“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master<\/em>” (Matthew 10:24).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Here in Matthew, Jesus is telling his disciples that persecution will come. Followers of Jesus will be dragged into court, flogged, and even put to death by their own families. In this context, Jesus states that a disciple is not above his teacher. He then goes on to say, in a few sentences, that He did not come to bring peace but a sword. These conflicts do not come from a literal sword, but rather, they come from the radical gospel that they were to preach and live.<\/p>\n Conflict and strife are not the only markers of following Jesus. We can create a lot of conflict and strife with sin and selfishness. But, if I never ruffle any feathers in my teaching, then I have not proclaimed the whole counsel of God. Perhaps I have not truly stepped out as a sheep amongst wolves. Maybe I have been mollycoddling those around me rather than turning a sinner from their ways. I am not above my master. Peace with all is not a sign that I have done a better job than Him; it is a sign that I have not done the job that He has assigned.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Chadwick Brewer “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master” (Matthew 10:24). Here in Matthew, Jesus is telling his disciples that persecution will come. Followers of Jesus will be dragged into court, flogged, and even put to death by their own families. In this context, Jesus states that a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[454,572],"class_list":["post-69482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-peace","tag-persecution"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13255,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-does-jesus-sound-harsh-in-matthew-1034-36\/","url_meta":{"origin":69482,"position":0},"title":"Why does Jesus sound harsh in Matthew 10:34-36?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 12, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Will you please explain why Jesus sounds harsh in\u00a0Matthew 10:34-36? Answer: \"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to councils, and in their synagogues they\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":92479,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/lessons-from-the-limited-commission\/","url_meta":{"origin":69482,"position":1},"title":"Lessons from the “Limited Commission”","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 5, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Samuel Matthews \"And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease\u2026 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":57287,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-does-the-birth-of-jesus-bring-peace-on-earth\/","url_meta":{"origin":69482,"position":2},"title":"How Does the Birth of Jesus Bring Peace on Earth?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 24, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Wes Adams \"Hark! The herald angels sing, 'Glory to the newborn King: peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!'\" These are the words of a well-known carol by Charles Wesley. The song describes the scene in Luke 2, in which angels are announcing the birth of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":67435,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/not-peace-but-a-sword\/","url_meta":{"origin":69482,"position":3},"title":"Not Peace but a Sword?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 12, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton What did Jesus mean here? Does it contradict other verses that show He came to bring peace on earth? \"Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to 'set\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bible-and-Sword-300x300.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":20450,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-you-help-harmonize-matthew-1034-and-matthew-2652-and-also-john-313-and-ii-kings-211\/","url_meta":{"origin":69482,"position":4},"title":"Can you help harmonize Matthew 10:34 and Matthew 26:52, and also John 3:13 and II Kings 2:11?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 13, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I need help harmonizing a few passages. People use them to claim contradictions. I know the problem is not in the Bible but rather in the person\u2019s approach. Please help me learn to soundly harmonize Matthew 10:34 and Matthew 26:52. Matthew 10:34 says Jesus came to bring the sword.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":11827,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-your-opinion-about-instrumental-music-in-the-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":69482,"position":5},"title":"What is your opinion about instrumental music in the church?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 27, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I was having a heated conversation with a very close friend of mine about musical instruments in church. It is very hurtful to know the word of God and try and explain it to someone, but they refuse to listen. I know that the Bible does not specifically say\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69482"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69482\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/protected-300x300.png\")
Sometimes, we teachers fool ourselves into thinking that if we are extra smart and doubly clever with an extra dose of understanding toward others, we can avoid conflicts with the world. We often view a peaceful existence as a sign of a well-done job. Jesus, the creator and maker of everything, said we are not above Him. We cannot be more clever, intelligent, or understanding.<\/p>\n