March 29, 2026
You’re a Christian. You shouldn’t be divisive.
How many times have you heard that? It’s as if Christians are supposed to be a doormat for the world’s problems to be scraped onto.
Is this what the world wants? A Christianity that will leave them alone and not call out evil, selfishness, and sin?
[Read When Christians Let You Down – Part 1 – Part 2]
Jesus did not manufacture conflict, and we aren’t either, but His words and His presence exposed what people loved, trusted, and resisted. Division is an inevitable outcome of His ministry. In a fallen world, there could be no other way.
We don’t possess perfect humility, love, discernment, and wisdom like Jesus did. Still, our imperfection does not excuse us from speaking truth, opposing sin, or defending what Scripture teaches. Peace cannot be purchased with silence about the truth.
Jesus says plainly that he did not come to bring peace. He would cause division (Matthew 10:34 and Luke 12:51). God doesn’t encourage our fighting and mistreatment of each other. That is part of our nature. We deny God and embrace self, and we fight with our neighbors over what is best for ourselves. We stay in violation of the greatest commandment and its predecessor, which Jesus tells us about in Matthew 22:36-40, Luke 10:25-28, and Mark 12:28-31.
It is not fun to be punished for a mistake, whether done in error, haste, emotion, or ignorance. But Jesus says that our choices matter.
In the Parable of the Talents/Minas (Matthew 25:14–30 and Luke 19:11–27), Jesus shows the consequences of inaction and fear, verifying that our choices, or lack thereof, are our responsibility.
In the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), the foolish women who didn’t prepare suffered the result of that choice.
In our culture, consequences can be interpreted as cruel, oppressive, and divisive.
Jesus did not bow down to political leaders or the masses. When Herod wanted Him dead, Jesus called Herod a fox (Luke 13:32), a clear message to Herod regarding the type of man he was and the impotence of his power before God. Jesus continued His work.
Twice in the Book of John (8:59 and 10:31) His opponents become so angry with Him that they attempt to kill Him by stoning. In the Book of Luke (4:29), the people in Jesus’s hometown try to push Him off a cliff.
In separate events in Luke 11 and Matthew 23, Jesus throws a laundry list at the Pharisees, lawyers, and other religious elites. He calls them lazy, greedy, narcissistic, social climbers, murderers, whitewashed tombs, broods of vipers, and destroyers of souls.
None of this sounds like a man determined to avoid offense. Jesus did not seek conflict for entertainment or pride. He spoke the truth even when it provoked hostility.
In John 8, the religious leaders bring a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus. They demand that she be put to death according to the law. With wisdom, Jesus saved this woman’s life. The woman had been through enough trauma, but Jesus says one more thing to her, “Go and sin no more.”
Jesus didn’t ignore the sin; He addressed it, even amid the woman’s brokenness and humiliation. Today, most people would think that was going too far, was judgmental, and even hateful.
Zacchaeus, in Luke 19, is an example for us of a man who recognized his sin and humbly repented.
Jesus knows what is in the heart of man (John 2:24-25). Yet He does not use that as an excuse for any man to disregard, disrespect, or blaspheme God.
In all four Gospels, Jesus enters a marketplace and upends the tables (John 2:13, Matthew 21:12, Mark 11:15, and Luke 19:45), disrupting the people who had turned worship into commerce.
Likewise, in the Parable of the Rich Young Ruler (Matthew 19:16, Mark 10:17, and Luke 18:18), Jesus doesn’t fault the man for his success. He calls out the intentions of his heart and what he put his trust in: his own achievements.
These are tough passages to accept. Jesus does not merely judge socially acceptable outward behavior; He confronts the heart.
Christianity does not mesh with the ways of the world or what the world sees as important, valuable, excusable, or even necessary. Christianity is and will always be in a state of divisiveness with the world. That doesn’t give Christians permission to be cruel, arrogant, or quarrelsome. But neither does the call to love require silence when truth is unpopular. In a fallen world, following Christ will sometimes divide.
Matthew 11:6
Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me
Chris Long is a Christian author, songwriter, and speaker dedicated to spreading the Word through music, writing, and faith. He is the author of Guided by Wisdom and the creator of the Every Step Series.
Chris Long is a Christian author, songwriter, and speaker. He writes to encourage faith and spread the Word.
Gold Medal Award Winner — Finding Wisdom for Life in God’s Word.