…His mother and brothers were…seeking to speak to Him. And someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are…seeking to speak to You.” But He answered…”Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” …”For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven… is My brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 10:46-50 NASB).
In past weeks Pastor Pauley implored us to “contend for the faith” while expositing the book of Jude. And when Elder Don Burnard taught on a recent Lord’s Day, I was affected in a whole different way. He explained that a Christian’s obedience to Christ might cause a significant fracturing of their earthly family. I believe he was absolutely right! His perspective gave me a whole different dimension to what “contending for the faith” encompassed.
One of the hardest challenges many Christians face is trying to maintain close family ties while still being obedient to Jesus Christ. In many cases, it cannot be done, especially if the family does not believe in Christ! Many Christians (myself included), will compartmentalize Christ or even disobey Him in order to keep peace in the family. Incidentally, any disobedience to God’s Word is sin, even for the sake of maintaining a happy family, free from contention. Many believers have the audacity to marvel when they read in the Bible of how Christ’s disciple Peter denied Him three times (Matthew 26:69-74). Yet, every time a Christian willingly disobeys Jesus Christ, in order to keep peace in the family; they are guilty of the same sin Peter committed!
Being a true disciple of Jesus Christ can painfully and permanently separate Christians from non-believing family members, regardless of how close they may be to them. Many families have permanently fractured because of Christ, never again having “religious” continuity. For some Christians, division from family is extremely difficult or virtually impossible to endure. And because of this reason, when around family, they will opt to repress Biblical beliefs or disobey the teachings or Jesus Christ altogether. This behavior is definitely not uncommon or strange. Division in the family may be the most difficult part for many Christians to experience. But, it is definitely necessary and mandatory—read how our Lord challenged His potential followers.
Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No…but rather division…in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three…father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law” (Luke 12:51-53).
I am sure that this was a very vivid reality for the multitude that listened to Jesus Christ’s teaching that day. In fact, it is true for anyone seeking to be His disciple! Jesus admonished all His potential disciples to seriously “count the costs” before opting to follow Him (Luke 14:28).
Even if Christians try to avoid family conflict and do everything possible to circumvent friction; contention is virtually unavoidable. If they choose to obey God’s Word, they do so at the risk of “offending” or “dividing” their family. My wife and I, presently, are experiencing much pain and grief from family members because of our Christian beliefs and love for Jesus Christ; it’s definitely not easy! We must constantly be in prayer and God’s Word in order to ease the deep wounds inflicted upon us by the precious loved ones who will not accept or understand our love for Jesus Christ—love that must transcend any “earthly” bond, even those of family (Mark 12:28-31)!
In his book A Grief Observed, C.S, Lewis wrote: “Lord, are these Your real terms? Can I really meet Joy (his deceased wife) again only if I love You so much that I don’t care whether I meet her or not?”
What C.S. Lewis was saying was that his love for Christ had to be so very ardent that in order to join his wife in heaven, he would have to “not” love her so much and love Christ more! How profound and accurate his rhetorical question truly was! This type of love is inconceivable to unbelievers because it defies everything the world believes and teaches about love. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ and whole-heartedly obeying His teaching might cost a Christian the price of losing the closeness with some or all of their family. But, isn’t eternal salvation worth that price? Amen!
Posted on October 1st, 2009 by Robert
Filed under: From the Pew