The Gospel of Matthew (Part 20)
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Matthew 10:16-42 Sermon On Missions (Part 2)
Matthew 10:16-42 Sermon On Missions (Part 2)
Review last week
There are three main sections to this Sermon on Missions. We have covered the first one, which we have deemed Travel Instructions. The second one begins with verse 16. We could call this Trouble Instructions. To expand on this a little, I would say this section is about Being prepared for trouble...
It begins with an eye-opening verse:
16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.
Jesus did not want his followers to be naive. He didn’t want them to go out unprepared for the battle that they were about to face. He wanted them to understand that they were going out as if they were sheep going into the middle of a pack of wolves.
I feel so inadequate in sharing this section of scripture. There is a statistic out there that says that among born-again believers, 80% of them live in the midst of persecution. I believe that this is largely true. It is hard for us who live in the 20% to relate to those who are in the 80%. For the vast majority of Christians in the world today, persecution is simply a normal fact of life.
(Paul) Marshall’s statistic...certainly fits the story we encounter in the book of Acts. In fully half of the chapters i Acts, we find believers either in jail for their faith or experiencing intense pressure for expressing their faith openly. In the world of Acts, suffering for the faith is neither exceptional nor unusual. If anything, persecution appears to be both normal and expected...(The Insanity of Obedience - Nik Ripken)
Ripken in the above book, asks of his readers some uncomfortable questions:
Where are you intentionally being among the “wolves?” At work, deliberately during recreation, or having families who do not know Jesus in your home?
What percentage of your time is spent being “sheep among sheep,” or as “sheep among wolves?”
How in this world does one love wolves? Especially those who harm and slay God’s lambs?
I also have to ask myself this question: Is the reason that we experience so little persecution in this country because we have so much freedom, or is it because we share the gospel so poorly? I hope it is not the latter!
In any event, if we are not being persecuted, the least that we can do is come to the assistance of those who are being persecuted. We should pray for them regularly. Support them as much as possible. And engage with them wIrhen we can. We have friends in Indian and Pakistan, two areas in which their is open hostility to Christ. I want to be more intentional in supporting them where I can.
The fact of the matter is that when sheep go into the midst of wolves, the end result is usually fewer sheep and fatter wolves. This was also true in the Bible. We have mentioned the fact, that of the original twelve apostles (excluding Judas but including his replacement Matthias), all but one of them died a martyr’s death. Yet it has been also true that the church has often thrived in the midst of persecution. As an example, I understand that Iran today, which greatly persecutes believers, is home to one of the fastest growing churches on the planet.
I would like to say that Jesus words to the disciples was not that the sheep act more like wolves. When I look online at some of the really course words that are exchanged publicly between people who claim to be believers, I want to hang my head in shame. The answer to sheep going out among wolves is not to become wolves ourselves!
At least part of the answer is in the second part of the verse. Jesus does not want his sheep to be stupid sheep. He wants us to be “shrewd” or “wise” as serpents (Jesus really liked animal analogies, didn’t he!), yet harmless as doves. He doesn’t want us in our clumsy way of sharing the gospel to invite wolf attacks. We are to be wise in the ways that we share the gospel.
In Voice of the Martyrs magazine this month, there is a story from a central Asian country which used to be part of the Soviet Union. Though after the Soviet Union broke up in 1991, there was religious freedom for several years, yet increasingly since then, there has been persecution. In this country, there were laws passed in 2009 that said that they could not have children at all in church. The pastor in the article said, “We found creative ways around that law.” This would include starting organizing meetings for children in different buildings. When the laws became more restrictive to the point where children’s teachers were forbidden from using Christian books and other biblical materials, teachers memorized their entire lessons. Since then, the laws have become even more draconian, to the point where parents are prohibited from discipling their own children. Children in this nation can be seized by the government and taken away from their parents when they are taught about Christ. “According to the law, children belong to the government.” In any event, the way that these Christians have handled the situation is an example of being “shrewd as serpents.” (And I will also say that VOM is doing the same thing by not sharing the name of the country where this is happening and using pseudonyms for the believers involved.”
At the same time, we as believers are to be harmless as doves. To me, this takes the sheep analogy one step further. Sheep can be quite aggressive at times when upset. But I have never heard of anyone being a victim of a dove attack!
Jesus goes on with his instructions:
17 “But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues;
18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
19 “But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say.
20 “For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
(Some versions use the phrase in verse 17 “Be on guard against men”, which I like better than “beware of men.”) So Jesus continues to give his disciples a realistic description of what they are to face, not only in this first missionary trip, but in the many subsequent ones that will take, especially after Jesus’ death. “You will be handed over. You will be scourged in their synagogues.” We see in the book of Acts these exact things happening.
“You will even be brought before governors and kings for my sake,” but this will turn to a testimony for you. Again, we see this in Acts, especially for the apostle Paul. On the other hand, he assures them that the Holy Spirit will give them the words to say at that hour, so don’t be afraid!
21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.
22 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.
When I read verse 21, I think of the Moslem-background believers who have been persecuted by their own family members. I know of stories of believers who have been imprisoned by their own family members and even young believers who were beaten by their fathers for converting to Christianity. Often young female believers are forced into arranged marriages with Moslem men.
