Is There a Sword in Your House?

Bad Publicity

In today’s follow-up passage, Yahshua warns them that the going will not be easy. And he knows, because he’s already been down that road for a year. He admonishes:

Yahshua is saying that since certain powerful people have been maligning him by insult, slander, threat or rumor, then it’s a surety that they will do the same to his students, and even more voraciously. There is a play on words here, Beelzebul means "Master" or "Lord of the Household," referring generally to the devil. If they considered Yahshua to be the "Lord of the household " (Beelzebul), then they will consider his household to be devilish too.

Woe to Firestone Tires these days. In the public eye, Firestone is responsible for many deaths due to their defective tires. Firestone employees, who are good and honest people, bear the brunt of bad publicity. "Oh, you work for Firestone, huh?" Notice that, to save face, the Ford Motor Company has been very vocal against their former tire supplier and publicly severed their business relationship. And the public (‘us’) is so caught up in it that we overlook the fact that the victims didn’t purchase Firestone tires in the first place, but Ford Explorers. This illustrates that whoever cries out the loudest will be heard. That is why Yahshua instructs his disciples in the next breath:

In other words, "Boldly go forth in your ministry: the teaching I gave you in Sabbath School, publish loudly wherever you go. Set doctrine aright! Proclaim my mission powerfully: the Kingdom of Yahweh is here! What you have seen me do, boldly imitate! Heal and cast out demons! Don’t be afraid of anybody!"

Fear is the biggest hindrance to us fulfilling our ministry - two kinds of it: fear that we don’t have anything to give and fear that others will think we are foolish. But Yahshua’ advice to his former-day disciples is just as pertinent for his latter day disciples:

The disciples were considered by the police to be dangerous heretics and lawbreakers. They were being constantly watched, and were certainly on the crucifixion waiting list. Being insecure about their abilities or whether they would be considered foolish or not were the least of their worries -- they could be arrested, condemned and hanging on a tree in one afternoon!

Yahshua says it would be best not to fear at all. You see, the disciples knew exactly what they were about to do and could have gone on home to mother at any time. We know that some of the disciples were fishermen. But did you know that one of them was a hired killer (Judas the Assassin) and another a terrorist (Simon the Zealot)? These men were nearly fearless -- they were past the point of fearing anything. But if they chose to fear something, they ought to choose something really horrible.

Some English translations have Yahshua saying, "fear him who can destroy you in hell." The word mistranslated "hell" is Gehenna, which is not ‘hell’ at all, but a huge, deep ditch that surrounds the south side of Jerusalem. In years past, children had been burned alive in sacrifice to the the Father Moloch in Gehenna. In Yahshua’ day, Gehenna was the Jerusalem dump where all the trash was taken to be burned. In this context, Yahshua is coining a phrase used all the time today: "fear the guy who can trash you"! In contrast is the fact that today Gehenna is covered with thick grass and flowers - as though Hell was patched up with a piece of heaven.

But then Yahshua tempers his harshness with enduring words of comfort.

For some of us, numbering our hairs wouldn’t be that hard. The meaning is that Father is intimately involved in the workings of his creation, and everyone is significant, has an important role to play, and a vital ministry to fulfill, in the completion of the overall plan of ages. The Creator of the Universe knows you, knows your name, knows your circumstances, and knows what you are supposed to do with your life, because he assigned it to you. And he knows that you know what you are supposed to be doing for him. This is very profound! Yahshua continues:

Then and now, Yahshua is the intermediary between the Father and creation. He makes intercession for us; that is, he prays to his Father for mercy on our behalf, having loved us enough to be tortured and dead for us. But Yahshua also tells his Father the truth -- he will not lie for you. He will not exaggerate your willingness to fulfill your calling; he will not report your good intentions only. He will die for you but he will not lie for you. He made his disciples own the responsibility for their work, just like any good ‘boss’ would. Yahshua reports to the ‘chairman of the board.’ When we finish this service, he will make his report on me, because this is the work and word he gave me and I am responsible for it. You too are responsible for your work. Yahshua will help you any way he can, but ultimately, it is up to you to fulfill your ministry. And it’s not going to be easy. Listen to this:

Using this verse to characterize Yahshua is like using Tim McVeigh to characterize peace-loving Americans in general. Reading this verse without harmonizing it with other passages leads one to judge Yahshua’ message as one of revolution and violent overthrow. Interpreting this verse out of the context has justified wicked acts in his name. Let me remind you of some other ‘peace’ passages:

Yahshua was first and foremost a man of peaceful means; we call him the "Prince of Peace." So what does he mean about bringing a sword?

Yahshua’s people didn’t live in a secular democracy nor did they have the freedoms and goods that we have. However, they did have a successful, long-term system for self-preservation. Not even Romans could change the system. Serious Jewish people then and now retain a theocracy; a style of government in which Yahweh rules in accordance with the laws of the Torah or Bible. Palestine was a very small place - smaller than the panhandle of Florida. Everyone knew each other and everyone was related. Kind of like Byrneville. The heart of the society was the extended family; folks could trace their roots clear back to Adam and Eve.

