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BACKGROUND INFORMATION {24} "A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; {25} it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household! It was common in those days for disciples to actually be like their teachers. The central goal of a disciple was to follow in the footsteps of the master. In this chapter, Jesus is preparing his disciples for their first mission. He has been telling them about all the dangers and hardships they may have to put up with and ends by saying (in effect), "What do you expect? A disciple is not greater than his teacher. If the world gives me a bad time, it will give you one too" {26} "So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. {27} What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Three times in this passage Jesus tells his disciples to not be afraid. Three times! The single most important defense against those who would attack them is not a weapon…not body armor…not fancy speech. It is fearlessness. And fearlessness comes from your soul. The good news about Jesus, his identity and mission - at first held in confidence by the disciples - will shortly be proclaimed "from the housetops." {28} Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. {29} Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. {30} And even the hairs of your head are all counted. {31} So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. {32} "Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; {33} but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. It is important to keep in mind that this teaching of Jesus is for those who already profess faith in Christ. It is not intended for those who have yet to be initiated into the faith. These are some of the "hard sayings" of Jesus. Paul writes about spiritual milk and meat. Sometimes we’re just not ready for some of the radical teachings of Jesus until we’ve moved from milk to meat. In v. 28 Jesus counsels that there is one thing to fear…those who can kill the soul. But in the next breath Jesus basically says, "If God cares for the sparrow and knows the number of hairs on your head, he will certainly take care of you, even in death." So do not be afraid. {34} "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. {35} For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; {36} and one's foes will be members of one's own household. I have avoided this text for 20 years. This is one of the most difficult pieces of the Bible. How are we to make sense of this? Let’s look at Jesus’ use of the word, "sword." This is not a political or military term, but a term that looks to the end of time. We need to understand that Matthew was written during the latter part of the first century. The Christian church was already experiencing real persecution and many were forced to choose between their family and their faith. It was also a common belief that one of the signs of the end of the world was the breakdown of the family structure. So it is very possible that Matthew is using this framework to interpret the experience of his own church. {37} Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; {38} and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. {39} Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. This is the most difficult text of all to understand. One of the realities of our present age is that we start from our experience and overlay it onto a document that was written 2000 years ago. The key to understanding the depth of Jesus' meaning here is to think beyond the current narrow meaning of the term "family." In Jesus' day, family meant a vast, extended network of relationships forming an economic and sometimes political entity known as a "clan." Loyalty to the clan was expected above all else. Understood in this context we can begin to see the implications of Jesus' mandate. Jesus' words put each person in a position of responsibility for his or her own heart and soul. Finally, Jesus talks about taking up the cross and following him. Discipleship is not adding another worthy cause to one’s life. It is a giving of self that is the ultimate self-fulfillment.
WHAT COULD GOD BE SAYING TO US TODAY? True story. Chrysostom was the patriarch of Constantinople in the fourth century. One of the stories surrounding this faithful witness concerns the occasion when the Roman emperor had him arrested and charged with being a Christian. If Chrysostom did not renounce Christ, then the emperor would have this Christian leader banished from the kingdom. Chrysostom responded to the threat by saying that the emperor could not do so, "because the whole world is my Father’s kingdom." "Then," replied the emperor, "I will take away your life." To which Chrysostom said, "You cannot, for my life is hid with Christ in God." Next threatened with the loss of his treasure, this saint replied, "You cannot, for my treasure is in heaven where my heart is." The emperor made one last effort: "Then I will drive you away from here and you shall have no friend left." But again Chrysostom responded, "You cannot, for I have one Friend from whom you can never separate me. I defy you for you can do me no harm." Stories like this are truly inspiring. We all would like to respond with this kind of faith in the face of persecution. But no one has ever threatened my life because I was a Christian. How can we hear these tough words of Jesus while living in a nation of many freedoms and comforts? Discipleship. It may have been a popular word in Jesus’ day, but it’s an unfamiliar word in our 21st century vocabulary. We talk about being a member of the body of Christ, a member of the church, but not a disciple of Jesus. Have you ever thought that the focus of the church is too much towards membership? Does the church work pretty hard to get people to join the church, but then fails to work as hard in helping those members become mature disciples of Christ? The fact is that growing churches are more concerned with making disciples than getting members. Some growing churches have three-year plans for growing disciples….Plans that involve commitment to Bible study, being a part of a small accountability group, sharing faith with others, and reaching out to the poor. Here at St. John we’re pretty good at outreach, and we are surely inviting our friends to church. But how many of us have yet to dig seriously into the Bible? When was the last time we risked praying with a group of fellow Christians? When have we talked about financial and family decisions with a group of close friends who listen well? We need to get in touch with our deepest desire for love, for God. We need to peel away the layers to get at the heart of our lives. When we spend time with our desire for Jesus, it won’t seem like much of a sacrifice. A couple, visiting in Korea, saw a father and his son working in a rice paddy. The old man guided the heavy plow as the boy pulled it. "I guess they must be very poor," the man said to the missionary who was the couple’s guide and interpreter. "Yes," replied the missionary. "When the church was built, they were eager to give something to it, but they had no money. So they sold their ox and gave the money to the church. This spring they are pulling the plow themselves." After a long silence, the woman said, "That was a real sacrifice." The missionary responded, "They do not call it a sacrifice. They are just thankful they had an ox to sell." Do you have an ox to sell for Christ? Is there something you can give up in order to follow Christ? Do some of the priorities in your life need to be rearranged? I don’t know about you, but I struggle with being a disciple of Jesus on a daily basis. And when I’m tempted to feel guilty because I don’t act much like his disciple, I need to be in touch with the grace of God. That fresh start grace. That new beginning grace. Thank God for grace. Grace is the power of God to begin again AND to keep on going. A lawyer had a friend with a drinking problem. The lawyer never abandoned his friend, even though the calls from his friend would come at all hours of the working day and sleeping night. The calls were all the same: "Who you for?" a slurring voice would bark over the phone. "I'm for you," was the immediate reply from the lawyer. "Who you against?" came back the question. "I'm against whoever's against you" was the response. "Just checking, " said the man, who then hung up. It doesn’t matter how you have lived your life. It doesn’t matter what forces are beating you down. It doesn’t matter how screwed up life gets. Jesus is always on your side. He wants nothing short of your entire life. What we will receive in return is out of this world. |
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06.23.02 - BYOB Series (Matthew 10:24-39)
