Matthew 10:34-42

Introduction

English Standard Version Chapter 10

Not Peace, but a Sword

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 a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 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 his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Rewards

40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. 41 The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

Today we reach the end of chapter 10 in Matthew’s Gospel account. While we know that the chapters and verses are not divinely inspired these divisions can be helpful as we study the Scriptures. They often help us to organize Matthew’s narrative into parts that we can digest one at time, while not necessary, they can often times be helpful.

I point this out because chapter 10 is a good example of this. In verses 1-15 we saw how Jesus outlined the mission for his twelve disciples, he listed their names and instructed them to go out and proclaim the gospel of the kingdom. In verses 16-23 Jesus told his disciples what they should expect as they carry out that mission. That they should expect persecution and to be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves. In verses 24-33 Jesus then instructs them how to respond to this persecution, that they should not fear those who can only kill the body, but instead to fear God who can destroy both body and soul in hell. And finally, today, we reach the end of chapter 10, in verses 34-42, where we see the effects of the disciples carrying out this mission. That their allegiance to Jesus and the proclamation of his kingdom will cause division as well as encounter glad reception. On one hand families may be divided because of this message, and on the other hand their will be those who eagerly receive this message.

Do not think that I have come bring peace

So Jesus

Jesus starts out there in verse 34 with some very jarring words doesn’t he? He says,

English Standard Version Chapter 10

34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

On the outset these words seem to contradict much of what many of us know about Jesus. For instance, the prophet Isaiah from the OT tells us that the Messiah is to be the Prince of Peace (). We read in Isaiah chapter 9, starting in verse 6,

English Standard Version Chapter 9

6  For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

and his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7  Of the increase of his government and of peace

there will be no end,

Every year we try to go to as many houses as we can and sing Christmas songs celebrating the birth of Jesus, and one of the verses we often quote is from ,

Every year we try to go to as many houses as we can and sing Christmas songs celebrating the birth of Jesus, and one of the verses we often quote is from ,

English Standard Version Chapter 2

14  “Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

The Messiah is seen as a figure, or as a person, who will bring peace upon the earth. And at one point in John’s Gospel Jesus tells his disciples,

English Standard Version Chapter 14

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.

So the aim of Jesus’ ministry is that of peace, so why is it that we read here in Matthew that Jesus did not come to bring peace on the earth?

The answer is relatively straightforward. Jesus’ mission to bring peace on the earth was a mission to reconcile man to God. To make a way for man to have peace with God. Apart from Christ’s sacrifice God’s wrath abides on all of us, apart from God’s redeeming grace all of mankind is at odds with God. We’ve sinned against a holy God, therefore his just wrath abides on us. Therefore, Jesus’ mission was to proclaim salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins, that those who trust in Jesus for their salvation might have peace with God. So peace is central to the good news of the kingdom, in fact, it could be said that peace with God is the good news of the kingdom.

So the peace that’s mentioned here in verse 34 is referring to a horizontal peace between men. Jesus is saying that while you will be preaching good news not everyone will receive that good news, which will therefore create division. One defining attribute about truth is that it divides. This is what Jesus means when he says he has not come to bring peace, but a sword. Jesus is not advocating that we take up arms but that we must understand that following Jesus will separate us from those who oppose him.

And so Jesus goes on there in verses 35-37 to tell his disciples how their allegiance to him might play out. He says,

English Standard Version Chapter 10

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 a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.

Your allegiance to Jesus and the pursuit of his kingdom will cut so deep that your enemies may even be those of your own household. This is very evident within the religion of Islam, where whole families are likely to disown family members who becomes Christians. Many of you may well have experienced this reality, that to follow Jesus means putting you at odds with certain family members. This makes certain holiday conversations with certain family member difficult or awkward, and what Jesus is saying to you and I is that this is to be expected.

More than that, he goes on there in verse 37,

English Standard Version Chapter 10

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

This is precisely what Jesus means in ,

English Standard Version Chapter 14

26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

In other words, if your love and your allegiance to Jesus does not infinitely surpass the the love and allegiance you have for your family then you are not worthy to be a disciple of Jesus, in fact, he says you cannot be his disciple. Incredibly divisive and demanding words aren’t they? There is no easy believism as far as Jesus is concerned. You’re either with him wholeheartedly or against him and his enemy. This is why Jesus can say things like,

English Standard Version Chapter 12

30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

There’s no such thing as neutrality taught in the Scriptures, a man is either opposed (secretly or openly) to God, or he completely embraces God’s Son.

Jesus is supremely worthy

And one of things that’s truly astonishing to me about verse 37 is the worth that Jesus attributes to himself. Listen again to verse 37,

English Standard Version Chapter 10

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.

He tells us that if we are not willing to love him more than those whom we naturally love the most here on earth then we are not worthy to be his disciple. In other words Jesus is telling us that he is of supreme worth, he is infinitely more important than any of our earthly families.

