Here we learn of one of the sad but ever-present realities of membership in Christ’s Church: there is a price to be paid.
“The word of truth is as sharp and powerful as a two-edged sword. It is no respecter of persons, nor does its cutting power stop short of tender and dear relations.... Surely no one wants families to be forever, joined and united, more than Jesus. No one wants father and mother, brother and sister, parents and children-families-to be close and at peace more than the Christ. And yet the Lord ... highlights a less than pleasant point-that gospel living costs something, even occasionally the loss of family and friends. It may well result in division and variance.” (Robert L. Millett, An Eye Single to the Glory of God, p. 86.)