Even the passage subtitle “Not Peace, but a Sword” is confusing: "'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 ...

When Jesus says, “I come not to bring peace, but a sword” (Matt. 10:34), I understand that to mean, Don’t seek a sentimental peace, but one with sharp edges. It sometimes sounds facile to pray for ...