Making Peace with a Sword
Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:34 seem almost offensive: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Yet the same Jesus is proclaimed in Isaiah 9:6 as the Prince of Peace, whose government will bring endless peace and justice. How do these seemingly conflicting ideas align?
The answer lies in understanding the difference between peacekeeping and peacemaking.
Peacekeeping: Avoiding the Fight
Peacekeeping seeks to maintain the status quo, even if it’s flawed or unjust. It prioritizes comfort over confrontation, suppressing deeper issues for the sake of surface-level calm. Peacekeeping avoids the sword of the Spirit of truth because it fears the disruption that comes with it. But this kind of “peace” is no peace at all—it’s a fragile truce with brokenness.
Peacemaking: The Sword That Leads to Peace
Peacemaking, by contrast, confronts what is wrong so true peace can be established. Jesus’ “sword” is not about violence but about division—cutting away sin, false allegiances, and anything that stands in the way of The Kingdom. This is what holiness is. Peacemaking requires judgment, justice, and purity acknowledging that sometimes the sword of war must precede the scepter of rulership. True peace can only come after truth has been revealed, justice has been done, and hearts have been reconciled to God.
This is why Jesus says in Matthew 10:38, “Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” The cross, a symbol of death and suffering, comes before the crown of glory. His death led to His resurrection, and His sacrifice paved the way for His eternal rule. The same is true for us: the cross always comes before the crown, and we must die to ourselves in order to truly live.
The Call to Take Up the Cross
As followers of Christ, we are not peacekeepers who avoid the hard work of justice but peacemakers who wield the sword of the Spirit of truth in love. This path will often lead us through seasons of conflict, where we must carry our cross. But the cross is not the end—it is the beginning. It is the necessary path to the crown, where true peace, justice, and rulership under Christ are established.
Peacemaking is not about avoiding the battle but stepping into it with the assurance that victory belongs to Christ. True peace begins with the disruption of the false, leading to the restoration of what is true and eternal.
The King’s Coalition stands for unity of the Body and oneness in Christ, but unity isn’t always so easy. What do you have to die to in order to live in Christ? What is the Holy Spirit calling you to restrict, give up, or sever to grow in consecration and holiness? As a son or daughter of the King, how is God showing you love by His discipline?
