A disciple is not above the teacher

‘A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!

‘So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

‘Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.

- Matthew 10:24-33

As Jesus continues to instruct his disciples when sending them out on their first mission, we are given glimpses of what is to come. These principles which Jesus has set out continue to reverberate today, and we would do well to keep them in mind. Although formally the age of persecution and martyrdom may seem past, it is really not absent from our world in places of conflict - and where minority Christians continue to experience martyrdom. But these conflicts between the kingdom and its reality and "the world" of selfishness and struggle for competition still continue on many levels, even where no one is persecuted for their religious beliefs. We would do well to keep this in mind.

'A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!' Jesus has been accused of casting out demons by the power of demons, and here he reminds his apostles that the slave is not above the master, nor the disciple above the teacher. What they have accused Jesus of, so will his followers experience. I think that in any situation today, in which we stand up for the values of the kingdom on whatever level or in any kind of reference point, we should remember that we will not necessarily be welcome. We're still not above the master; being a follower of Christ does not guarantee the perfect life we'd all love to see, without conflict.

'So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. We who have faith in this kingdom are to persevere. It is important to note the first words in this paragraph, because they are about truth and the nature of truth. We don't believe in appearances; we have been taught that it is the reality of what is in the heart that counts when it comes to faith. Jesus' mission is clearly one of truth - a declaration of something that cannot be hidden. We remember his teachings from the Sermon on the Mount, earlier in Matthew's gospel, about the light of the world. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.' We are not to fear persecution in this going forth. We recall that Jesus has given simple instructions to his followers: they are to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves in this venture. That is, they do not court persecution nor provoke nor retaliate against those who do not wish to listen. But at the same time, they are not to fear those who reject this message. We are rather to keep in mind the idea of God the Father, who knows us more deeply than we know ourselves, and cares deeply about those who work for this kingdom. We know who we are within this bond of love, and that what we do within that bond is of great value.

‘Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.' What is deeply important to me in this passage is the notion of relationship that it sustains within us. Think of being part of a family, a people, who may experience persecution which is unfair. If you are indeed a part of this family, do you stand in shame for the unjust persecution, or do you instead contain your loyalty within your heart and live up to the obligations that love would bring? This for me is a grave and deep question. It's a question of true relatedness, and of love. Faith, love and loyalty go hand in hand: those who are ashamed of this relationship to the extent of denial are also breaking those bonds of love.