Bible
Study: Ephesians 3, 14 to 21 and Luke 12, 49 to 53.
Going
through the Gospel passage of today, one might become confused as to what Jesus
really meant when he said he has come to cast fire on earth and bring division
rather than peace. This looks like a contraction of what he said in John 14, 27:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the
world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be
afraid.”
So what
kind of division is Jesus talking about when he wants us to have Peace? Why
would Father and Son, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law be separated because of
Christ? For us to really understand the division Jesus is referring to, it is
important to return to the words of Jesus on the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew
5, 29 to 30: “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it
away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body
to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off
and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for
your whole body to go into hell.”
When you
are passionate about the things of God; when your heart is set on fire for
Christ and you want to live your life according to his precepts, do you notice
how certain persons begin to withdraw from you? In fact, there are certain
relationships you may have prior to that time which would suddenly die off
simply because you have set out your heart to serve God with all your might and
strength.
It could
even be that your closeness to your family members is preventing you from
rising above certain sinful habits and you find yourself caught up in a trap.
But the day you decide to make God your number one, you are faced with a tough
choice, either to break loose of your family bonds, or to remain there unable
to grow spiritually. This is the division Christ is speaking about.
It is a
division from the world but at the same time, it will bring Peace to your soul,
a peace that the world itself does not understand. That peace is the joy of
knowing Christ and living a life according to his commands. That is the joy that
St. Paul’s prayed for us Christians in his letter to the Ephesians 3, 16 to 17
when he wrote: “I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant
that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit,
and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted
and grounded in love.”
Let us
pray:
Lord
Jesus, rid me of whatever would keep me far from you. Amen.
Be Happy.
Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you.
Fr. Abu
No comments:
Post a Comment