If Jesus is the "Prince of Peace" as the Prophet Isaiah proclaimed in (Isaiah 9:6) why does He say here in the Gospel of Matthew, that He doesn't come to "bring peace, but a sword"?
I believe the answer lies in our response to live obediently to His Word. There have been those who because of their refusal to obey the Lord's will, have not found peace, but war. It is a war against the human will.
There will be conflict in the family, if some of the members want to live for themselves, and for the world, and others, want to live for the Lord.
And there is conflict when we place anything before our love for the Lord. And conflict comes, when we try to serve the Lord, but we spread ourselves too thin, and we make people upset, because we cannot live up to their expectations. The more we do, the more we will be expected to do. And the moment we say "NO", we will have a bunch of people. who are not very happy with us.
There are times when we have to use a sword to cut off the the things that are not right with the Lord, with others, and ourselves. It will not always contribute to peace. Just because we do the right thing, does not mean that it will be the popular thing.
Yes, Jesus will provide peace, as long as we abide by His teaching, and His Will for our lives. Jesus is our Savior, but He also is our Lord. And conflict with His will for our lives, will not bring peace, but unfortunately, will bring a sword. GP
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