The Price of Comfort

And another thing!

Some Bible passages should not be read in worship unless they can be preached on. Unfortunately, Sunday we had two of those. What I wanted to preach on was the great cloud of witnesses. What I preached on instead was the signs of the times. And what got left out was the divisiveness of Jesus’ ministry.

Here’s Luke 12:49-53: Jesus said: 49 “I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already ablaze! 50 I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! 52 From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53 they will be divided:

 father against son

  and son against father,

 mother against daughter

  and daughter against mother,

 mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law

  and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

I don’t like these verses. First off, this makes the Christmas carols about “peace on earth” and “goodwill toward men” some false advertising. Secondly, we didn’t need Jesus to start some drama among families. We were pretty good at that without him. It’s salvation we need. So what’s the deal?

What I think is going on here is that Jesus is admitting, when we follow him, division can be a consequence. Faith doesn’t have to disrupt families, but it certainly can. In that culture, where following Jesus meant turning away from religion as people knew it, it surely must have. It can be hard for families now when people interpret following Jesus differently. Following him can mean taking a stand. It can be something that divides families, friends, and neighbors. It also brings peace. God is renewing all things. But in the short-term, Jesus can bring some massive discomfort.

We live in a culture where to be Christian is a mainstream thing to do. We don’t often have to be uncomfortable in order to follow our faith. That’s got a lot of positives to it, but it also leaves us with the question: What do we miss out on by not being uncomfortable? Are there risks we could or should be taking that we don’t? Are there ways that discomfort makes us grow that we haven’t had to encounter?

I enjoy being comfortable as much as anyone else does. But what price do we pay for it?