The Otherness of Christ

Matthew 10:34-37, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.”

Forty-seven years of attending church, eleven years of Christian based private education, two years of ministry school, multiple time of having read the bible cover to cover, and I have never seen this passage of scripture in the light I see it today.

Up to this point I interpreted this scripture to mean that within a household there would be saved and unsaved people who would argue against one another, and that one side would have to take a stand for Christ. I saw this scripture being used for the justification of the conflict of doctrine among denominations.

‘You are going to hell because you drink.’

‘Well you are going to hell for playing music and dancing.’

‘You both are going to hell for judging.’

Ridiculousness… all of it.

For me today this scripture is Christ was saying, ‘I am nothing like ANY of you.’ Christ was saying that I am so different, so other than anything you can think of being that I cause a divide, even within one’s own household. (Or church denomination). Christ is NOT on the side of the Man. Christ is NOT on the side of the father. Christ IS the Sword. Do you see it? If we cling to a side then we have not clung to the Sword. If we cling to mother or father, then we have loved them more than the Sword, the complete otherness of Christ.

Think about this in context with what happened to Joshua. Joshua was preparing for battle and a type and shadow of Christ shows up in foretelling of Matthew’s account. Joshua 5:13-14, says “Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, ‘Are you for us or for our adversaries?’ He said, ‘No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.’ And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, ‘What has my lord to say to his servant?’”

Joshua asks the angel, ‘whose side are you on? Are you for them or us?’ The answer “no” was to be very clear that the captain of the host of the Lord was only on the side of God and God’s side is neither Joshua’s or Joshua’s adversary, but his own.

So as Christians we have got to apply this line of thinking to our life. That God is other than black and white, Republican or Democrat, male or female, Catholic or protestant. He is not on our side, nor is He on the side of our adversary. He is on His side, and that side is not only, not in the box, it is not part of the box.

Think about how many times Christ acted completely contrary to reason, or even interpretation of scripture. He dined with sinners and tax gathers and rebuked the religious leaders of the day. He allowed Lazarus whom He loved to die. He slept in storms. He walked on water. He fasted 40 days. He willingly went to the cross. He went to Lazarus grave, but told the dead to bury the dead. To the adulteress He said, “Go and sin nor more.” Yet to the religious said, “You are of your father the devil.” He was a carpenter that picked a handful of fisherman to be His disciples. How about being born of a virgin? Can you be like that?

You cannot.

How will this change your life? Knowing that you are wrong, your adversary is wrong, and there is a third and completely other truth named Christ.