MATTHEW 10
OPENS WITH...THE SENDING OF THE TWELVE WHO ARE CHOSEN AND COMMISSIONED.
Verses 1-4 tells us The TWELVE disciples are listed.
"And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him."
When He had called His twelve disciples to Him...
The main feature of this list is its diversity. Jesus chose His disciples from a variety of backgrounds and life experiences. About all they had in common was it seems that none of them were privileged or from backgrounds of high status.
This is in the spirit of 1 Corinthians 1:26-29...
"For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence."
He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease...
Jesus did not only call the twelve. He also gave them power to do what He had called them to do. The same principle holds true today: whom God calls, God equips. The equipping may not be completely evident before the ministry begins, but it will be evident along the way.
Now the names of the twelve apostles are these...
These twelve (excepting Judas, of course), have an important place in God's plan of redemption, including some particular role in the future judgment (Matthew 19:28), and in the founding of the church (Ephesians 2:20). The Bible promises that their position and work will be remembered through eternity (Revelation 21:14).
DID YOU KNOW...
This is the FIRST and ONLY time in Matthew that the twelve are called APOSTLES. The word apostle literally means one who is sent out; it is the word for an envoy or an ambassador. Called here for the first and last time apostoloi, with reference at once to the immediate minor mission and to the later great one.
1. The word apostle can mean a mere messenger, as in John 13:16, referring to he who is sent.
2. Jesus is called an apostle in Hebrews 3:1: consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.
3. Paul sometimes used the word in the sense of messengers or representatives, as in 2 Corinthians 8:23: they are messengers [apostles] of the churches; possibly also in Romans 16:7.
4. Yet Paul also used the term in a more narrow sense, referring to the Twelve and himself by special dispensation (1 Corinthians 9:1-5 and 15:7-10; Galatians 1:17 and 1:19 following).
AND WE KNOW...There are four DIFFERENT lists of the twelve in the New Testament. Here in Matthew 10:2-4, and also in Mark 3:16-19, Luke 6:13-16, and Acts 1:13. In these lists, Peter is always listed first and Judas is always listed last. The two pairs of brothers (Peter and Andrew; James and John) are always listed first. In the lists they are arranged in a way that suggests that they were arranged in three groups of four, each with a leader.
1. In each list Peter is first mentioned, followed by Andrew, James, and John.
2. In each list Philip is fifth mentioned, followed by Bartholomew, Thomas, and Matthew.
3. In each list James the son of Alphaeus is ninth mentioned, followed by Thaddaeus/Judas brother of James, Simon the Zealot, and Judas.
DID YOU KNOW...Iscariot is usually thought to mean 'man of Kerioth' (a city in southern Judaea), but has also been explained as meaning 'traitor', 'assassin', 'carrier of the leather bag', or 'redhead'!
Verses 5-6 tells us Where they are to go: unto Israel (the Jewish people) only.
"These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
These twelve Jesus sent out...
Jesus was touring around the region of Galilee teaching, preaching, and helping needy people with miraculous power (Matthew 4:23). The sending of these twelve was a conscious expanding of that work. Now the work of Jesus was being done by many more than simply Jesus Himself.
And commanded them...
The word which is used in the Greek for Jesus commanding his men, or giving them orders is interesting and illuminating. It is the word "paragellein". This word in Greek has four special usages.
1. It is the regular word of military command. . . .
2. It is the word used of calling one's friends to one's help. . . .
3. It is the word which is used of a teaching giving rules and precepts to his students. . . .
4. It is the word which is regularly used for an imperial command."
Do not go into the way of the Gentiles...
This is the pattern of the gospel - it is for the Jew first and also for the Greek (Romans 1:16). Later, the gospel would go to BOTH the Samaritans and the Gentiles, but it had to BEGIN with the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
That Jesus felt it necessary to mention the Samaritans at all presupposes John 4. The disciples, happy in the exercise of their ability to perform miracles, might have been tempted to evangelize the Samaritans because they remembered Jesus' success there.
The effect of this order was in actual fact to limit the first journeys of the twelve to Galilee.
