Jesus said "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three." (Verses 51-52)
This is a surprising verse. I think we have all heard Jesus referred to as the Prince of Peace, it's one of his nicknames. We send Christmas cards that say "Peace on Earth" because we think that is what Jesus came for. So then where does this verse come from? Why would Jesus say this?
I do believe that peace is Jesus' hope for humanity. But getting to that point is not going to be easy.
Jesus did not come to tell people what they wanted to hear. He didn't look them in the eye and say "God thinks that your sins are really cool, keep up the good work!" He actually did the opposite, he told people what they didn't want to hear.
He told a rich young guy to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor.
He chastised a man because he wanted to bury his dead father.
He called the religious leaders "unmarked graves."
Jesus didn't sugar coat what he was trying to say. Some people were offended by him, while others understood that being a disciple meant leaving behind their selfish desires. Jesus must have been a polarizing figure. Imagine owning a small fishing company and having both of your sons drop their nets and quit with no notice to follow a wandering preacher. You'd probably be pretty upset and your family might get into a little bit of an argument.
Maybe we have made Jesus out to be too nice. Most non-Christians I talk to respect Jesus for the man that he was and the things that he said. But Jesus didn't come to make friends, he came to make disciples; he didn't come to be liked, he came to challenge the status-quo... And he was pretty good at it.
If he said what everyone wanted to hear, then he never would have been crucified.
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