My youngest daughter has what she affectionately calls her “friend-group”; it’s a group of people who check in regularly and have been friends throughout high school. And they have a strange allegiance to each other in this season. So much so that she often chooses them over me, (If Sherry has a birthday on the same day as mama, I’ll just have mama take me to the store to buy Sherry a gift, and mama doesn’t get a gift, cause mama will understand), and that’s been disheartening at times (It’s all in a phase). She would prefer to hang out with them rather than go to church or spend time in devotion with God. Here’s the kicker: if any of the friends have beef with someone else, if someone so much as steps on their feet or crosses them wrong, the whole group agrees to have beef with that person, no matter who they are, as long as that friend-group member does. There’s no middle ground; if a member is cast out, the entire group pivots, and misplaced value makes displacement feel detrimental. In the same way, choosing Christ will sometimes cost your closest connections on earth.
“Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division.”
~Luke 12:51
Kingdom citizenship requires supreme loyalty to Christ that supersedes biological and social ties.
Culture treats loyalty to God like a flexible contract, valid only until the cost of discipleship becomes too high. However, when Jesus spoke these words in Luke 12, He described the Jewish expectation that He would bring political harmony and national restoration. While unity and comfort can be great things, Jesus did not come to remove the struggle in relationships. His kingdom confronts false peace, hidden allegiance, and unchallenged sin, forcing a decision at the deepest levels of loyalty. Unlike the fickle divisions of a teenage social circle, this division is the inevitable friction of Truth entering a world addicted to compromise. In the kingdom of God, human bonds are no longer primary; the bond with Christ becomes supreme.
The principle Jesus lays out here is crystal clear: the kingdom tests loyalties. You cannot follow Christ and remain unchallenged in your former attachments. When truth enters your life, it draws an invisible dividing line between who you were and who Christ is making you to be. Joseph’s dreams incited his brothers’ murderous jealousy. David’s anointing sparked a battlefield flare-up with his own flesh and blood; in these cases, God’s call created an immediate rift with the familiar. In the New Testament, disciples chose to obey God rather than governing authorities when the rules didn’t align with their values as kingdom citizens; it was considered courageous. Remember, friendship with this world is enmity with God. You cannot be a chameleon, blending into the world while fully belonging to Christ.
We live in a culture today of shifting allegiances; we compromise at the drop of a hat to be accepted by the group. This cannot be loyalty by convenience. Generational traditions can put pressure on many to walk away because it’s not how their family does things, or because they don’t want to upset their parents. In this relationship, we choose between peaceable legacy and powerful lordship. God told Abraham, ‘Leave your kindred,’ because not everyone can go where God is leading you. This division is not a sign of failure but transformation. Prioritizing God’s truth means light exposes darkness, and darkness resists exposure every time. Once we enter the kingdom, truth should resonate more deeply than deception.
Peace with God may disrupt peace with people, but the peace of God always exceeds understanding. There are so many promises to anchor on, like the promise of never walking alone, finding comfort, tables of blessing being prepared if we remain steadfast. We often expect the Christian life to be ‘Kool-Aid from the faucet,’ becoming unraveled at the first sign of social friction. But we’ve been called to a standard that cannot be bargained away for the sake of a quiet life. Faithfulness is demanded at the heart level and rewarded by God Himself. The price of loyalty to the King is the willingness to be misunderstood, rejected, or even separated from those we love most for the sake of the Truth.
Time of Reflection:
** Jesus didn’t come to break families, but family cannot come before loyalty to Him.
** A divided house on earth is better than a divided heart toward heaven.
Heart-Probe moment:
** Whose opinion functions as Lord in my life, culture, my family, or the environment I grew up in, or Christ’s word?
References:
Luke 12:51
Matt 10:34-37
Rom 12:2
Josh 24:15
Acts 5:29
Gen 37
1 Sam 17:28
The Thomas Nelson Chronological Study Bible Places this Question as #55
Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Help me remain loyal in these last days when the path feels lonely and misunderstood. Give me the courage to choose obedience to You over pleasure and comfort for a season. Today, I place Your Lordship over my life above family, friend groups, political affiliations, and any other relationship that could divide my allegiance, believing You’re worth far more than rubies to me. I offer it all up for You, the treasure of my soul. Let my allegiance bring You honor. In Jesus’ name. Amen
