“Why was Jesus so determined to destroy family and friends?”

Every once in awhile, people write to our website with the question: “Why was Jesus so determined to destroy family and friends?” Great qestion While it may seem like Yeshua came to destroy family and friends (because that is what he said!), what they fail to understand is that he didn’t actually come to "destroy"; rather, it was a metaphor for what he knew his TEACHINGS would do - divide family and friends. And the bottom line was: People had (and still have) the choice to follow Yeshua's teachings, or not...and many who did, lost family and friends.

That still holds true today…It holds true especially for those of us who believe in Yeshua AND in obeying his Torah - divine instructions in righteousness, without which we would have NO blueprint for moral, holy living! 1 John 2:6 tells us: “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Yeshua did.” And how did he walk? In Torah! 

Y'shua's death never negated the need to OBEY our Creator. All his death did was to remove the need for a priest to kill innocent, blemish-less animals to atone for our sins....

Yet, "family and friends" insist on harassing us for our desire to obey. That's why Y'shua warned us that, not only WOULD this happen; BUT that we would be forced to make a choice between him and the family and friends who reject us.

The "million-dollar question" is: If we choose "family and friends" WHOM are we really worshiping? 

Matthew 10: 34. Do not think that I have come to bring calm on earth.  I have not come to bring calm, rather a sword.  35. For I have come to divide a man from his father, and a girl from her mother.  And a daughter-in-law from her mother-in-law.  36. And the adversaries of a man will be his household.[1]  37. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.  And whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  38. And anyone that does not take up his staff[2] and come and follow me is not worthy of me.  (AENT)

Luke 12: 51. Do you think that I have come to place tranquility on earth.  I say to you, No, rather division.  52. From now on:  For there will be five in a certain house that will be divided three against two, and two against three.[3]  53. For a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter, and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.[4]  (AENT)

FOOTNOTES:

[1]  Micah 7:6

[2]  Take up your staff and follow means to exercise your personal authority.  A staff is a symbol of authority that is used for mobility and protection (see B’midbar/Numbers 17:16-25.  Christian versions insert “cross” here which does not appear in either Aramaic or Greek texts.

[3]   Possibly an autobiographical comment.  According to Mark, Y’shua had at least four brothers and two sisters.  Two of them became Shlichim/Apostles (Ya’akov and Yehuda) and the two others (Yosip Jr. and Shimon) were at one time plotting to have Y’shua locked up (Mark 3:21), or tried to put him into a potentially dangerous situation (John 7:1-5).  Furthermore, the younger unmarried sisters would have been given no say in the validity of their brother Y’shua’s teaching; however, Torah requires that Y’shua and his siblings also honor their mother, and apparently the father was deceased. As for Maryam, she clearly supports her son along with Ya’akov and Yehuda, which tallies two against three and three against two.

[4]  Micah 7:6