GOSPEL DIVISION (30 OF 52)
Scripture: Matthew 10:34-42
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Gospel Division (30 of 52)
Series: Lectionary, Year A
Christopher B. Harbin
Matthew 10:34-42
When we hear Jesus' words, we expect to hear a call to unity. That is, after all, a major theme of the gospel of reconciliation. John devotes more than a chapter to Jesus' call for unity among followers of Jesus. Paul's missionary enterprise was steeped in the charge to become one people among both Jews and Gentiles. The Corinthinan correspondence centered around this call to become one in Christ, despite all the differences we might claim as excuses for division. On the other hand, the gospel calls us to lives of purity, of holiness, of being set apart. How do we become one and advance the mission of reconciliation while recognizing Jesus' call to stand apart from worldly concerns?
Many would like us to pray for world peace. World peace reaches far beyond the limitations of differing religious heritages and traditions. Meanwhile, we call on our very traditions and heritages as bases for striving against one another in opposition to the peace we claim to desire. We want everybody to get along, following the cry of Rodney King after the LA protests over his beating at the hand of police. ''Why can't we just get along?'' Why can't we just love one another? Why can't we accept one another's right to life and value the lives of one another as siblings called to be one in Christ Jesus?
It sounds simple. Jesus himself, however, recognized that despite the simplicity of the gospel's demand our application leaves a lot to be desired. He understood that when we truly call for God's love to be manifest in our lives on behalf of all people, we run up against systems erected to devalue others, keeping certain classes of people in their respective places. For Jesus, the result of calling us all to peace, love, grace, and reconciliation would have him hanging on a cross and those who would take up his call treated as outcasts, rebels, revolutionaries, and enemies of civili ...
Series: Lectionary, Year A
Christopher B. Harbin
Matthew 10:34-42
When we hear Jesus' words, we expect to hear a call to unity. That is, after all, a major theme of the gospel of reconciliation. John devotes more than a chapter to Jesus' call for unity among followers of Jesus. Paul's missionary enterprise was steeped in the charge to become one people among both Jews and Gentiles. The Corinthinan correspondence centered around this call to become one in Christ, despite all the differences we might claim as excuses for division. On the other hand, the gospel calls us to lives of purity, of holiness, of being set apart. How do we become one and advance the mission of reconciliation while recognizing Jesus' call to stand apart from worldly concerns?
Many would like us to pray for world peace. World peace reaches far beyond the limitations of differing religious heritages and traditions. Meanwhile, we call on our very traditions and heritages as bases for striving against one another in opposition to the peace we claim to desire. We want everybody to get along, following the cry of Rodney King after the LA protests over his beating at the hand of police. ''Why can't we just get along?'' Why can't we just love one another? Why can't we accept one another's right to life and value the lives of one another as siblings called to be one in Christ Jesus?
It sounds simple. Jesus himself, however, recognized that despite the simplicity of the gospel's demand our application leaves a lot to be desired. He understood that when we truly call for God's love to be manifest in our lives on behalf of all people, we run up against systems erected to devalue others, keeping certain classes of people in their respective places. For Jesus, the result of calling us all to peace, love, grace, and reconciliation would have him hanging on a cross and those who would take up his call treated as outcasts, rebels, revolutionaries, and enemies of civili ...
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