Matthew 19 & 20--The Conflict of Jesus

Conflict--it is all around us. Most of us usually view conflict as a heated exchange of words or actions. However, conflict is simply any disagreement. Some conflicts escalate to greater severity than others, but any simply disagreement is a conflict. Jesus was a master at creating conflict. He was constantly challenging those around him to evaluate human standards against God's standards. He was constantly forcing people to consider their actions, calling them to accountablity, and, in general, making the comfortable uncomfortable. Chapters 19 and 20 present to the reader five specific conflicts between Jesus and those around him.
Conflict #1--The first conflict dealt with the issue of marriage and divorce. There were two schools of thought regarding divorce in ancient Israel. One allowed divorce for just about anything; the other allowed divorce only in cases of marital infidelity (although, it must be mentioned, only the male could sue for divorce; a female had no right to do so). The conflict Jesus raised was that divorce in any case was contrary to God's intention. The only reason this conflict was raised in the first place was because some of the religious leaders were attempting to trap Jesus, just to use it against him.
Conflict #2--The second conflict involved welcoming children. We might not think of this as a big deal, but, for that culture, children had very few rights. The old saying, "children should be seen, not heard" is an accurate description of this culture. Yet Jesus challenged this notion by welcoming children around him and blessing them.
Conflict #3--This conflict was, on the surface, between Jesus and the "rich young man". He just could not accept that part of inheriting eternal life was volunarily parting with his wealth--it was simply too much. At a deeper level, though, it was a conflict with a theology of the day; wealth was considered a sign of God's favor. To give one's wealth away was equated to rejecting God. Not having wealth was construed as a curse from God. Either case was not desirable.
Conflict #4--I'm going to call the fourth conflict "religious arrogance". It was thought by some that their lifelong piety would be seen more favorably by God than those who come to God later in life. Jesus busts this myth wide open! It was difficult for the "pious and religious" to come to grips with the fact that God could love and accept the "recently converted" just as much as those who had been faithful their whole life.
Conflict #5--This conflict was centered around the idea of serving others. Human beings have, from the earliest times, sought to make sure they had themselves taken care of before thinking of others. Jesus challenges this way of thinking with his assertion that "the Son of Man came to serve rather than be served".
With all this being said, where is Jesus presenting a conflict in your life? It might be similar to one of those described in the readings or it might be something completely different. Rest assured, though, the call to be a disciple of Jesus will put us in conflict with something. What is it for you?