But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel...
God's intention was to reach the whole world, but beginning with Israel. There was certainly enough work to do among the lost sheep of the house of Israel to keep the twelve busy until God directly commanded them to expand their ministry.
THIS IS IMPORTANT...WE NEED TO REMEMBER THIS, WHEN THOSE WHO BELIEVE THE FALSE NARRATIVE OF REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY, WHICH SAYS/TEACHES/BELIEVES GOD DISINHERITED ISRAEL AND THE CHURCH, JESUS LOVING CHRISTIANS, REPLACED/ BECAME THE CHOSEN OF GOD.
Significantly, Jesus still called the Jewish people "the house of Israel" even though they had lost their Jewish state many decades before this time. God STILL CALLED THEM AND SAW them as "Israel," even when there was not a political entity known as "Israel."
Who were the lost sheep of Israel? In a sense, all of them were. "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way." (Isaiah 53:6).
Yet in another sense, there were also lost sheep that were abused and neglected by their spiritual shepherds, the scribes, priests, and Pharisees. This is the sense of Jeremiah 50:6: "My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray." It is also the sense of Jesus when He ate with sinners at the home of Matthew (Matthew 9:10-13).
Because so many were so spiritually neglected, Jesus sent these apostles out. "The beginnings of the mission to the neglected 'lost' sheep of Israel may be found in the Capernaum feast (Matthew 9:10).
Verses 7-8a tells us What they are to do: go out preaching and healing.
"And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons."
As you go, preach, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Earlier (Matthew 4:17) we were told that Jesus' message was, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The disciples brought the same message Jesus preached, simply bringing it over a much broader area than Jesus did by Himself.
We may also surmise that they were to repeat many of the themes found in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), because that message tells what life in the kingdom of heaven should be like.
There is no mention of them preaching in the synagogues, only being scourged in them (Matthew 10:17). This was a house-to-house, open field, street preaching ministry.
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons...
The disciples both had a message to preach and a power to display. In this, they were truly followers of their Master.
The authority for these disciples to raise the dead is remarkable; yet the later fulfillment of it was recorded in both Acts 9 and 20, and there were no doubt other unrecorded instances.
AND WE NEED TO REMEMBER...We have no evidence that either such a thing was common, IT WAS AND AS ALWAYS...AS THE HOLY SPIRIT LEADS AND AS THE HOLY SPIRIT WILLS IT.
SO WE ARE TO BELIEVE IN JESUS LIVING WITHIN US THAT, HIS AUTHORITY, HIS POWER, AS HE WILLS IT TO DO MIRACLES TODAY. THE PROBLEM WITH THE CHURCH, AS WELL, THE FALSE RELIGIOSITIES THEN AND NOW, THEY TEACH/PROCLAIM/BELIEVE THEY ARE THE POWER, THEY BELIEVE THEY HAVE AN ANOINTED MANTLE OR THEY HAVE BEEN TAUGHT AND BEEN TO CLASSES TO LEARN AND HAVE THE ABILITY, THAT THEY COMMAND HEAVEN/THEY COMMAND HEALING/MIRACLES/THEY SUMMON WEALTH, THEY SUMMON ANGELS.
NO WHERE IN THE BIBLE DO ANY OF GOD'S PROPHETS, THE DISCIPLES/APOSTLES CLAIM STATE OR PROPHESY IN THEIR OWN POWER. IT WAS, IS AND EVER SHALL BE AS THE HOLY SPIRIT WILLS IT.
SATAN AND HIS DEMONS HAVE LIMITED ABILITIES, THEY CAN SPEAK IN TONGUES, THEY CAN DO SHORT TERM MIRACLES, THEY CAN SPEAK TO MANKIND, THEY CAN ILLUSION THEMSELVES INTO BEING ANGELS OF LIGHT, WHEN THEY ARE NOT FROM JESUS CHRIST AT ALL.
