A Meditation
This morning, I told Jesus, “You are tricky. You know you are tricky.”
Jesus said hard things.
I’m not a theologian. God has built in me a love for words. I am trained to analyze words. I was trained to micro-analyze words. Put your finger on the poem and focus on that word and work outward.
Jesus said hard things.
I am not a theologian. I know there is wider context to explore here.
But Jesus said, “Don’t think that I’ve come to bring peace to the earth. I haven’t come to bring peace but a sword.”
And I will move into the wider parts of Matthew 10. I will move into the wider context as I study this. But this week, my finger has been on verse 34, one from which I have always ran.
Truth slices, doesn’t it? Like a sword might. It is not peaceful to have false histories sliced open.
Don’t think that I’ve come to bring peace to the earth. I haven’t come to bring peace but a sword.
Jesus slices. It is not peaceful to cut yourself from whatever ensnares you so that you may follow him. It is not peaceful to cut yourself from comfort.
Jesus said hard things.
We all want to see Jesus as the smiling, peaceful, loving Son of God. It does make us uncomfortable to realize that He not always is those things. But He does His best work in us when we are uncomfortable. It means we are paying closer attention. We aren’t being lulled in to complacency with familiarity.
Parse out those words, Woman. I am enjoying going on this journey with you.