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Emphasis Mine In Bible Verses
Did Jesus Come to Bring Peace or Division?
Because Jesus and peace are so often mentioned in the same sentence in the Bible most assume that bringing peace to the world was something Christ was supposed to do. For instance,
The Gospel is called "the gospel of peace", (Ephesians 6:15).
Jesus is known as the Prince of Peace" - an appellation that originated with Isaiah who, in foretelling His birth, said "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).
When the angels announced Jesus' birth to the shepherds they praised God and said, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" (Luke 2:14).
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God" (Matthew 5:9).
"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27)
The problem as many see it is that there is no peace.
On an international level the world has experienced only very brief periods of peace for centuries. Although very welcome, these brief periods of quiet only seem like interludes - time needed to rearm for the next round. And, with two world wars in the not so distant past and the ever looming possibility of another....
On a local level open a newspaper or turn on a news channel on any given day and you will be greeted by any number of smaller but often very vicious conflicts raging in various parts of the globe.
And individuals don't do any better. Crime, violence, mass shootings etc. are common place in the modern world as are acts of terrorism. Modern man seems to increasingly lean towards the idea that problems (even domestic ones) are best dealt with by murdering the other party. Savage conflicts have arisen over matters as petty as parking spaces and 'Black Friday' deals.
The violence never seems to stop.
Peace And Conflict?
What has been overlooked is that although He is well known as the 'Prince of Peace' in two of the Gospels Jesus unequivocally stated that his earthly ministry was not to bring peace to the earth.
Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. "They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." (Luke 12:51-53 NASB)
Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. "For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be the members of his household. (Matthew 10:34-36 NASB)
These statements have not only perplexed many believers but have been pointed out by the already skeptical as an example of a clear contradiction in the Scriptures. Also See Alleged Discrepancies in the Gospels
So how we are to make any sense of the seemingly opposing declarations - did Jesus' come to Earth to bring peace or conflict?
Actually the answer is both
Peace on Earth
The Savior's primary message was to announce God's kingdom that would ultimately establish God's peace on earth. The "peace on earth" that the angels proclaimed at Jesus' birth will come, but not until God's kingdom finds it final fulfillment here on earth. For details see ...
The Three Stage Emergence Of The Kingdom
Much of what Jesus said made it sound like the kingdom of God was something that would come about only at some future date... However, what complicates the issue is that Jesus also spoke of the presence of the kingdom being already present. And if that wasn't confusing enough, Jesus also indicated that the kingdom has both present and future dimensions. Could it be that Jesus simply contradicted Himself or is there some things about Hebrew prophecy that we do not understand? The problem lies in the fact that most believers understand the phrase "kingdom of God" as exclusively referring to the Heaven Christians anticipate going to when they die.
Also See
What Was Jesus' Primary Message?
It wasn't 'love' or peace as many seem to believe
What and Where is Heaven?
Christians who believe they will spend an eternity in "heaven", seem to have little or no idea where this heaven is, what it will look like, or what they will do once they arrive. Either they have vague, half formed ideas about some ethereal place 'out there' or resort to pious phrases that amount to little more than spiritual gobbledy gook. If this is the best we can do then it is little wonder that non Christians are not in the slightest bit interested in our "heaven", and Christians themselves so rarely seem to look forward to the coming of the kingdom of God. Luckily the Bible isn't at all silent on where "heaven" is and, even more importantly, what it will be like. In fact, the Bible's description of the coming kingdom is far, far, more practical than that of our theologians.
The Peace Promised Believers In The Here and Now
Peace With God
Most importantly and at great personal expense Jesus bought us peace with God the Father
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. (Romans 5:10 NASB)
If Jesus hadn't paid the penalty for our sins none of us would ever have had our sins forgiven and been reconciled with the Father. His sacrifice turned the arrow of God's justice away from believers and gave us promise of eternal life. This is available to anyone who trusts Jesus for salvation.
However, it is well worth remembering that salvation involves more than simply affirming in one's mind that Jesus is Lord and Savior - Repentance and Faith are both absolute requirements for forgiveness.
Also note that in the church today one often hears that salvation is a 'free' gift from God. But does the Bible actually say it is free or have we managed to latch on to (and spread) a completely erroneous idea? I am sure it will surprise many to hear that the word 'free' isn't in the original Greek and that the word 'gift' may not mean exactly what we have been led to believe. See A Free Gift?
Inner Peace
Jesus made a number of statements that promised peace to His followers - not to the unbelieving world.
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. (John 14:27 NASB)
Also considering He was about to be arrested, mocked, tortured and executed, to say nothing of being rejected by the majority of His own people, He made the amazing statement that not even death and the grave would be able to overcome Him. Instead, He overcame it all - He overcame the world.
"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33 NASB)
The Warnings
The Messiah also made it clear that aspiring to be part of His Kingdom meant one's allegiance and devotion to Him has to supersede loyalty to anything or anyone else in this world. This He made clear just a couple of verses later,
"He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. (Matthew 10:37-38 NASB)
This can create numerous and severe problems especially true if the spouse or other members of the family are dedicated followers of some other religion. Believers in many other parts of the world have faced considerable hostility and even various kinds of persecution.
He warned that if the world hated His followers they were to keep in mind that it hated Him as well. Neither belong to this world.
If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. "If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. (John 15:18-19 NASB)
Christians in the Western hemisphere have the freedom to pursue their own belief however, this situation will change when the antichrist comes into power. In other words, the time is coming when the preaching of and belief in the Gospel will bring persecution and even bloodshed on a large scale. The Antichrist
Genesis 15:16 tells that God withheld judgment on the Amorites until their iniquity was full (complete). Only then did He send Israel to take the land. Similarly, in our time the iniquity of the unregenerate has increased exponentially. When it is 'full' will literally be the final straw causing the Father to say enough.
See The End of the Age Part II - The First Six Seals
Considering that the whole point of salvation is being saved from the wrath of God, Christians rightly believe that Christ's followers will not suffer in the terrible time when God brings retributive justice to the earth. The problem is that all too many Christians interpret these verses to mean that God will 'rapture' us out of here before the trouble really starts.
This cannot be true because both Jesus and John spoke of a lot of trouble for Christians. The seeming inconsistency between Jesus rescuing believers from God's wrath and believers being killed is explained by the fact that the tremendous persecution Christians undergo has absolutely nothing to do with God's judgment. If one avoids a superficial reading of Matthew 24, then compares what Jesus said in that chapter with the Seals of Revelation 6, it becomes quite clear that the Seals represent the persecution of Christians.
Also See The End of the Age Part III - The Seventh Seal and First Six Trumpets
In the mean time,
Believer Are To Live In Peace
Believers themselves are to actively avoid conflict. In fact, the New Testament repeatedly says we are to be peacemakers, live in peace with each other and do as much good as possible -
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9 NASB)
If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. (Romans 12:18 NASB)
"... Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another." (Mark 9:50 NASB)
"... Live in peace with one another. We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. (1 Thessalonians 5:13-15 NASB)
In view of which when Jesus said that he had come to bring 'not peace but a sword' the metaphor was not intended to depict any form of violence or how we are to communicate His message, but to emphasize the division His message would bring.
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