Words of Eternal Life


“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”

Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities.

“I have not come to bring peace on earth, but a sword.” For a guy who is the ultimate poster boy of love and peace, all this talk about bringing the sword and turning family members against each other sounds very militant of Jesus. But if one looks at the gospel in its historical context we can see that is exactly what happened. Those who followed Jesus after his death were vilified by the communities they lived in and ostracized by their own families. Many were put to death by the Roman Empire, often in very imaginative and cruel ways. 

The same thing happens today. If someone who was born into another faith has an encounter with Jesus and decides to become a follower, he incurs the wrath of those who are near to him. This is not really surprising, because most people would consider it a personal affront if a family member says they wish to follow another faith. Wouldn’t you? In some cultures, renouncing ones faith constitutes apostasy, which invites terrible repercussions. These may include shunning, excommunication, verbal abuse, physical violence, or even execution. 

Yet, people have accepted this willingly. Why? Because they have understood something Jesus said in today’s reading: “Those who find their life will lose it,” Jesus says, “and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” Some of us find our life in the world, clinging to it with all the rubbish that comes with it, but the ultimate result of that is eternal death. However, those who hold that their life in the world is of no consequence, and are prepared to give it up, even to the point of tortuous physical death, they find eternal life. 

But not everybody is willing to make the sacrifice, even though they have found Jesus. I have known one such man for years, almost since the time I got into ministry. He attends Christian retreats and services all the time. His knowledge of Christ and the faith would put most Christians to shame. However, he refuses to be baptized in Christ. The reason? He does not want to hurt his family. I suppose that is admirable, but in the light of what Jesus says, perhaps unwise. “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.”

I know the reflections these past few days have been tough, but that is because the things that Jesus says are tough. I wish there was some way to make it easier to listen to, but I cannot do that without diluting or corrupting the gospel. And that I will not do. So, I pray that whenever these reflections are this tough, the Holy Spirit helps you to understand them. Because as Peter once said, when Jesus asked him if all this was too tough for him and he wanted to leave: “Where will I go, Lord? You have the words of eternal life” (cf. John 6:68).

He truly has the words of eternal life.

Watch a video of this reflection by Aneel Aranha here: 

https://youtu.be/-n5nGVnuGhk



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