PRAYER IS OUR MOST POWERFUL WEAPON FOR THE LOST, HURT, NEEDY. WHEN WE GATHER TOGETHER IN JESUS NAME AND PRAY FOR AND LIFT THE HURTS, NEEDS OF PEOPLE AND PRAY FOR JESUS DIRECTION, PROTECTION, AND HELP INTO OUR JESUS HANDS...WE RECOGNIZE THE POWER IS IN JESUS CHRIST ALONE. IT IS HIS DECISION.
Verses 8b-15 tells us How they were to provide for themselves.
"Freely you have received, freely give. Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food. Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"
Freely you have received, freely give...
Jesus charged His disciples nothing. He did not charge them for the food, water, shelter, protection and He expected them to give ministry unto others without charge. This is the foundational principle for the commands that follow.
SPURGEON says it well, "What a scandal is it for a man to traffic with gifts which he pretends, at least, to have received from the Holy Ghost, of which he is not the master, but the dispenser. He who preaches to get a living, or to make a fortune, is guilty of the most infamous sacrilege."
Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts...
JESUS TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY DEPENDED ON HIS FATHER TO PROVIDE FOR ALL HIS NEEDS. HIS MINISTRY IS PROOF OF THIS. JESUS WALKED IT, TALKED IT, AND LIVED IT.
JESUS WANTED THEM TO ALWAYS PRAY, ASK, AND BELIEVE AND EXPECT God to meet their needs, without taking undue concern for their own needs. Furthermore, they should expect that God would normally meet their needs through the inspired hospitality of others.
BARCLAY tells us, "He was once again speaking words which were very familiar to a Jew. The Talmud tells us that: 'No one is to go to the Temple Mount with staff, shoes, girdle of money, or dusty feet.' The idea was that when a man entered the temple, he must make it quite clear that he had left everything which had to do with trade and business and worldly affairs behind."
SPURGEON says, "Take [Provide] is literally 'obtain' … The saying in its Matthaean form thus does not so much specify the appropriate equipment for traveling, but rather assures the disciples that no previous fund-raising is necessary, nor need special equipment be acquired. They can go just as they are, and the mission is urgent."
AND FOR THOSE WHO POINT TO See Luke 22:36: 'He that hath a purse, let him take it …' Different modes of procedure are to be adopted at different times.
For a worker is worthy of his food...
When they came among others, they were to be workers among them. They would work among them in both spiritual work and practical work. We can imagine them preaching the Word of God, praying for and with people, and helping with the farm work.
Even though the twelve could expect their needs to be met through the people they served, they should never require their needs to be met as payment. The foundational principle was freely you have received, freely give.
If the household is worthy … if it is not worthy...
Those who did receive these disciples can expect to be blessed (let your peace come upon it); but those places that refused them could expect to be treated as Gentiles cities (shake off the dust from your feet), and as such, were in serious danger of judgment.
Two sure signs of reprobate goats:
1. Not to receive Christ's ministers to house and harbour, accounting themselves happy in such entertainment.
2. Not to hear their words.
Verses 16-18 tells us Jesus PREPARES them for persecution.
"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles."
I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves...
Jesus freely and honestly warned His disciples that they would face persecution. Because they went out without police or military protection, He sent them as sheep in the midst of wolves.
SPURGEON says, "After all, the mission of sheep to wolves is a hopeful one, since we see in the natural world that the sheep, though so feeble, by far outnumber the wolves who are so fierce. The day will come when persecutors will be as scarce as wolves, and saints as numerous as sheep."
AND WE NEED TO REMEMBER ALWAYS...GOD FIRST SENT US HIS GENTLE LAMB AMONG THE LOST, EVIL, OF THIS WORLD TO SEEK AND SAVE THAT WHICH IS LOST...BUT WE NEED TO ALWAYS REMEMBER...THE LION OF JUDAH IS COMING...AND HE IS NOT MEEK OR GENTLE BUT A POWERFUL WARRIOR LION THAT NONE CAN STAND AGAINST...AND EVERY KNEE, ALL THE WOLVES, ALL THE DEMONS, SATAN HIMSELF, SHALL HIT THEIR KNEES BEFORE HIM.
