A cup of cold water

Jesus said to his Apostles: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s enemies will be those of his household.”  (Matthew 10:34-36)

This is one of those passages that can leave us a bit baffled and confused.  But when I consider it in the context of who Jesus is speaking to and in light of everything He said and did throughout all of the Gospels, I think I have a little more clarity.

In large part, He was speaking about one of the effects of the Truth (capital “T”).  The Truth of the Gospel has the power to deeply unite us to God when we fully accept it as the Word of Truth.  But another effect is that it divides us from those who refuse to be united to God in the Truth.  We’re not intending this and we ought not do so by our own will or intention, but it must be understood that by immersing ourselves in the Truth, we’re also putting ourselves at odds with everyone who may be at odds with God and His Truth.

Our culture today wants to preach “relativism.”  This is an idea that what is good and true for me may not be good and true for you but that, in spite of all having different “truths,” we can still all be one happy family.  But that’s not the Truth!

The Truth is that God has established what is right and what is wrong.  He has set His moral law over all of humanity and this can’t be undone.  He’s also set forth the truths of our faith and those can’t be undone.  And that law is true for every single person on Earth.

By saying what He did to the Apostles above, Jesus offers us the sobering reality that by rejecting all forms of relativism and by holding onto Truth, we also run the risk of division, even with those in our families.  This is sad and it hurts.  Jesus offers this Truth to strengthen us when this happens.  If division happens as a result of our sin, shame on us.  If it happens as a result of the Truth (as offered in mercy), then we should accept it as a result of the Gospel.  Jesus was rejected and we shouldn’t be surprised if that happens to us, too.

The full Truth will set us free and will also, at times, reveal the division present between us and those who have rejected God.  We must pray for unity in Christ, but not be willing to compromise so as to bring about a false unity.

The prophet Isaiah highlights the difference between the rites and right relationship with God.  True authenticity is what God desires. Isaiah believed that God was ultimately in charge and that He would judge the Israelite people on the merits of their hearts. How well did they “redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea and defend the widow”? (Isaiah 1:10-17)

What I hear in all of this is the call to take care of each other.  Sadly, our world today is very polarized, and we struggle to “hear and see and understand” (Isaiah 6:9-10) how and where to act.  We often feel powerless to make much change for the good.  In the meantime, we should “offer a cup of cold water to the little ones in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 10:37) and make every effort to receive the One who sent Jesus into this world.  Take heart and keep up the hope.