Matthew 10: Part 2
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Matthew 10
Matthew 10
So last week we saw Jesus call the 12 disciples to Him and grant them the power and authority to cast out demons and to heal sickness. This was the beginning of the great commission that is still the objective the church has to this day. Now in the first part of chapter 10, the disciples were sent to bring back the lost sheep of Israel, but we will later see this being changed to spreading the Word to the entire world. Especially when we get to Paul who was the apostle to the Gentiles.
And Christ warned that this mission will not be easy but also says that the disciples won’t be alone, they will have the Holy Spirit guiding them and speaking through them, the same benefit that we still have. We left off with Jesus telling the disciples that the world will reject Him, so it will also reject those who follow him but that we must “endure until the end”. Think about these verses in Romans:
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
We must be ready to face that rejection and to go through the tribulation for His sake. We won’t be taken out of the world, we will be here to be ambassadors representing Christ, spreading the truth and allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through us. So let’s pick up with verse 26.
Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
So Jesus tells us not to fear, because if we let fear keep us from spreading his word then we have allowed Satan victory, even if it’s temporary. We see here that Jesus tells us that all things will be revealed, and that satan and his followers won’t be able to hide or cover good works that are down to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. His plan will be uncovered, the gospel is able to be spread around the world; but also our sins will be laid bare at judgement. And Jesus told us that he foretold all things in Mark 13 23
But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
So Jesus says that we have nothing to fear, man can only destroy the flesh but Only God can destroy the soul. And if we choose life, if we follow Christ we have nothing to fear. And in xxxxxx he says that we have nothing to fear because God is with us.
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
So if God watches over and cares for the birds, how much more does he care for us, his children? Jesus here used what’s called a lesser to greater argument that was commonly used by rabbis at the time, and he uses this to assure the disciples and us of our value to God. God loves and cares for us, down to the individual strands of hair on our heads.
Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
So we have to be willing to confess Christ publicly. We can hide that light, we can’t cover the candle with a bushel. We are called to spread the faith, to plant seeds and hep others find Jesus.
But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
How we build our relationship with Christ will be reflected at judgment. If he was dear and precious to us, so we will be to him. But if we dismissed him, so he will do to us.
Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
So Jesus came to give us a sword, which we know is the word of God as seen in Ephesians 6 17. Jesus came to prepare us to overcome the enemy, Satan and his followers which is why we have to put on the full armor of God, to be prepared to overcome the hour of temptation. Jesus’s message brings conflict, as Christians we will face persecution but it’s nothing we should worry about, again who can stand against us of God is for us? And what does a sword do? It cuts, it divides. It will separate believers for unbelievers.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
Zach laid out how we will see this happen during the end times with those who believe that they are following Jesus when it’s actually the Antichrist. The dividing line between those who accept Jesus and those who reject Him, or are deceived by the Antichrist will even divide families.
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
We see here that nothing can come before our relationship with God. Nothing can stand in the way of us following Christ. Anything that does is an idol and it can be hard to avoid this, but it’s something we must do. The greatest danger of idolatry comes not from what is bad, but from what is good, like love in family relationships. The greatest danger we face is not turning away from Christ altogether; it’s making Him second in our life.
And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Jesus here foreshadows his death, and again lays out that if we choose to follow him we WILL face conflict and persecution. Remember what he said in Matt 7 25 about building a house to weather the storm, not to avoid it.
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Now look again at this verse an notice that is says that we are supposed to “take up our cross and follow Christ”. What does that mean? The cross is symbolic of Christ’s death, absolutely, but it is also a symbol of death in general, a way that criminals were executed. 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. What Christ is saying here is that we need to be prepared to face death for His sake. Now that doesn’t necessarily mean we have to die for our faith. We have to FACE DEATH, and remember who is death? Satan. We have to be willing to face and confront Satan and his followers as Christians. When Zach touched on family delivering family up to death for their beliefs, this is what it is talking about. It doesn’t mean a mother killing a child, it means a mother delivering a child up to Satan thinking he is Christ because he has come as the Antichrist.
He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
So we have to be willing to put aside the flesh life, to find the spiritual life, the eternal life.
He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
This speaks to the fact that we should treat each other with respect and patience, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ.
He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.
And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
The little ones refers to the 12 apostles. So what Christ is saying here, is that when we treat other Christians well, it’s as if we are treating Him well, because we are His representatives, His ambassadors. Our job is to represent Him and continue the mission laid out for the apostles, spreading the Word of God wherever we can. And He is saying that He won’t forget the work we do for Him, even something as small as giving someone a cup of cold water will be rewarded. Think about how Brother Travis has used the example of simply holding the door for someone, how that can be the bright spot of their day and can go along way in spreading the light of Christ, even from such a small gesture.
And that’s what this chapter is really about. It’s about Jesus calling the 12 apostles and the starting of the ministry, and how that should be an example for what we should still be doing to this day. And when we receive a Christian who is truly doing God’s work, it is like we are receiving Christ himself. We should do our best to be worthy of that distinction, we should represent Christ in every moment of every day to the best of our abilities so that other’s can find their way into His mercy and grace as well. We need to approach others with the patience and longsuffering that God has for us, to be a reflection of His guiding light, still doing the work that Jesus sent the apostles out to achieve. Paul actual reminds us of this in 1 Corinthians 12
That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
Matthew 10: Part 2
Matthew 10: Part 2
