The War at Home, The War in the Streets

Luke 12:52-53

From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided:

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.”

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The worst things in the world
Are justified by belief

"Raised by Wolves" by Adam Clayton, David Evans, Larry Mullen, Paul Hewson, recorded by U2 on "Songs of Innocence"

The words of Jesus are doing something interesting here. Conventional wisdom says his coming will cause people to pick sides and Holy War will follow. I want you to consider something else...

Consider Jesus is just telling a simple truth here. Nothing wild and wooly. Nothing broad and theological. Nothing deep and intellectual. This isn't PhD stuff. Jesus is just telling a simple truth. When you pick him, not everyone's going to like it. Some will really hate it.

In fact let me add this little gem, if your people follow one way and you decide to follow another, you'll become the enemy. Islam plays this out with the Shiite and the Sunni. The Irish played this out with Catholics and Protestants. This song is based on four bombings in Dublin and Monaghan, Ireland on May 17, 1974. Three bombs exploded in Dublin during rush hour and a fourth exploded in Monaghan almost ninety minutes later killing 33 adults, one unborn child, and injuring over 300. A friend of Bono's named Guggi was there. The experience never left him. It led him into a life of pain and addiction.

Killing over God? No. Killing over the trappings of what we put forth in front of God. The things that pit father against son and son against father and so on.

Why is it when we read this it seems so stupid? It seems so logical that we need to stop doing this? Maybe that's just the next level of our Lord's warning. Sin is stronger than we are, but grace is more abundant than sin. Grace is greater than sin. Guggi is better. He's an artist now in Dublin. He's married and has five children. Praise God...and beware the wolves. Look for the truth in Christ, the simple truth is some of the best.