an unrequieted peace
Matthew 10:34
34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. “
In Matthew 10:34, Jesus confronts the comfortable assumption that His coming will simply reaffirm the status quo and smooth over divisions. Instead he warns that allegiance to him will sometimes provoke conflict — within families, communities, and personal relationships — because the claims of the gospel call for people to reorder their loyalties and moral priorities. This verse is not an endorsement of violence, but a sober recognition that truth can divide, and that following Christ may bring hardship and separation as people choose different paths. For those of faith, this passage invites careful discernment: to hold fast to Christ’s teaching while responding with love, patience, and wisdom when the “sword” of conviction causes pain or estrangement.
And what of this truth of peace? Jesus lived in a society marked by sharp social divisions, religious authority, and daily struggles for economic and moral survival. Many of these dynamics mirror challenges in our current modern culture. Jesus was born into a complex cultural and political milieu in first-century Palestine, where Jewish religious traditions, Hellenistic influences, and Roman imperial rule intersected. This overlapping religious fervor, and political tension shaped the expectations, vulnerabilities, and daily realities of the people among whom Jesus lived and taught.
And in John 14:27 we find Jesus saying 27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Here again, the word “peace” is the Hebrew word “Shalom” which means “that which is broken is being made whole”. This conveys a deep, holistic sense of peace that goes beyond a mere absence of worldly conflict to include a restorative process at both a human and spiritual level. So the question remains, why the seemingly diametrically opposed scripture in Matthew 10:34 and John 14:27?
And the answer is found again, in the word “Shalom” . Shalom is not merely the absence of conflict; it is the active, ongoing process of restoration that moves individuals and communities toward wholeness. Rather than a fragile worldly peace that exists only when tensions are suppressed, shalom involves honest confrontation of brokenness along with compassionate reconciliation. And why is this important? Because true reconciliation requires conflict and true restoration cannot begin without first acknowledging the brokenness that necessitated repair.
So the question remains, “How does this process of being made whole begin or occur?” Restoration often requires an act of atonement or sacrifice to be truly complete. This sacrifice is simply a humble acknowledgment of harm, a costly turning away from the wrong, and an offering—whether of time, comfort, reputation, or resources—that makes amends and rebalances relationships. Isaiah 53:5 speaks of this “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Here we find Isaiah speaking of peace (Shalom), with a different twist. This “Shalom” or spiritual peace opens the doorway for spiritual healing—our guilt is addressed, justice is met, and grace is extended—so that wounded hearts and fractured lives may be renewed. By this, Jesus’s death and atonement brought about a true shalom in reconciling fractured relationships—between humanity and God, among people, and within the human heart—so that peace is not merely the absence of worldly conflict, but the restoration of wholeness and well being.
Prayerful Thought….
36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” Luke 24:36
And Remember…….
“ We cannot operate as the bride of Christ while we’re married to the world!” -Dr Lee