But the very hairs of your head are all numbered

"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!

"Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body to hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."

- Matthew 10:24-33

We continue in our readings that tell us about Jesus' sending out of the Twelve Apostles. He has been preparing them for their first mission. First we read of their appointment. Then Jesus began to prepare them for mission -- see The kingdom of heaven is at hand -- how they should conduct themselves, what they should preach. In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught them, "Behold, I send you out as sheep among wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves." He warned them about the persecution to come, and taught that in the hour of their witnessing, the Spirit will help them to speak - it will be given to them what they are to speak. Even the deepest family relationships may be split by betrayal, and they "will be hated by all" for His name's sake. They are to flee to the next city when they are persecuted in one, and to continue their mission to the cities of the house of Israel.

"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! Therefore do not fear them." Jesus endures all things before us, before His disciples. The "master of the house," Christ, has been called Beelzebub. He's been accused of casting out demons by the ruler of the demons. My study bible points out that "Do not fear" appears three times in this passage, in order "to embolden the community's witness in the face of adversity." It adds, "Christ's disciples, then and now, must not be intimated by persecutors nor fail to persevere in fearless preaching."

"For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops." This is a powerful message about fearless witnessing. It is about a kind of uncovering, a revelation, if you will. It hearkens back to His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. What we receive from Him, even in the secret place, in the inner chamber, if you will, is to be revealed to all. In some sense, it is an implication of Christ's presence, His Word, with them, and with us too. It is also an indication of Himself as Shepherd, who will always be with us. In witnessing, there is living, dynamic relationship.

"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body to hell." My study bible points out here that this passage teaches us about the immortality of the soul, which is ours by God's grace. Those who "kill the body" are the violent persecutors; it's a statement about physical death. But Him, here, refers to God, in whose hands is our soul. My study bible has an important note on the word used for hell here. "Hell is literally 'Gehenna.' In Jewish history Gehenna (the Valley of Hinnom) became a place of forbidden religious practices because a throne was established there for Molech, to whom children were offered as sacrifices (2 Chr. 28:3; Jer. 32:35). King Josiah put an end to these practices (2 Kin. 23:10). By Jesus' time the valley had become a garbage dump that smoldered ceaselessly. Because of these associations, Gehenna acquired the connotation of punishment in the afterlife."

"Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven." Immediately following the implications of the power of God's judgment is this profound statement about the tremendous value we have as human beings in God's eyes. For the One in whose hands is our soul and body, then, the One who has the power over all life and judgment, our worth as witness is beyond our calculation. But we also recall Judgment -- and the weight our denial will carry. My study bible writes, "If God takes care of sparrows, and the hairs of your head are numbered, then He has the power of creating, sustaining, and providing for everything -- even to the smallest details. Thus, do not fear."

It's interesting view here that Jesus places everything in the hands of God. We know God's great love for us all. He teaches of our tremendous worth and value to God. But also there is the power of Judgment -- that it is up to God's power as well whether or not we have eternal life. The use of the word "Gehenna" here teaches us something about that which is separate from God, and an opposing kingdom -- a place of the worship of demons and horrible and abominable practices such as child sacrifice. But it is God's power, as Jesus puts it, that can exile and leave us in that place that is without God in some sense, separate. It's a deeply ironic twist to the slander and even blasphemy Jesus refers to when He says that He is called Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons. But it reinforces to us a sense in which hell may be of our own making, the place that is without God when we remain separate from God, where there is no love, no goodness, no beauty, but only terror and emptiness, chaos where anything can happen - a place where the currency of life is cruelty and violence. This is a dread or fear then of being left to that place, without possibility of return, a true sense of destruction and what that might mean in terms of an eternal promise of life. But the deeper message here is of God's love and value of human beings. We are created to carry God's kingdom as witnesses. And this is how God's power works, as opposed to the power of violence and cruelty. Even in a place, a world where there has been a Gehenna, we carry that kingdom. We are of the tremendous value that God places on us, in us. And we are deeply connected to the Father in so many mysterious ways, so much that even the hairs on our head are numbered. I keep returning to St. Paul's received message: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). As imperfect and weak and frail human beings, we are blessed with God's love, trusted with Christ's power, blessed with the message that we are His witnesses. Let us remember, then, in Whose hands rest all things.