God of war?

Matthew 10:34

This is not from this week’s lectionary reading, but I wanted to respond to someone who posted this verse on one of my tiktok videos. This person claimed that Matthew 10:34 is  justification for the many horrific and violent actions committed by Christians. Meaning that Jesus is telling Christians to use violence to spread their message. 

 First, let me be clear, I am not going to downplay all the violence and oppression that Christians have committed in the name of Jesus. I am not going to justify those actions either, because those actions are unjustifiable.  I am not even going to argue against the idea that there have been Christians who have used Matthew 10:34, to commit atrocious actions. 

Let’s be real when people motivated by their faith want to commit abhorrent actions, they will twist scripture in any way possible. But this is why I’m passionate about encouraging people to look at the fuller context of scripture. In addition to trying to place specific verses within the larger chapter and book they are taken from, it is vitally important to also look at the historical and socio-political context of the verse. 

In Matthew 10, Jesus is sending out his disciples to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is near and in this passage, Jesus is clear about the dangers they will face:  persecution and rejection, not only from the larger town or village where they are visiting but also from family members. They will experience physical violence from religious leaders, kings, and governors, they will face legal persecution, and family members will betray them.

Verse 34 isn’t talking about a literal sword, but rather the sword is a metaphor representing division. The gospel can and does cause division. Jesus didn’t come to provide unity-at least not a false unity caused by adherence to the oppressive status quo, in fact, Jesus was disruptive.

Jesus challenged the dominant religious and imperial powers of his day. He warned them that their actions were contrary to the will of God.  The Roman empire was bound by a false unity secured by violence and death.  This false peace was secured through brutality. 

Jesus, however, challenged that brutality. Jesus spoke out against that shallow peace. And in turn, he faced persecution and ultimately death. In a similar way, Jesus warns his disciples that their responsibility is to go out into the surrounding villages and towns and preach the gospel. But doing so will lead to persecution because the false unity built off of domination and oppression will fall apart. 

In a similar way, Christians are called to preach the gospel. Now what is the gospel? Too many Christians think the gospel is trying to force people to say a magical prayer that will get them to heaven, or that the gospel says to instill a theocratic Christian state. 

They think the gospel empowers them to take away reproductive rights based on a sloppy reading of science and the Bible. Or to deny queer people the right to exist.  That’s not the gospel, that is empire disguised in the language of Christianity and faith. It is simply another form of oppression, which is antithetical to the gospel. 

No, the gospel Jesus preaches is one of liberation from tyranny. It is one that seeks to overturn this world of injustice and replace it with one in which justice and compassion reign.

Jesus didn’t come to bring literal violence and war. But Jesus also didn’t come to bring a false, shallow peace. Jesus understood that challenging the powers of injustice will lead to division and persecution. Jesus understood that sometimes our very own community, our own family members will seek to hold onto the way things are, rather than imagine how things could be, how God wants them to be. 

Jesus, in this verse, isn’t advocating for violent world conquest. In fact, Jesus’ message stands in opposition to violent conquest. Instead, Jesus is pointing to a reality-when you preach the gospel-a gospel based on uplifting the poor, dismantling systems of oppression, and centering the marginalized-you will make enemies.  And sometimes those enemies are the very people you love.

Image: Black background. Photo of candles. Text: Jesus didn’t come to bring literal violence and war. But Jesus also didn’t come to bring a false, shallow peace. Jesus understood that challenging the powers of injustice will lead to division and persecution.