Above all, families were religious. The father was the priest of the home; the mother was the queen. Sons in their youth learned the family trade, which had been passed down for generations. They would marry and remain in the family home, raising their own families within, building additions when the need arose. Daughters were married young to the sons of relatives, who went to live in their husband’s home, and they became queens like their mothers. Life revolved around the Law of Moses and the family.

Adultery, divorce and homosexuality were very rare. It wasn’t tolerated. The penalty for adultery and perversion was death; for divorce was the ban. Families were very close and family members were expected to love and respect each other and live in community. Families took care of their infirm, beggars, foreigners, orphans, widows. There is provision in the Law of Yahweh for all who would keep it, and there wasn’t much room for nonconformity.

And everyone strictly kept Sabbath - Friday sundown until Saturday sundown - devoting that time to worship and rest. It was a wholesome and edifying privilege to rest and to worship; not some kind of drudgery. This arrangement may seem to us to be rigid and confining. It may seem to others like a wonderful way to live. Yahweh’s law held his chosen people together to the extent that today many faithful Jewish people can trace their families clear back to Adam and Eve.

Yahshua would have been in conflict with the system. I don’t think he enjoyed the conflict or was haughty or flippant or wanted to make waves. Conflict is the natural consequence of any mission, and his was to "preach the kingdom come" in himself. Yahshua kept the Law of Yahweh perfectly unto the fulfilling of it, which means he established the Law for all generations. Sin is lawlessness. When we say that Yahshua was a man but did not sin, we are saying that he obeyed every jot and tittle of the Law of Yahweh, including in his family life.

So we would think that Yahshua’ family life was about perfect, since he was sinless and his mother and father knew his origin and mission. Actually, just the opposite was true. Yahshua didn’t ‘come out’ as the Son of Yahweh until he was 30 years old. As he became known, the rumors surrounding his unusual birth, which had circulated before in whispers, were now voiced openly. He was accused openly by the religious leaders of being the illegitimate son of a Roman soldier. Rumors and lies turned his entire home town against him. The people in his home church tried to kill him. His mother thought he was crazy. His brothers were jealous of him and tried to goad him into committing illegal activities.

When his family came to one of his meetings to take him to the nut house, Yahshua said to his followers, "Who is my family? Those who do my Father’s will are my family" (Mat 12:50). He had been disowned by his family - they wanted to put him away. He shook the dust of Nazareth from his feet. He never married, and there were even rumors about that, according to some texts (Secret Mark). He was only reconciled with his mother at his death. He was only reconciled with his brothers through his resurrection.

It seems like for all the goodness of life, of the community and family under Yahweh’s law, when it came to Yahshua’ tinkering with the established system, the devil moved right into his household. That is why the called him Beelzebul -- the Lord of the Household -- the devil took over his home. Though Yahshua was sinless, he had a lousy home life, and he suffered greatly under the burden of broken relationships because of who he was and what he came to do:

There is a great stress among believers today in regards to the home front. I have heard sermons in which the preacher tells men of the congregation that "Unless you have get family under control, you can’t work for the Father," or "If your family ‘ain’t saved,’ you’ve got no business trying to save others." And to women, the advice often is, "You get your husband saved, then come talk me." We know the Fatherly women who have caught fire, whose devilish husbands would no longer allow them to attend church. We know the Fatherly men whose wives and children become devilish every Sunday morning at about 10 AM.

Like Yahshua’ mother, some family members aren’t going to be reconciled to your ministry until you’re hanging on the Torture Stake. But they may cry then. Like his brothers, some family members aren’t going to accept your Savior until they see you resurrected. But they may believe then. When Yahshua said he came to bring a sword and to turn family members against each other, he didn’t want this to be the case. He is not pleased about it. But he won’t lie about it to his ministers, either.

Who do you think the devil will use to get at you when you decide to do what Yahshua wants you to? The devil won’t use some stranger; he’ll use your household. He’ll infiltrate the ones you love. He’ll pervert your spouse. Then he’ll use some devilish, ignorant preacher to tell you to get your the Fatherless husband saved before you can serve Yahshua. Why is it so important that disciples know about the sword? Because we could lose our own salvation and end up on the Gehenna Trash Heap by being more accountable to the devil in your house then the Savior in your heart; because:

The family sword is a Torture Stake that many in the community are either bearing now or have borne in the past. This family sword has destroyed many would-be giants of the faith even before they took their first steps. To have your family against you in your quest for following the Savior is not a sign of inferiority or unworthiness -- it is just part of the consequences of making a commitment. Any real commitment, any real mission, any important change requires that a price be paid. Yahshua says to rejoice about it when you are persecuted by those closest to you -- great is your reward!

Is there a sword in your house? Then there is a Torture Stake for you to bear. But if you will bear up under it, pick yourself up and keep on stumbling down that bloody road, some day that sword will be turned upon your personal devils and that Torture Stake will become a jeweled crown. Are you willing to to make a decision to follow Yahshua no matter what the consequences? Are you willing to invest some suffering now for a bounty later on? I know you are ready to go so far as to lose your life to find the true life.