“Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” (Luke 12:51-53)

Down through history many skeptics, philosophers, atheists, and critics have used this passage from Luke it as a means to discredit Jesus and the Bible and undermine our Christian faith. They claim that, if Jesus was a man of peace, how could He make such a belligerent and bloodthirsty proclamation?

Yet the words of Jesus are not confusing or strange; they are prophetic. They foretell the effects of faith in Him will have on people. The truth is that Jesus came to bring peace and unity between God and man by His atoning sacrifice on the cross, a unity that was disrupted by sin and Satan. Yet mankind rejects this truth. They reject this offer of salvation by faith in order to save themselves by their works. So although faith in Christ unites believers, it divides them from those who reject Him. These would rather hate and persecute true believers with violence, slander, and even legal means in an attempt to silence the truth. And so the gospel alienates and divides families, friends, neighbors, and societies. These relationships fail because our relationship to Christ, our loyalty and love for Him must be paramount in our lives over all others, even our families.

These words of Christ sound like a prophecy of present day America. Christians are hated and persecuted. Legal means are used to suppress the gospel as many in our world do not want to feel condemned. They prefer to live in immoral lifestyles without being told they are sinners in the eyes of the Lord. They do not want to feel guilty for their lifestyle choices or their “gender preferences”. Adding to the hatred is the venomous rhetoric of politics fueled into a frenzy by broadcast and social media. This division has even separated family and church members. We Christians ought not to separate ourselves from other believers because of politics. We owe our first allegiance to the Lord and His Kingdom. We should always live by Kingdom principles, not political platforms. We must seek to honor the Lord and bless others by adhering to God’s truth with love, grace, forgiveness, and mercy despite what others say or do to us or the losses and pain we must endure.