“Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give to you.”
I have often heard these words, which are frequently quoted at a Christian church service. These are the words of Jesus, as recorded in the Gospel of John (14.27). Jesus is often called the “Prince of Peace” because he came (we are told) to bring peace to all of humanity.
On the other hand, I have never heard these words spoken at a Christian service:
“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 person’s enemies will be those of his own household. (Mt 10.35)
He goes on to say, “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” (Mt 10.37)
These are not words one would expect to hear from the “Prince of Peace.” They sound more like the words of a cult leader.
How do we reconcile this obvious contradiction? Unfortunately, too many people use such disparities to dismiss the entire Bible, which is very unfortunate. The Bible is full of inconsistencies because it was written by different persons, at different times, for different purposes. Knowing this gives us the understanding to access more of the wisdom that is available in the Bible-- particularly in the teachings of Jesus.
One way to understand the Bible is to realize that Jesus was not the personal source of his teachings. Jesus of Nazareth was the vehicle through which the teachings came. The source of his teachings was the Christ presence within him. Jesus the man, had developed his consciousness to such a degree that he was a pure channel for the Christ teachings. He referred to this presence as “the Father.” He said to his disciples, “The words I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who lives in me does his works." (John 14:10)
The same Christ presence is within every human being; it is the divinity that is at the core of each one of us. Most human beings however have not evolved to the same level of consciousness as Jesus. With most of us the Christ presence is still largely latent within us.
Let us return to the Bible passage and see it in the light of our new understanding.
“I have come not to bring peace but a sword.” The “sword” that Jesus references, is a universal symbol of discernment, discrimination, and wisdom. The sword is symbolic of the ability to cut through appearances to see the underlying reality. The sword separates the true from the false.
The “me” that Jesus references in this teaching is not himself personally but the Christ presence within him. He is telling his disciples that our commitment to realizing the Christ presence must come even before one’s commitment to family.
Let us be clear: I do not believe that he is not talking about neglecting our family or about deliberately creating strife within the family. What he is referring to is an internal process of breaking our unconscious identification with family, tribe, or clan and choosing to make the commitment first and foremost to awakening and realizing the Christ presence within oneself.
Our soul has two loyalties. One loyalty is to the recognition that it is essentially divine. The other loyalty arises from its identification with being human. A major part of our human identity arises from the bonding with our mother, our family, and our culture.
With many people this human identification is all they are aware of. But some hear the call of the Christ within, telling us that we are more than human-- we are also divine. When we choose to follow this inner calling, it may conflict with our human loyalties. We may feel an internal strife or a sense of inner conflict. This can be very confusing if we don’t understand what is taking place. The sword is at work; the sword that separates appearance from reality. This process eventually leads to “The peace that passes all understanding.”
To follow the Christ within does not necessarily mean that we must leave our families or end our relationships. But it does mean that we must be clear on our priorities, otherwise we will fall back into the conditioned identity that tells us that, “I am only human, I must cling to this identity to be safe.”
Jesus the man is symbolic of the Christ presence within each of us. The teaching he provided us is a blueprint for discovering, awakening, and realizing this Christ presence within. This same blueprint can be found in virtually all the world’s great religions and wisdom teachings. The Christ teachings are timeless, wordless, and not limited to any particular language, culture or historical period. They were provided to all of us. They will take us home.