The Shadow World: A False Peace

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it." - Jesus

Jesus, a man of peace and non-violence, takes an unexpected turn with these words as he sends his disciples out to announce the arrival of the kingdom of God to their own people, their own families, the "lost sheep of Israel". While his message is always love and reconciliation, Jesus knows that his followers will encounter the greatest resistance from those closest to them. He knows because it's the same stubborn resistance he experienced in his own home town.

The disciples had a choice: remain silent and keep the peace; or speak their truth knowing that many will be hostile to it. They will have to surrender their ego on the path of accusation and betrayal that Jesus also walked. Even among their own families they will find those who refuse to consider this new way of seeing the world that requires humility and surrendering their old identity.

I find this reality still very much alive today. The hardest place to have honest dialogue is often with members of one's own family (usually the most religious) who for years have maintained a false sense of peace by avoiding disagreement or shaming those who dare express alternative views. Instead of welcoming ideas that challenge our own assumptions, too often we resort to insults and personal attacks to mask our insecurities. Surely there is a better way than hostility or avoidance.

How does one bring good news to those who are certain that they already have it figured out? When our version of the "good news" results in bitterness and a superiority complex have we really understood the message at all? If the "good news" is only good for people just like ourselves, perhaps we are twisting truth to fit our own preconceived ideas? If we can't imagine a gospel that is good news for everyone, perhaps we need to keep imagining and keep learning.

Sometimes we have to leave home to find our identity and discover brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers we didn't know we had. Once we see ourselves as part of the family of all humanity, a peace that passes understanding suddenly becomes a reality. Jesus tells his disciples not to waste much time on those who refuse to welcome them saying, "If anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house." This isn't about who is right and wrong, but instead a rejection of those who are inhospitable to new conversations. Time is best spent elsewhere.

Love requires both contemplation and action. In contemplation we stop, listen, and reflect on what is most true about ourselves and the world. Then, when truth reveals itself, love calls us into action to confront what is untrue. Together we help one another see truth more clearly. Together we fill in each other's blind spots. Together we are able to see reality from more than one set of eyes, perhaps through the eyes of someone with experiences very different than our own. In this way, love builds compassion and unity. Then, and only then, can any true peace exist as humanity becomes one family.