Fear God instead of people-Persecution will come
Lack of proper welcome to the disciples to persecution
Now is the time to expand his influence by sending out his disciples with the same message and power, because opposition is building. Jesus will send them first to his people Israel because of their salvation-historical primacy (10:5–15). But he will also prepare them for a worldwide mission among the Gentiles (10:16–23). Jesus’ training will address directly the characteristics that his disciples will need to embody as they carry out the mission (10:24–42).
The Twelve are sent out like sheep among wolves (v. 16). They are without defense against the ferocious attacks of their opponents. Therefore they must be as prudent (the LXX at
Jesus instructs his disciples not to worry about what they are to say or how they are to speak when they are brought to trial. When the time comes they will be given (that is, God will tell them) what to say. The words that they speak will not be their own. It will be the Spirit of their Father (the Holy Spirit) who will speak through them.
The necessary balance between anxiety and apathy closely parallels Jesus’ teaching on “worry” about food, drink, and clothing in 6:25–34.
The flip side of encouraging bold testimony under persecution when one has no alternative is the command to flee hostility whenever possible (v. 23a). Jesus calls his followers to bravery but not foolishness.
2) The Proper Reaction to Hostility: Fear God, Not People (10:26–31)
10:29–31 To reassure the disciples of God’s fatherly love, Jesus contrasts their great worth with the comparatively insignificant value of sparrows, a cheap marketplace item sold for 1/32 of the minimum daily wage (“penny” is literally an assarion, which equaled 1/16 of a denarius). So, too, God knows the very number of our hairs. If he is aware and in control of such minor details, “how much more” will he not care for his own people and vindicate them despite their present suffering? “The will of” in v. 29 does not appear in the Greek but is probably a correct interpolation, although the parallelism with v. 30 could suggest the translation apart from the knowledge of your Father. A clear perspective of a person’s finitude, of God’s coming justice, and of the expanse of eternity should encourage believers in the worst of circumstances and should instill terror in anyone who fails to take into account God’s future plans for the universe.
To be worthy of discipleship a person must take his cross and follow (v. 38) in the path of the Master. To “take up the cross” means to consider oneself already sentenced and on the way to execution. It is complete self-denial. Whether this means bearing the shame and loneliness of being a social outcast or actually being ready to suffer a martyr’s death is incidental.
10:14 / Shake the dust off your feet: In
