Speak Up!
Matthew 10:34-37 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ 37 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.
Christ is in Jerusalem in his last days before his crucifixion. He has went into the temple and cleared it of all the evil that had called it a place of business instead of place of prayer. Matthew 21:12 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ “ He had began to teach and heal in the temple again. He was bringing new hope and challenging the way the people had been living. He was rocking their world right to the core of their faith; there must have been incredible emotion surrounding his ministry in those final days.
There were those that came to faith in Him during those days; and this surely resulted in conflict with those closest to them. They were at the height of the Jewish calendar, the Passover celebration. A pinnacle of religious ritual. All Jews came together to celebrate their delivery from slavery by God to their ancestors. Now they had God in their midst, yet so many still rejected Him. Christ had spoken these words in Matthew 10 to his disciples, telling them of the division and disappointment that would result in following Him. Christ was surely feeling this, knowing in these days Judas was preparing to betray him. There is a indescribable pain that is felt when those closest to us rest in their religion, or blatantly deny Christ. He spoke directly to the Pharisees regarding their denial; pointing to their failure in plain view of everyone. Matthew 21:42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’?
We may tend to shy away from sharing with those closest to us. Those in our family, our closest friends, or co-workers, those that may see the evidences, yet do not know the cause. We may tend to think we will loose that relationship; but are we placing that relationship above ours with Christ? Are we hiding our faith, or worse yet are we ashamed of it? In either of them we are denying our faith before God. Do not be ashamed of the hope that He has placed inside you. Do not be afraid of putting those relationships on the line for Him. What if that person stood at the gates of hell crying out wondering why you never warned them; why you never shared what made you different. Matthew 10:32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven”. Invite someone close to you to church this week. Better yet, share with them the hope that lies within you, and then invite them to experience it themselves.
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