Conflicts Will Always Be with Us; the Question Is: How Will We Resolve Them?

Here we see a conflict situation developing among the disciples of Jesus Christ. The mother of these two disciples approaches the Lord with a somewhat strange request: that when the Lord is in His Kingdom, He assign her two sons places of preference, one at the right and one at the left of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The passage of Scripture that will serve as the starting point for our meditation is found in the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, chapter 20, beginning, in fact, with verse 20. It says here: "Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus" with her sons, "kneeling before Him and asking something of Him. And He said to her, ‘What do you want?’ She said to Him, ‘Command that these two sons of mine may sit in Your Kingdom, one at Your right hand and the other at Your left.’"

"Then Jesus answered and said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink from the cup that I am to drink and to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?’ And they said to Him, ‘We are able.’ He said to them, ‘You will indeed drink from My cup, and you will be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized; but to sit at My right hand and at My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.’"

"When the other ten disciples heard this, they became angry with the two brothers. Then Jesus called them aside and said to them, ‘You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; rather, whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever desires to be first among you shall be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.’"

Let us begin with the fact that when the other disciples realize what these two disciples have done, they become angry with them, and a contentious situation develops between them. Here we see a conflict situation; here we see personal interests interfering with the ministry of Jesus Christ and of these chosen disciples. Here we see that when the flesh interferes—when selfishness, personal ambition, and the failure to follow legitimate processes to attain prominence and authority in leadership interfere and intrude into the affairs of the Kingdom of God—difficulties and problems arise for the development of the ministry.

It is interesting to see that even with the Lord Jesus Christ among them, the disciples experienced conflict, and that is what we must learn from this passage: conflicts will always be with us; they are part of the life of the Church. In the Book of Acts, we see that a conflict developed between the Jews of Israel and the Jews who came from Greece, as well as those who had converted—Gentiles who had entered the Church—concerning the care received by the widows of both groups. From that conflict came the establishment of the first deacons in the Church. This is found in the Book of Acts, chapter 6.

Conflicts will always be with us; the question is, how are we going to resolve them? There are other lessons we can draw from this passage, but I would say that one of the most important is this idea: How can we recognize conflicts, deal with them, neutralize them according to the principles of Scripture, and then continue with the ministry stronger than ever?

I emphasize this element because our website, Dios Habla Hoy, is a site that includes people from many different spiritual backgrounds. Catholics, evangelicals, people who are simply seeking God but have no denominational affiliation, all come to our site. It is very important for us to understand that the diversity we have on our site requires a very benevolent, very peaceful, and very wise and intelligent attitude. It is the only way we will be able to avoid conflicts on our site.

It is important for there to be freedom on our site so that all kinds of people may express themselves, provided that certain rules of decency, generosity, care, consideration for the sensitivities of others, and expressing things appropriately are followed. As long as those principles are upheld, we will have to allow a diversity of expressions. Far from impoverishing our site or being a source of false doctrine or confusion for our readers, I believe that this diversity of expressions can prove enriching.

I believe that most of the people who read our site are fairly mature Christians who are clear about their position, and it is understood that the people who express their views on our site do not necessarily have the backing or sponsorship of our organization. Rather, they are simply believers or seekers of the faith who are enriching one another through the thoughts and reflections they include on our site.

Meanwhile, we will have to be very tolerant of one another, express the love of Jesus, be diligent, as the Word says, to preserve the bond of peace, and not allow contentious, unkind expressions to arise on our site that make those people who come with the best intention of seeking God and freely expressing their thoughts through our site feel bad.

In this way, the love of Christ is expressed well, and conflicts are avoided. And then many more people can enter our site, hear about the Lord, hear the voices of truth spoken by our brothers and sisters, be blessed, and draw closer to the Lord Jesus Christ.

We will continue with our meditation, and in the next thought we share with you, we will continue exploring this beautiful and very important event presented to us in Matthew, chapter 20. May the Lord bless you, and until our next broadcast, Roberto Miranda bids you farewell.