In the first 300 years of church history, their were periods of intense persecution of Christian believers by the Romans. In every case, all that any of them had to do to escape persecution was to swear allegiance to the emperor (as a god) and to renounce Christ. Unfortunately, some did, but many more went to their graves before they would renounce Jesus. They endured to the end.
23 “But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.
There are various theories about what this verse means, especially the last part. I have my theory...and that is that they were never able to finish going through the cities of Israel before the destruction of Jerusalem and basically the emptying of many of the cities of Israel in AD 70. However, this will be completed one day in modern Israel before Jesus comes back to reign.
24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.
25 “It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!
Of course, we have already come across verses where that Jesus was told that he “casts out demons by the ruler of the demons (9:34). He was telling them that if they will treat Me that way, they will certainly treat you that way who are members of My household.
But isn’t it wonderful that He tells us that we are members of His household. One way that we can know that is if we experience persecution. Remember what Jesus said in the Beatitudes?
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
If we are persecuted in any way, praise God! Our reward will be great!
Thoughts?
Then we get to the final section of the Sermon on Missions. Some have called this the Trust Instructions section. I will call it the “Do Not Fear” Section. I count three times here that he tells his disciples, “Do Not Fear.” While the previous section is a warning, this section is an assurance.
26 “Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
27 “What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops.
He is telling them that the things of darkness will all eventually be exposed. This may not be in this life (but it may be). Certainly, all the hidden things of darkness will have to be accounted for.
On the other hand, Jesus followers, who will receive instructions in the secret place as they go before the Father in prayer, are to proclaim those things in the open.
28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
I heard a good story yesterday about this verse. Tim Delina of Times Square Church shared this story of a time when he was pastoring in another large city (Detroit I think).They were building a gymnasium for the community at their church. “They were people much stronger than us coming and stealing our materials. They would steal copper pipes, air ducts, workers tools, compressors, and much more. It was affecting the work and the morale.” Even after hiring a security company, it kept happening. So he trusted the Lord and remained silent. At one point, the Lord gave Pastor Dilena directions.
God asked me to fight with the scriptures. All over the incomplete gymnasium, I had signs made up and posted at every entryway for the (intruders) to see. The sign was from Matthew 10:28 (go back and read)...We did not have one break in and anything ever stolen again, and we finished the project for the church and the community. The true God fought our battle.
Jesus then points out to his followers (then and now), how valuable we are to Him:
29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
30 “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 “So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
So the idea is that even though men put a small price on sparrows, which they sold for the tiny amount of meat that was on them, God valued them greatly as one of his little creatures. Yet, you are more valuable to God than many sparrows. How much God values us...to the extent that he knows even the very hairs of our head!
Thoughts?
32 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.
33 “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
These are somber words. We aren’t to hide our light under a bushel basket. We are to be bold in our witness to the Lord. And we aren’t to deny him, but to confess him before men, even at the cost of our own lives.
34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35 “For I came 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 a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.
What do you think Jesus meant when he said, “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword?” I thought he was The Prince of Peace?
Jesus would indeed come to bring peace...to those who receive him. But to those who reject him, there would be a sword. And he again wanted us to face things with realism. His word will divide households. Some would follow. Some would not. This brings us to his next words:
37 “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.
I can’t remember where I heard this, but I recently heard a story of a man who was away from home and was called by God to the mission field. He wrote his invalid mother that he had been called to missions and had to leave for the field. His mother sent him back a blistering letter telling him in essence, “I thought you loved me? I need you to come home to take care of me.” He wrote back his mother that he had to obey God rather than her. After his mother got the letter, she took it to God. Heartbroken, she wanted to pray that the Lord would send her son back home to her. But the Lord convicted her of her selfishness. She wrote to him apologizing and gave him her blessing. Not to long after this, the Lord healed her completely of her infirmity, and her son had a highly successful life as a missionary.
This was a story with a good ending. But there are many others where that a man or woman in following Jesus had to forsake their family. This is especially true when the family is Moslem or Hindu.
38 “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
39 “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.
It is interesting to look at these verses in context. In this context, what does “take up his cross” mean? I think it means one who is willing to leave their family and everyone else behind to follow him.
(Share my story of the division in my own family when I came to Fair Haven)
Verse 39 is one of Jesus’ most famous truisms. It is part of Jesus’ “upside down kingdom” that he spent so much time on in the Sermon on the Mount. The world is in to “finding yourself,” “Self-actualization”...It is in the end all about self. But Jesus says that the way to finding yourself is to deny yourself...to lose your life. It’s not in seeking your own way, but it is in the opposite direction. It’s about giving up your life for the sake of Christ.
Jesus will say something very similar in chapter 16. I’m sure when we get there, we will spend more time on this.
40 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.
I believe that Jesus is coming back full circle here to his Travel Instructions. Those who receive the disciples as they go forth, will receive Jesus and the One who sent Him.
Jesus elaborates further in the next verse:
41 “He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.
In light of what we’ve already talked about, this is comforting to me. Not everyone can be a missionary. But we can all support those who are going out. This tells me that when we do so, we will receive the same reward in heaven that they will get! That’s an incredible thought! The last verse is even more encouraging...
42 “And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”
Even a cup of cold water given to a thirsty disciple will not go unnoticed in heaven!
We need to each pray, “Am I being as supported of those who go out as I should?” And also, “Am I going out myself as I should?”
Thoughts?
