Title: Peace or division: which will it be?

Even though this section of verses is in the Bible equally as much as the story of the Lord’s birth, or the Twenty-third Psalm, or even the Tower of Babel, we always seem to trip over it when we read it because, how can it be, that Jesus, who is called the Prince of Peace, tells us that He didn’t come to bring peace, but division?

The context means everything. Today’s Gospel lesson is a tiny part of a sermon from the Lord, in which He has a whole lot of warnings about being faithful, not getting fat and sassy, watching out for false teachers. Jesus is giving a warning, here, to all who would take the easy path of life when the difficult path of God is required.

Jesus did, indeed, come as the Prince of Peace, and to all who receive Him, He gives the peace of God which passes all understanding—free forgiveness, eternal life, salvation from death, devil, and damnation, all bought and paid for by His holy, precious blood and innocent suffering and death.

But, what does it mean to receive the Prince of Peace? On whose terms is He received? The terms are God’s terms, because God is the giver of the gift. The receiver doesn’t have a word to say about it. God sets the ground rules; He draws up the contract. If we want what He has to give, we receive it as He gives it.

Now, this gift from God, through Jesus Christ, is Good News—it’s called Gospel—because it is wonderful, and it is free. By the proclamation of the Gospel, you people have been freed from the tyranny of Satan, let off the hook of the penalty for sin—which is death, by way of eternal damnation—and given the sure and certain hope of the resurrection from the dead and everlasting life in Paradise with your Savior, Jesus.

The Gospel is free, and God has taken care of everything, but that doesn’t make it easy. When God gives you the faith to believe the Gospel—as He has the Gospel proclaimed to you, as He has the pastor absolve you of your sins, as you are baptized into Jesus Christ, and as you get confirmed and are invited to commune with Jesus Christ—with the gift of faith comes the gift of love—God’s love for you moves you to love Him, and to love to live according to His good and gracious will.

When you ponder the world in which you live, however, God’s will doesn’t sound too good, and it doesn’t sound all that gracious. As only one example, God says that a man shall leave His father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh, which means that the marriage bed will be enjoyed by those who vow their love until death parts them, so it’s not for those who just wants to have sex, and it’s not for those of the same sex.

I am reminded of the church convention, that I attended in July. One issue before us was how we, the Missouri Synod, interact with the ELCA, when it comes to world relief and human care. The ELCA has, more and more, departed from the historic Lutheran faith, epitomized by their action, last year, when they declared it fine and dandy to bless openly homosexual pastors.

We, long ago, parted from the ELCA over doctrines like that, but we still work with them when disasters arise, like last winter’s earthquake in Haiti. So, at the convention, we argued about what we should do. On one side, folks said that we need to keep working with the ELCA in these vital areas of service. On the other side, folks asked how we can work side by side when we are not theologically side by side.

What, exactly, was the Lord Jesus saying, when He declared, "For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father . . ." and so on?

As Lutherans, we are one house, but we are one house, divided. Can we, in the Missouri Synod, cast a blind eye at the ELCA’s infidelity to the Word of God? Isn’t this a situation, exactly what the Lord was talking about, that He is not the Prince of Peace in a house that is divided?

There is not a person, under the sun, who does not have divisive issues in the home, at work, or among friends. All of you folks face all of the common issues of the day, issues in which people want to live as they want to live, and not live in love toward the Lord who makes the rules in the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ.

Indeed, it’s a common thing for the family of a person, who announces that he is homosexual, to accept the person. You know: hate the sin, but love the sinner. Yet, does that agree with what the Lord says, here: "They will be divided, father against son and son against father"?

 How many of you put up with every sin under the sun for the sake of peace in the home, in the family, at work, among your friends? You don’t want to make waves, so you don’t bring it up. You make excuses: "I’m a sinner, too, so who am I to talk?" You know you should keep a distance, but then people will wonder why you don’t attend these family functions, or go out with this group, and then you will either have to come up with a believable lie or tell them the truth—and you are too chicken to tell them the truth.

To all, who would rather be faithful to sinners and unfaithful to God, Jesus has this to say to you: "I did not come to bring you peace. I came to cast fire upon the earth. Now, get in there and work at putting out the fire."

Here, one must be most careful. I cannot stand here and declare that, unless you address every sin in the lives of those around you, you are not a Christian and won’t have eternal life. However, neither can I give you permission to let things go—I can’t tell you that, if your spouse gets drunk, it’s okay; that if your friend is a horrible gossip, don’t let it concern you; that if your friend believes in evolution, no one will make a monkey out of you over it.

God never gives anyone permission to put up with sin. Putting up with sin is a sin, for it is unfaithfulness to Jesus Christ—it is spiritual adultery. That’s what the Word of God calls it: spiritual adultery.

It sounds like you are stuck. God calls you to perfect faithfulness, yet, perfect, you will never be. No one who does not do perfectly what God wills can live in His presence, which means that, unless you are perfect, you must be damned. So, what shall you do?

You shall repent. You shall turn from your sins of unfaithfulness to the Lord. You shall turn to His merciful pardon, and the peace which He provides in His Son, your Savior, Jesus Christ, the One who was perfectly faithful to God the Father.

The only cure for your unfaithfulness is Jesus’ faithfulness. The only way for there to be perfect peace in you, and for you to have peace in your family, is for you to throw yourself at the mercy-seat of God and be cleansed with the blood of the Prince of Peace.

And, cleansed, you are. Your Lord had the Gospel-peace of Jesus Christ proclaimed to you. Your Lord Jesus had you washed in the Baptism of His crucifixion and resurrection. He continues to feed you upon His crucified and resurrected body and blood.

How do we sum up this difficult lesson from our Lord? Are you to be perfectly faithful to Him and have your house be divided when sin disrupts His peace? Yes, you are. Will you always, or, even, usually be faithful in addressing the words and actions of others which are unfaithful to the Lord? No, you won’t.

What you will do, in all circumstances, is humble yourself to the mercy of God the Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ. He is, indeed, your Prince of Peace. He is the Faithful One, who shed His holy blood for you, the unfaithful, so that your sins are not counted against you. By the faithfulness of Jesus Christ, you live at peace in the house of your heavenly Father. Amen.