SO WHILE WE APPEAR AS GENTLE, FEEBLE, SHEEP/LAMBS TO THE WOLVES AND REJECTING IN THIS WORLD RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE THE HEART OF THE LION OF JUDAH LIVING WITHIN US...AND ONE SWEET DAY, WE SHALL RETURN WITH OUR LION OF JUDAH AS BRIGHT, WHITE SAINTS AND POWERFUL WARRIORS OF OUR COMMANDER JESUS CHRIST, THE LION OF JUDAH.
Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves...
Despite their vulnerable position in the eyes of the world, Jesus' followers were not to defend themselves with worldly forms of power, but in Jesus' power. They were to remain harmless as doves, though wise as serpents.
Wisdom would keep them from attracting trouble unnecessarily or show them how to avoid it without compromise. But to stand in the power and protection of Jesus first and last. Serpents are attacked by everyone, and must use creativity and wisdom to survive.
Remaining harmless would keep them from giving in to the temptation of retaliation.
But beware of men, for they will deliver you up...
Jesus also warned them that men would persecute them in civic arena (councils) and religious arena (synagogues). They could expect opposition from both city hall and the halls of religion.
AND WE WHO HAVE STUDIED JESUS LIFE AND HIS MINISTRY ON THIS EARTH, KNOW THAT JESUS WAS THE FIRST TO FACE ALL THESE THINGS THAT HE TAUGHT AND PREPARED HIS DISCIPLES FOR IN THEIR FUTURE ONCE HE WAS GONE BACK TO HEAVEN.
WHEREEVER JESUS WENT, WHETHER ON THE ROAD, IN THE MARKETS, OR IN THE SYNAGOGUES..HE WAS CHALLENGED. HE WAS ATTACKED. HE WAS LIED ON. HE WAS RIDICULED AND AS WITH HIS OWN HOME TOWN, HE WAS ASKED TO LEAVE AND NOT RETURN.
You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake...
This was a remarkable statement, recognizing the great influence the gospel and its preachers would have. Governors and kings would notice them - and arrest them, bringing them to trial BECAUSE THEY LOVED AND FOLLOWED JESUS..
WARFIELD says it well, "This affords a striking proof of the prescience of Christ. Who could have thought, at that time, that these despised and illiterate men could excite so much attention, and be called upon to apologize for the profession of their faith before the tribunals of the most illustrious personages of the earth?"
For My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles...
Because they were persecuted for Jesus sake, they could be a testimony to both religious and civic persecutors.
Verses 19-20 tells us When Jesus' disciples are brought before rulers, God will defend and speak for them.
"But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."
Do not worry about how or what you should speak...
Jesus' disciples could have perfect trust in God in that moment, knowing that He would speak through them even if they were unprepared.
BARCLAY MAKES A GOOD POINT FOR US TO THINK ABOUT AND REMEMBER, "It was not the humiliation which early Christians dreaded, not even the cruel pain and the agony. But many of them feared that their own unskilfulness in words and defence might injure rather than commend the truth. It is the promise of God that when a man is on trial for his faith, the words will come to him."
For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak...
This gave them confidence that the Spirit of the Father would speak to and through them at the necessary moment, even if they were not prepared with a statement.
This isn't a justification of poor preparation in teaching and preaching God's Word, but it is a promise of strength and guidance for the persecuted that have an opportunity to testify of Jesus.
Verses 21-23 tells us The extent of persecution: even among families, and from city to city.
"Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."
Now brother will deliver up brother to death...
Jesus knew that in some cases the gospel would divide family members, and that some of the most bitter persecution would take place among families.
AND REMEMBER JESUS' OWN HALF BROTHERS AND SISTERS REJECTED HIM, BUT FOR MARY HIS MOTHER TOLD TO US IN JOHN 7:1-5 & MARK 3:20-21.
AND WE REMEMBER JESUS WENT BACK TO HIS OWN HOMETOWN OF NAZARETH WHERE HE HAD GROWN UP AND THEY TRIED TO THROW HIM OFF THE CLIFF TOLD TO US IS LUKE 4:16-30
And cause them to be put to death...
