This child marks both the failure and the recovery of many in Israel, A figure misunderstood and contradicted— the pain of a sword-thrust through you— But the rejection will force honesty, as God reveals who they really are. Luke 2:34-35 (TM)

Yesterday I thought it interesting that Mary claimed she could grasp what Gabriel was saying to her. I made the point that I don’t think Mary saw all the pain and problems that were ahead for them. At Jesus’ circumcision, Simeon prophesies and raises another red flag for her. We picture Jesus as a man of peace and healing, but he was just as much a man of division and ripping asunder. Jesus himself would proclaim, "I didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword" and "division." This sword would "thrust-through" his mother as she stood and watched his ultimate sacrifice.