Now that doesn’t mean our families are not important, because enshrined in the 10 commandments is his instruction to honor our father and mother. And in another place the Apostle Paul says that if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, that he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever, but even so our supreme priority ought to be Christ and his kingdom, in every circumstance.

So in order to follow Christ you must put Christ and his kingdom first, every time, while simultaneously honoring your parents, no matter whether they’re unbelievers or not. As an adult honoring your father and mother doesn’t mean obedience to them in every life decision, but it does mean that you treat them with the respect that God has given them as your parents. You hear them out, you treat them with kindness and not contempt, and above all you follow God.

If you’re a parent your job is to teach your children this, that their supreme purpose is to glorify God in all that they do, to value him supremely, to put him and kingdom first in all things, above even your own desires.

My mother posted a quote on social media just yesterday by a man many of us know, missionary and martyr, Jim Elliot. He said this of our children,

"Grieve not, then if your sons seem to desert you, but rejoice, rather, seeing the will of God done gladly. Remember how the Psalmist described children? He said that they were as a heritage from the Lord, and that every man should be happy who had his quiver full of them. And what is a quiver full of but arrows? And what are arrows for but to shoot? So with the strong arms of prayer, draw the bowstring back and let the arrows fly- all of them, straight at the Enemy's hosts."

I’m not saying this is easy, but this is what we as parents are called to. To not only make Jesus the supreme aim of our own lives, but also in the lives of our children, no matter the cost to us.

Jesus, worthy, even of our own lives

Jesus even goes on to say there in verse 38,

English Standard Version Chapter 10

38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Jesus is worthy, even at the cost of our own earthly lives if that should be our lot. And what’s interesting here is that this is Matthew’s first use of the word ‘cross’ in his Gospel, and it’s used in association with Jesus’ disciples. Now many of us, who are professing Christians, hear that word a lot, we use it a lot, and rightfully so, but often because of our regular use of the word we’re likely to miss the gravity of Jesus’ words here.

At this time in history Jesus’ disciples would have been well aware of what Jesus meant to take up their cross. They knew that what Jesus was referring to was death. Now I know that many of us immediately think that to pick up our cross and to follow Jesus means that we may encounter hardship and suffering for his namesake, and while that is true, Jesus’ words here would have communicated one thing, following me may mean that you will be put to death, even death on a cross. The imagery that the disciples would have immediately had would have been that of the most humiliating execution carried out at the hands of the Roman government. Those put to death in this manner were forced to carry the cross beam of their cross that they would be hung from, so for Jesus to say, “and whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me” they would have immediately understood Jesus to mean that they must be willing to die for their allegiance to him.

These are hard words from our Lord, not because they’re hard to understand but they’re hard for many of us to follow. Many of us would rather have some form of easy believism that gets us into heaven but doesn’t cost us anything, but Jesus clearly teaches that no such road exists.

Now I know that many of us immediately think that to pick up our cross and to follow Jesus means that we may encounter hardship and suffering for his namesake, and while that’s true, the immediate context here

The privilege of representing Christ and being received by God

However, he doesn’t leave his disciples, nor us, merely in fear of what it might cost us to follow him. Read with me there in verse 40,

English Standard Version Chapter 10

40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.

So first of all, not everyone will reject you and the message you carry. The Scriptures give us every assurance that we do not proclaim God’s message of salvation in vain. That God intends to save a people for himself that will come from every tribe, tongue and nation. Therefore, he has put you where you are for a purpose. We are not aimlessly scattered across the globe.

All of us in this room are put here on this island for a purpose. We have the privilege and joy of carrying the most important message in all the world to the people here in Unalaska. We are God’s representatives here in this town, and God has purposed it to be so. You are not here in vain, you are not wasting your life in a small town of obscurity, not if you’re on mission for Christ.

God’s kingdom that’s represented here on this island by his church is in essence an embassy of heaven, and we are it’s King’s ambassadors. This local church is where the citizens of God’s kingdom come to worship and fellowship together. And we have the privilege of welcoming all who receive God’s message of salvation into that kingdom, to gather with us here as citizens of heaven on earth.

There will be those who receive you and your message. There will be those who

Jesus concludes there in verses 41-42,

English Standard Version Chapter 10

41 The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

Jesus gives his disciples these two analogies to demonstrate that whoever receives them receives him, and that whoever receives Jesus is received by the one who sent Jesus, who is our Father in heaven. So just as a prophet is a messenger of God, we too are messengers of God, and whoever receives the words of a prophet with receive a prophet’s reward. And what is a prophet’s reward? What is our reward as Jesus’ messengers? The answer is salvation. For those who receive our message, the message of salvation, they will be given the promise of salvation, the right to become a citizens of heaven, to those who turn from sin, and trust in Christ for their salvation. To us and to them God promises peace and reconciliation. This is the privilege and joy that we have as Christians to participate in God’s good and merciful purposes.

To these God promises peace and reconciliation.

Prayer