Jesus plainly said that persecution would sometime result in death. Though most Christians have endured persecution in economic or social arenas, though the centuries, literally millions have given their lives in faithfulness to Jesus.
You will be hated by all for My name's sake...
At times this has been true; when entire cultures have hated the followers of Jesus. It seems strange that people who live by the kingdom expectations of Matthew 5-7 should be so greatly hated, but it is the same paradox that inspired the world to condemn and crucify JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF, the only sinless man ever to live.
It must be painfully admitted that there are times when Christians, because of great unfaithfulness or false profession of faith, have been hated for good reason. Yet no one who is filled with the presence of Jesus and lives like He did can be hated for good reason.
But he who endures to the end will be saved...
A commitment to endure to the end is required for those who will weather the storms of persecution. We who have face little real persecution have little understanding of just how difficult it is to endure under it.
When they persecute you in this city, flee to another...
In this, Jesus taught His disciples that it was WRONG for them to court martyrdom. They were NOT to run towards persecution, or even remain if they had the chance for an honorable escape. If they could flee to another place they were to do it.
You will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes...
This is one of the hardest to understand statements of Jesus in Matthew. Could Jesus really mean that He would return to this earth before the disciples would make it through all the cities of Israel? If so, this would make Jesus' plainly wrong in this prediction. Instead, it is better to see His "coming" in this passage as His coming in judgment upon Judea in A.D. 70 which did happen before the gospel came to every city in Israel.
This is the fulfillment of the day of judgment warned of in Matthew 10:15. In many ways, the judgment poured out by God upon Judea through the Roman armies in A.D. 70.
Verses 24-25 tells us Why Jesus' disciples must expect persecution.
"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!"
A disciple is not above his teacher...
Simply put, the disciples should not expect to be treated any better than Jesus was treated. If they called Jesus Himself Satan (Beelzebub), how much worse should the disciples of Jesus expect!
This already is the second reference in Matthew we have to Jesus being associated with Satan by His enemies. Matthew 9:34 suggests that it was a frequent slur.
It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master...
This is the goal of both the disciple and servant of Jesus. We simply want to be like our teacher and master, as we are conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29).
Verses 26-31tells us Even in the midst of persecution, Jesus' disciples should NOT fear, but be BOLD in their proclamation of the gospel.
"Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."
Therefore do not fear them...
Jesus' disciples could have confidence that the truth would prevail, so they should go out and preach it with boldness, despite the danger of persecution.
AND WE NEED TO REMEMBER THIS...If persecution or the threat of persecution makes us draw back from speaking and preaching God's word, then in some measure Satan has won a victory. His threat of persecution may not have succeeded in harming us, but in holding back the work of the Word of God.
For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known...
Jesus promised His persecuted followers that the truth of their honorable sacrifice would be known, even if the persecutors did their best to hide it among the pages of history. God would reveal all and justify His servants and reveal the crime of those who thought they had hidden it.
The judgment of eternity gives us great confidence in God's ultimate justice. Those who seem to cheat justice on earth will NEVER cheat it in eternity.
THEN AND NOW, WE SEE MORE AND MORE EXAMPLES OF EVIL ESCAPING, IF NOT BEING CHAMPIONED AND EXCUSED AWAY THEIR EVIL AND REMOVING EARTHLY JUSTICE AND PUNISHMENT...BUT WE NEED TO REMEMBER, JESUS IS NOT BLIND. JESUS IS NOT DECEIVED. JESUS DOES NOT FORGET. EVIL MAY AND WILL, THEN AND NOW, ESCAPE EARTHLY JUSTICE AND PUNISHMENT, BUT THEY WILL NEVER ESCAPE JESUS JUSTICE AND PUNISHMENT.
Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops...
The message of Jesus was gloriously public. It was not for a secret few and was not to be hidden in any way. There isn't one message for the inner circle and another for those on the outside. Those on the outside may not understand the message, but they can hear it and it is not to be hidden from them.
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell...
God is the one to fear, not the men who persecute the followers of Jesus. The worst they can do is to destroy the body, but being a coward before God can have eternal consequences.
