Jesus on Family Feuds
07/13/09 01:56 Filed in: Family
Our commitment to Jesus’ leadership is most often tested within the family circle because that’s where – and with whom – we spend most of our daily lives.
“ . . . a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.” (Matthew 10: 34 - 11: 1)
It happens in the best of families: feuding and fighting. It doesn’t take much to ignite a spark. All that's needed is a small difference in opinion, politics, lifestyle, income, personal values and, yes, religion. So it comes as no surprise that Christ would say in today’s Gospel, “a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.”
Just imagine the kind of reception Jesus’ disciples must have gotten from their families when they announced that they had just met the long-awaited Messiah. (“Him? You’ve got to be kidding. He’s nothing but a carpenter!”) Or, how their families might have reacted when the disciples spoke of Jesus’ miracles. (“Yeah, well the Pharisees say He’s in league with the Devil.”) And what might their relatives have said when they learned that Jesus expected His followers to take up their cross and follow Him? (“Are you totally out of your mind?”)
It’s easy to see how arguments like those might have arisen and why Jesus would have told His disciples they had to make a choice. He expected their total, unwavering commitment to His leadership. And He got it.
Our commitment to Jesus’ leadership is most often tested within the family circle because that’s where – and with whom – we spend most of our daily lives. Our loved ones know our strong points and our weak points. They’ve seen us at our best and at our worst. There’s no fooling them. They know exactly what we believe. They can finish our sentences for us and rebut them in the same breath. They call us to task when we don’t practice what we preach. They tell us to clean up of own messes; finish what we start; lend them a helping hand.
They also test us by denting our car, losing the TV remote, leaving dirty dishes in the sink and soiled clothes on the floor.
In the give and take of family life – with its bickering and squabbles, its laughter and its tears – we have an ever-present opportunity for spiritual growth. It’s within the family circle that we discover who we really are.
It happens in the best of families: feuding and fighting. It doesn’t take much to ignite a spark. All that's needed is a small difference in opinion, politics, lifestyle, income, personal values and, yes, religion. So it comes as no surprise that Christ would say in today’s Gospel, “a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.”
Just imagine the kind of reception Jesus’ disciples must have gotten from their families when they announced that they had just met the long-awaited Messiah. (“Him? You’ve got to be kidding. He’s nothing but a carpenter!”) Or, how their families might have reacted when the disciples spoke of Jesus’ miracles. (“Yeah, well the Pharisees say He’s in league with the Devil.”) And what might their relatives have said when they learned that Jesus expected His followers to take up their cross and follow Him? (“Are you totally out of your mind?”)
It’s easy to see how arguments like those might have arisen and why Jesus would have told His disciples they had to make a choice. He expected their total, unwavering commitment to His leadership. And He got it.
Our commitment to Jesus’ leadership is most often tested within the family circle because that’s where – and with whom – we spend most of our daily lives. Our loved ones know our strong points and our weak points. They’ve seen us at our best and at our worst. There’s no fooling them. They know exactly what we believe. They can finish our sentences for us and rebut them in the same breath. They call us to task when we don’t practice what we preach. They tell us to clean up of own messes; finish what we start; lend them a helping hand.
They also test us by denting our car, losing the TV remote, leaving dirty dishes in the sink and soiled clothes on the floor.
In the give and take of family life – with its bickering and squabbles, its laughter and its tears – we have an ever-present opportunity for spiritual growth. It’s within the family circle that we discover who we really are.
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