cause division among families? More still, how could the one who said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled be the cause of division? We know that every sensible human being prefers peace to division. What does Jesus really mean by those statements? What kind of division is he talking about? When Jesus spoke about division he likely had in mind the prophecy of Micah: “A man’s enemies are the men of his own household (Micah 7:6). Jesus’ teachings already demands acceptance or rejection. He is saying that there is no playing the role of an anonymous Christian. If we accept Christ’s teaching, we will be opposed and ridiculed by those who reject it. What is at stake is the uncompromising nature of the gospel message, which is the light exposing the darkness of a crooked world. Somewhere along the line we must make the choice of whether we are going to be followers of Christ or not. It’s a serious decision and not to be taken lightly. The call to be prophets by modelling our lives on Christ will automatically mean saying goodbye to a rosy and comfortable way of living. If the teaching of Christ does not cause us to question the way we are living, we are falling short of being whole-hearted. The fire of Christ is not burning within our hearts. He is saying he has not come to give peace at the cost of truth or justice. A situation where we say let there be peace and we are conformed to the standard of the world. That kind of peace is “the peace of the graveyard” where there is absolute peace but all the inmates are dead. When an affluence society would cause us to believe that happiness, peace consist in the size of cars, the impressiveness of our homes, in expensive clothes, Jesus reminds us that, “A man’s life consist not in the abundance of the things that he possesses.” When we refuse to suffer for righteousness and choose to follow the path of comfort rather than conviction, we hear Jesus say, “Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake! For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” We live in times when many preachers are tempted by the enticing cult of conformity. Seduced by the success symbols of the world, ‘they say am I the one who will change the world? “Let sleeping dogs lie.” Let me have my peace - that is, “peace in the graveyard.” For peace to reign, preachers who are suppose to be the prophets of our time have become showmen to please the whims and caprices of the people. Preachers have become praise-singers so as to retain their position. They say, let peace be - that is, “peace in the graveyard.” For peace to reign preachers today preach comforting sermons to avoid saying anything from the pulpit which might disturb the respectable views of the comfortable members of our congregations. For peace to reign ministers have sacrificed truth on the altar of self-interest and, like Pilate, yielded our convictions to the demands of the crowd? Why is there so much talk and prayer for peace when what we mean is violence, injustice and oppression? Why are there many crusades, churches, revivals, without transformation in the lives of the people? The reason is obvious- Many ministers preach “peace of the graveyard.” There is an urgent need for the Jeremiahs of our time to act, we need today men like Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego, who, when ordered by king Nebuchadnezzar to bow before a golden image, will say in unequivocal terms, “if it be so, our God whom we serve is able o deliver us… But if not… we will not serve the gods”. We need Martin Luther king jnr. of our time, we need another Archbishop Oscar Romero. Jesus said, I came to cast fire upon the earth; Do not think I have come to give graveyard peace, No, division, because the truth will be rejected and opposed. Do not be surprised that Jesus speaks this way; he is only reflecting what has been prophesied about him by Simeon, that he will be a sign of contradiction and is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel. (Lk. 2:34). Jesus’ coming had tore families in two. Over and over again people had to decide whether they loved their families better than Christ. The essence of Christianity is that loyalty to Christ has to take precedence over the dearest loyalties on this earth. The good news is that true peace does not lie in those who keep quiet to the truth and refuse to speak out. True peace is the reward of those who embrace the ways of Jesus, whose life of humility, obedience, radical love, stands for justice and truth. Christians must assume this prophetic role for and on behalf of the suffering people of God in Nigeria. Prophets are visionaries of their time. When all others are blind, prophets are granted to see the handwriting on the wall, to interpret the signs of the times, to see the light beyond the tunnel. Christians must be signs of contradiction in our world plagued with injustice, oppression and evil. May the fire of Christ consume us and transform us that we may truly desire nothing more than being faithful to Christ. Amen. Happy Sunday!
Posted on: Sat, 17 Aug 2013 23:16:58 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015