SPURGEON says it well, "There is no cure for the fear of man like the fear of God."
Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows...
Jesus' disciples didn't need to be afraid, because God really did care for them, even down to the most minute detail. If God cares for the sparrows, and numbers the very hairs of our head, then He will also pay careful attention to our needs. The persecuted easily feel that God forgets them, but He has not.
God knows us better than our friends know us; better than our husband or wife knows us; He knows us better than we know ourselves. We don't know how many hairs are numbered on our head. The God who knows us so well will take care of us.
The clear emphasis in this short section is clearly "do not fear." "This is the third time, in six verses, that they and we are bid to banish this cowardly base passion, this causeless, fruitless, harmful, sinful fear of men. He that fears God need fear none else."
Verses 32-39 tells us The attitude Jesus' disciples MUST be equipped with.
"Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.' He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it."
Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven...
The disciple must confess Jesus publicly - before men. If we will not be public about our allegiance to Him, we cannot expect Him to be public about His allegiance to us.
Everyone Jesus called He called publicly. There is really no such thing as a "secret" Christian, at least not in a permanent sense. This is a contradiction in terms - an oxymoron.
Each individual Christian life should supply enough evidence - evidence that can be seen by the world - that they are indeed Christians. It is to be feared than many modern Christians, if arrested for the crime of following Jesus and tried in a court, would have the charges dismissed for a lack of evidence.
SPURGEON says it well, "What Christ is to you on earth, that you will be to Christ in heaven. I shall repeat that truth. Whatever Jesus Christ is to you on earth, you will be to him in the day of judgment. If he be dear and precious to you, you will be precious and dear to him. If you thought everything of him, he will think everything of you."
Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword...
The message of Jesus - as reflected in the Sermon on the Mount - is indeed a message of peace. Yet we need to remember too, it calls the individual to a radical commitment to Jesus Himself, it is a message of peace that divides between those who choose it and those who reject it. The division between these two choices explains how Jesus did not come to bring peace but a sword.
For I have come to "set a man against his father" … and "a man's enemies will be those of his own household"...
The dividing line between those who accept Jesus and those who reject Him would even run through families. The sword Jesus spoke of would sometimes cut through families.
THIS IS THE MESSAGE AND TRUTH WE AS JESUS FAMILY/FOLLOWERS/CHURCH...HAVE FAILED TO TELL THE BABIES IN CHRIST. WE HAVE FAILED TO GIVE THEM MATTHEW 10. WE HAVE FAILED TO TELL THEM, YES, CHOOSING JESUS IS AN ETERNAL DECISION. AN ETERNAL JOY, GRACE, MERCY, FORGIVENESS, AND SALVATION IN JESUS CHRIST ALONE...BUT BABY CHRISTIANS, YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS...JESUS WAS REJECTED BY HIS HALF-BROTHERS/SISTERS. HE WAS REJECTED BY HIS OWN FAMILY. JESUS WAS REJECTED AND CAST OUT OF HIS CHURCH, HIS TOWN, HIS CHILDHOOD FRIENDSHIPS. JESUS WAS REJECTED, RIDICULED, SNEERED AT, PERSECUTED AND SO WILL YOU. SO GIRD YOURSELF UP. PUT ON THE FULL ARMOR OF JESUS CHRIST SALVATION, SO THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO STAND AGAINST THEM ALL.
AND WE SEE IT TODAY, THOSE JEWS WHO COME TO THE SAVING REDEEMING GRACE OF JESUS CHRIST AS MESSIAH WERE AND ARE TODAY CAST OUT OF THEIR FAMILIES. THEY ARE OSTRACIZED FROM THEIR SYNAGOGUES. THEY ARE EXCOMMUNICATED AND BECOME DEAD TO THEIR JEWISH FAMILY.
AND WORSE, FAR WORSE, WE SEE THOSE MUSLIMS WHO COME TO THE SAVING REDEEMING KNOWLEDGE AND CHOOSING JESUS CHRIST AS THE ONE TRUE GOD. THEIR SAVIOR ARE KILLED BY BEHEADING, BURNING, STONING, ACID BURNS, BY THEIR OWN FATHERS, FAMILIES, RELATIVES, AND MOSQUES.
