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32 Everyone who acknowledge me before others, I will acknowledge them before my Father in heaven. 33 Everyone who denies me before other, I too will deny them before my Father in heaven. 34 Do not think that I came to bring peace to the earth; I came not to bring peace, but a sword. 35 I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother; a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, 36 and people against their own families. 37 Whoever loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me, is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. 40 Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 Anyone who gives one of these little ones a cup of cold water, just because he is a disciple, amen I tell you, they will not lose their reward.

Comments

Verse 34 can be confronting if we are to consider Jesus as Isaiah’s Prince of Peace (Is 9.5). However, it should be understood that Jesus causes division not because he preaches violence, but because he preaches a radical re-ordering of the world’s values (cf. Mt 5-7). People who accept his message run the risk of coming into conflict with those who do not, even with members of their own family. Likewise, it may seem that Jesus is putting forth an unrealistic standard in verse 37 when he demands that his followers love him more than they love their own family. Again, though, it should be kept in mind that to love Jesus means to follow his teachings on faith, justice, and mercy (cf. Jn 14.15). People who do unethical things to benefit members of their family are still doing unethical thing. The love we have for our families should not override the love we have for God and humanity as a whole.

Jesus ends the Mission Discourse by reminding his Apostles, whom he is about to send to the towns and villages of Galilee, that the only way to truly have lives worth living is to live for something bigger than themselves. The only way to find one’s life is to let it go to love and service. On earth, there will always be metaphorical crosses to bear (and literal crosses in the case of Jesus and some of the Apostles), but there will also be people who are willing to give us water, simply because we belong to God.