The Person called the “Prince of Peace” said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” When Jesus was born, Herod decreed that all male babies who were two years old and younger be put to death. We know this was an evil decree related to the spiritual battle described in Revelation 12. The words of Jeremiah the prophet were fulfilled: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” Jesus did not desire innocent children to die because He came to earth. He does not wield the wicked sword of murder and mayhem. So what sword does Jesus carry and what peace does he oppose?
There are many today who seem perfectly happy without caring at all about God or his Kingdom. Some live without a care in the world with every part of their lives in seemingly perfect order. It is a false peace that Jesus comes to disrupt. Confidence linked to pride will eventually crumble; peace dependent upon this world is no peace at all… so Jesus carries a sword that is sharper than a surgeon’s knife. “For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Multiple myeloma is a systemic disease. Since it is in my blood, this cancer invades my entire body. When I was first diagnosed we quickly discovered its destructive activity. Too many plasma cells had already gathered in various places in my skeleton and destroyed my bones. X-rays revealed tumors within my ribs, but no operation could remove them. My bone marrow, the liquid substance in the bones which manufactures blood cells, was greatly damaged. This disease destroys from within and as of yet there is no cure. But Jesus possesses a sword so sharp and powerful that he can do what doctors never dream of doing. This sword can separate joints and marrow. Our Great Physician can even use his sword to operate on the soul and spirit, parts of the human no x-ray can detect. Jesus also has the power to heal damage experts label as irreversible. Though I’ve had quite a few powerful drugs flow through my bloodstream over the past six years, nothing can match this sword the Son of God possesses.
In his radical instruction to the disciples in Matthew 10, Jesus mentioned things we often associate with peace: friends, family, and worldly comforts. Our King knows true peace is found only when he is the center of everything. Oswald Chambers wrote, “Jesus Christ came to send a sword through every peace that is not based on a personal relationship to Himself.” Even those who believe in him may be confused at times. I don’t think John the Baptist expected his faithfulness to land him in jail to await execution. He sent messengers to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” When an evil sword is at our throat, Jesus says, “Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” Outcomes might not be what we predict, difficulties may seem more numerous than victories, clouds may prevent us from seeing clearly, but Jesus says, “My holy sword is at work. I am giving sight to the blind. I am letting the deaf hear. I am healing those with incurable diseases and I’m raising the dead. Give up your self and trust me and I promise you’ll find true life.”
“And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone ‘like a son of man,’ dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said, ‘Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!’” Revelation 1:12-18