He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me...
In strong terms, Jesus explained that the disciple must love and follow Jesus supremely. Our devotion to Jesus must come above even our own household.
We should expect that normally, following Jesus makes us better husbands, fathers, wives, mothers, sons, daughters and so forth. Yet there are times when the presence of Jesus divides rather than unifies.
The greatest danger of idolatry comes not from what is bad, but from what is good - like love in family relationships. The greatest danger to the best comes from second best.
Take his cross and follow after Me...
The disciple must follow Jesus even to the place of taking his cross. When a person took a cross in Jesus' day, it was for one reason: to die. The ancient Roman cross did NOT negotiate, did NOT compromise, and did NOT make deals. There was no looking back when you took up your cross, and your only hope was in resurrection life.
His cross...
Your cross is NOT really your particular trial or trouble. The cross means one thing: death - death to self, but resurrection life unto God.
IN THIS MODERN DAY OF POLITICAL, SOCIAL, AND RELIGIOUS SELF. SELF. SELF. DO IT MY WAY. MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY. IF IT FEELS GOOD JUST DO IT. SUBJECTIVE MORALITY. IF I ENJOY IT, IT DOES NOT MATTER IF IT IS AGAINST YOU, YOUR LAWS, YOUR MORALS, OR YOUR BELIEFS. I SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO DO AND BE AND HAVE WHATEVER I WANT...REGARDLESS WHAT IT COSTS OTHERS...EVEN THEIR DEATH.
This is the FIRST mention of the cross in Matthew's Gospel, and it is not directly associated with Jesus' own crucifixion. Such an extreme statement - likening discipleship with the horror of crucifixion, something too terrible to be mentioned in polite company - must have jarred the disciples.
Yet they knew what the cross was all about. "Crucifixion itself was not an uncommon sight in Roman Palestine; 'cross-bearing' language would have a clear enough meaning, even before they realized how literally he himself was to exemplify it.
WE NEED TO REMEMBER, IN JESUS DAY, EVERYWHERE JESUS WENT, THE ENTRANCES AND EXITS TO ALL THE TOWNS/CITIES/COUNTRIES UNDER ROMAN RULE WERE LITTERED WITH CRUCIFIXION CROSSES. MOST BODIES WERE NOT BURIED, BUT LEFT UP ON THE CROSSES UNTIL THE BUGS AND BUZZARDS HAD EATEN THEIR FILL. WE TODAY, CAN LOOK IN THE SKY, AND IF WE SEE BUZZARDS CIRCLING OVERHEAD, WE KNOW SOMETHING IS DEAD OR DYING. SO BESIDES THE HORRIFIC SMELLS OF DECAYING AND ROTTING BODIES, BUT ALSO THE GRUESOMENESS OF THE FEASTING BUZZARDS, FLIES, AND BUGS COATING AND COVERING THE DEAD WAS A SIGHT NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN BY THOSE UNDER ROMAN RULE.
IT WAS ROME'S PSYCHOLOGICAL WAR STRATEGY. CRUCIFY UNTIL THEY COMPLY. CRUCIFY MEN, WOMEN, CHILDREN ANYONE AND EVERYONE WHO CHALLENGES ROME. AND MAKE SURE ALL THOSE COMING AND GOING FROM EVERY TOWN SEES, SMELLS, AND REMEMBERS AND YES, FEARS WHAT HAPPENS TO ANYONE WHO CHALLENGES ROME.
AND SECULAR HISTORY TELLS US, When the Roman general, Varus, had broken the revolt of Judas in Galilee [4 B.C.], he crucified two thousand Jews, and placed the crosses by the wayside along the roads to Galilee.
He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it...
The disciple lives in a paradox. He can only find life by losing it, and he can only live after we take up our cross to follow Jesus.
Verses 40-42 tells us The reward due to those who, in contrast to the persecutors, receive the disciples of Jesus.