Did Christ Cause Division Or Was It Inevitable?
Did Christ Cause Division Or Was It Inevitable?
John 7
37 (*)In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
40 Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet.
41 Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee?
42 Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?
43 So there was a division among the people because of him.
44 And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him.
(*A Holy Convocation, a solemn assembly in which no servile work was done.)
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John 9
10 Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened?
11 He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.
12 Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.
13 They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.
14 And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.
15 Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.
16 Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.
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John 10
7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
19 There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.
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**My own answer to the question I pose in the title is: Yes.**
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It’s been so much fun meandering through the Gospel narratives again. I’ve read each Gospel twice. I like to do repeat readings because it keeps things more cohesive for me in my mind. Plus, I like how “connecting the dots” reveal themselves more readily. As that happens the passages and chapters present, for the reader, a new level of insight and understanding creating a greater cohesive whole.
In reading through the Gospels, I’ve tried to focus upon the monologues and dialogues of Christ. It’s fascinating.
**At times, when asked questions He doesn’t give direct answers. Instead, Christ takes the opportunity to say what He wants to say. It’s like an open door of opportunity in which Christ draws in those listening to Him. And depending on the hearer, a division can/will/may happen at some point.
**At times, it seems fairly evident that He’s setting up those who have been carefully scrutinizing Him. He does this so as to reveal their true intentions and motives. Take for example, the times He heals somebody on the sabbath or when His disciples walk through the fields plucking grain on the sabbath. The person getting healed on the sabbath didn’t HAVE to be healed right then on that particular day. Likewise, the disciples weren’t starving to death; they could have waited to eat. In these instances (and others) Christ knows He and His disciples are being watched and will come under fire, and yet … He goes ahead anyway and division occurs. I absolutely love it when He does this.
**At times, division is going to happen no matter what He does. He doesn’t cause it or set it up; it’s just a by-product of who and what He is as the Son of Man.
As we observe how Christ weaves His way through His daily life, we can find great encouragement in the realization that no matter what … if we’re being who and what we are as followers of Christ the inevitable outcome, fallout, will be a division.
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Sooooo … is division good or bad or both? Yes.
Division, in all walks of life, is normal and expected. We don’t all buy the same car. We don’t all like the same sports team. We don’t all like hot weather. We don’t all like cold weather. And on-and-on ….
So then, why do we believers become flummoxed, frustrated, and fearful about it? If division is normal and expected in multiple aspects of life, why then don’t we go boldly forth with the truth of God’s Word realizing we will either cause division or it will just happen?
Because …
Presenting the truth of God’s Word isn’t like all the other “normal” interactions in life, is it? It appears it’s OK to talk about, give an opinion in relation to, everything except the Word of God. The penetrating truth of God’s Word ofttimes isn’t allowed or welcomed. Why? Because absolutes tend to cut across the grain of standardized social norms. And … that applies to whatever era God’s people live in. As a matter of fact, it’s claimed the lives of many of our forefathers.
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I find it interesting and instructive to monitor myself when I’m in the midst of various situations or scenarios. Well … probably I should say that I find it, at times, painfully demoralizing to see how flummoxed, frustrated and fearful I actually do get at times.
In reality, we all feel a tinge of hesitancy when we know that what we say will, most likely, create an unpleasant conversation environment. None of us want to go through that. But …
I think the sooner we settle into fulfilling our role as followers of Christ, we’ll grow stronger and more confident in ourselves and in the power of God’s Word.
And by way of encouragement notice …
That’s how Paul and Silas and others turned their world upside down. (Acts 17:6) And in doing so, they caused a division between light and dark; between good and evil; between the power of God and Satan. The darkness of evil has to be revealed to each person in order for the division from sin unto salvation to occur.
Jesus knew this. That’s why He shied away from creating and maintaining a mass following. Instead, He focused upon a small band of individuals to preserve and present the truth of His message … until He comes back again.
And so for now …
That small band is you and me.
Let’s go cause some division. Amen!