Jesus Sends a Sword, so He Must Be God!

Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.(Matthew 10:34-39) 

My wife had a Chinese friend who married an Iranian man named Omar. Years ago, when Omar first came from Iran to the United States, he lived in New York City. He was a Muslim who hated Americans, and wanted to make a lot of money and go back to Iran rich. Desiring to be a successful business man, he purchased a self-help book entitled, How to Win Friends and Influence People. Although not a Christian book, the author used several verses from the Bible in the book.

As Omar read these verses, they rang true to him. There was something different about these verses than the other words in the book. Later, he bought another book on How to be a Successful Salesman by Zig Zigler, who is a Christian. This book included quite a few verses from the Bible.

As Omar read these, a desire came over him to read the whole Bible. So, he went to a bookstore in New York City and quietly, so no one could hear, asked the clerk if they had a Bible. The clerk said they didn’t have a Bible, but they had a New Testament, which was part of the Bible. Omar purchased this New Testament and went to his apartment and began to read God’s Word.

Here was Omar, a Muslim who hated Jews, reading Matthew, the first book in the New Testament. Omar was reading a book that was primarily written to explain the Messiah to Jews.

As Omar read of the genealogy of the Lord Jesus, and on through the beatitudes and the wonderful teaching of the Lord Jesus, God began to draw his heart to the Savior.

As he read the verses in Matthew 10 about members of your own household being your enemies and Jesus bringing a sword which would divide family, he fell to his knees and confessed Christ as Savior.

Later when someone asked him why these verses, of all verses, would be the very ones that would bring him to faith in Christ, he said, “When I read them, I knew that Jesus must be God because only God would require such from His followers.”