(51) Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.
(51) δοκεῖτε ὅτι εἰρήνην παρεγενόμην δοῦναι ἐν τῇ γῇ; οὐχί, λέγω ὑμῖν, ἀλλ' ἢ διαμερισμόν.
This is one of those verses that doesn't get a lot of play in some circles. There are plenty of people who see Jesus as this great unifier. He came to make us all love one another. And, in a sense, that is true. Those who follow Him are compelled to love one another. That doesn't mean that we have to like one another, but we do have to love one another.
However, Jesus shatters this popular myth. He tells us that He did not come to bring peace, but division. He came to talk about the Kingdom of God. You are either with Him or against Him. There is no ambivalent middle ground. I find it interesting to see ἀλλ' ἢ. The word αλλα is a strong adversative. Then you add the η to it and you are really making a contrast. We tend to read "but rather" fairly quickly. He really is setting up a strong contrast here.
Where are you? There is a definite division. Are you on Jesus' side or the other side? He came to bring division, but for those who follow Him there is εἰρήνην or peace. I urge you to follow Him instead of being against Him. It won't be pretty in the end for those who are against Him.
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