It was great to have the Wi family back this weekend and sharing with us. As you may know, Adrian served as a pastor at Lifespring for our youth group (back when I was still a youth!) Though their work has taken them around the world, they have remained a part of the Lifespring family. It was so good to welcome them back to a place where they have impacted so many.
As I listened on Sunday to their sharing, it felt like our Family Weekend had started already! I’m definitely looking forward to hearing and learning more this coming weekend. Of the many things I learned, one thing that stuck out to me was how the stories of others helped me to see scripture with new eyes. Adrian spoke from Matthew 10, a chapter I had read before as many of you probably have. There were always passages in Jesus’s teachings here that perplexed me. For example, Matthew 10:34-39 says,
“Don’t think that I’ve come to bring peace to the earth. I haven’t come to bring peace but a sword. I’ve come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. People’s enemies are members of their own households.
Those who love father or mother more than me aren’t worthy of me. Those who love son or daughter more than me aren’t worthy of me. Those who don’t pick up their crosses and follow me aren’t worthy of me. Those who find their lives will lose them, and those who lose their lives because of me will find them.”
Some of the things that Jesus spoke about here are definitely confusing. What does it mean that Jesus didn’t come to bring peace on earth, but to turn family members against each other? That people’s enemies are members of their own household?
For many of us, such verses may be difficult to apply to our lives. Personally, I’ve had the blessing of growing up in a Christian household. We all share the privilege of living in a society where our faith is accepted, and where many in our society share similar beliefs. I know that my faith hasn’t turned me against my family, or turned other people against me.
But as I heard the stories of others, I realized that some of the things that Jesus spoke about here were a reality for many. Over 380 million Christians today live in places where they suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination (www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries). While the verses above may be confusing for me, I think they are a reality for many. As we heard, for some people, following Jesus has come at a great cost. God coming into their lives actually turned people’s family member’s against them. I think that as Jesus taught about these things, he was speaking directly into those kinds of situations.
As we read our Bibles, I hope that verses like this will remind us to pray for our brother’s and sister’s in Christ who continue to suffer for their faith. And as we learn more this coming Family Weekend, I pray that God would connect our hearts to the people and places where we can make a kingdom impact for others.