What is the nature of truth and falsehood? This seems to be the
question Christ is asking today when he says, " Think ye, that I am come
to give peace on earth? I tell you, no; but separation." He then
describes division among families as a result of His ministry.
This sounds like so many disturbing scenarios Christ describes--leaving the plow, giving up possessions, not burying your father--but these examples all point to the sharp edge of His spirituality: One must recognize the world for what it is and separate the spiritual world from it. He has no argument with the daily concerns of life as Caesar is real but Caesar is also temporary and parochial. Christ is talking about the lasting qualities with universal meaning.
Truth and falsehood. Falsehood is easier on people because it is what they want to believe; falsehood is accommodating. It can fit. Every great dissembler takes a nugget of truth and builds a comfortable lie around it. Truth is not so easy and is definitely not accommodating. It requires sacrifice.
One interesting note. Christ describes the divisions as two against three, three against two. He sees a community struggling, not an isolated antagonism. Truth is not the province of the hermit or the seer, it is reached together.
This sounds like so many disturbing scenarios Christ describes--leaving the plow, giving up possessions, not burying your father--but these examples all point to the sharp edge of His spirituality: One must recognize the world for what it is and separate the spiritual world from it. He has no argument with the daily concerns of life as Caesar is real but Caesar is also temporary and parochial. Christ is talking about the lasting qualities with universal meaning.
Truth and falsehood. Falsehood is easier on people because it is what they want to believe; falsehood is accommodating. It can fit. Every great dissembler takes a nugget of truth and builds a comfortable lie around it. Truth is not so easy and is definitely not accommodating. It requires sacrifice.
One interesting note. Christ describes the divisions as two against three, three against two. He sees a community struggling, not an isolated antagonism. Truth is not the province of the hermit or the seer, it is reached together.
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