Did Jesus Really Come to Bring a Sword?

Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.' (Matthew 10:34-36)

In this greatly misunderstood passage, Jesus is quoting the prophet Micah (7:6). Also, the sword that Jesus mentioned was not a literal one but a symbolic one.

You see, when Peter took up a sword and struck off the ear of the servant of the high priest in order to defend Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus rebuked him and told him to put away his sword, saying, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword" (Matthew 26:52). He then willingly lays down his life and dies for the sins of the whole world.

Many have asked me the question, "Why then, did Jesus say, "I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." What kind of sword did Jesus come to bring?

One of the names of Lord Jesus Christ is 'Prince of Peace' (Isaiah 9:6)

In John 14:27, Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

The above verses and many like these in the bible make it clear that Jesus came to bring peace - peace between man and God.

Jesus clearly mentioned, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6) Those who reject God and the only way of salvation through Jesus will find themselves perpetually at war with God. But those who come to Him in repentance will find themselves at peace with God.

During these end times, there will be a conflict between good and evil, the Christ and the antichrist, those who have accepted Christ as their only Saviour and those that have not. Many times these groups exist within a family wherein some are believers and others are not.

In Matthew 10:34–36, Jesus said He had come on earth not to bring peace to the earth, but a sword, a weapon which divides. As a result of His visit to the earth, some children would be set against parents, and a man's enemies might be those within his own household.

This is because many who choose to follow Christ are often hated by their own family members. This is the cost of truly following the Lord. Lord Jesus clearly mentioned that even our love for our family should not be greater than our love for Him. (Read Matthew 10:37)

Those who have appealed to this passage to justify violence throughout history were twisting it to fit their own violent aspirations.