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"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 in 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
In Matthew's gospel, we are reading about the sending out of the Twelve Apostles on their first mission. First, they were called by Jesus. Next, He began to teach them about their mission (see The kingdom of heaven is at hand). In yesterday's reading, He continued: "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes." In today's reading, He continues their preparation for the first mission.
"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." Earlier, we read that Jesus was accused of casting out demons by the power of the ruler of the demons. Here, He uses the name of Beelzebub, or Beelzebul, a Palestinian deity, to illustrate the point. If they slander Him with all kinds of slurs, what then awaits His disciples? Here, in effect, He teaches them to expect even more than their master. My study bible says that "them" in do not fear them "refers to those unidentified people who persecute the disciples. Do not fear appears three times here to embolden the community's witness in the face of adversity. Christ's disciples, then and now, must not be intimidated 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. 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 in hell." Again, the encouragement is to a fearless kind of witness. As we have discussed in the past two readings, it is an encouragement to stay focused, to stay on mission, to remain single-minded in pursuit of His specific commands regarding what they are to do. My study bible tells us that "kill the body refers to physical death, but the impossibility of killing the soul shows the immortality of the human soul, which is ours by God's grace. Him refers to God, not to the devil (see also Luke 1:50; 23:40; Acts 10:2; Col. 3:22; 1 Pet. 2:17; Rev. 15:4, 19:5). Christians are instructed to resist the devil (James 4:7), but not to fear him." It also explains: "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." My study bible explains, "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. Therefore do not fear." Jesus emphasizes the nature of confidence, which comes through the power and authority of God. It is that power that necessitates the stark choice before those who are made aware of it, who are offered what He is offering to these disciples.
Let us examine Jesus' encouragement to a kind of fearlessness and persistence in their mission. Their confidence comes from the power of God, upon which they are taught to rely. In yesterday's reading and that of the day before, we read that Judgment was left to God -- the Apostles are simply to move on to the next town where they are not welcome, and shake the dust off their feet. They were told that when they needed a defense, the "Spirit of your Father" would speak in them. But He promised them persecutions and difficulties, and in today's reading He emphasizes that He has been called evil -- so they will have even more to deal with. But they are not to fear those who will persecute them and slander them. Why? Jesus emphasizes the action of the Kingdom: "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." The whole force of the mission is in the revelation of the Kingdom; this is what is being brought into the world. This action is so important that it brings a stark choice: the kingdom being revealed is that of God, in whom they are to have their confidence and trust. Therefore, it's not their persecutors they should fear, but rather the God whose kingdom they are sent to reveal to the world in mission. The commands that Jesus has given to them reveal a stark choice, between the ones who may kill the body, and the One who has the true power of life and death of something much greater: the soul. Once again, it's not the men he's sending out who are the real power at work here. It's God's power in which they trust. This trust is evident in the example of the sparrows upon whom God's eye falls, and the fact that each hair on their heads has a number. The acute awareness of God reveals God's love and care; God's capacity to provide and be aware of necessities in the midst of persecution. In short, to reveal this Kingdom into the world is a job for those who would be "like Jesus," who can follow in His footsteps and be like their Teacher, their Master. We're reminded that before He leaves this world He will tell them that He calls them friends. Their confidence is to come from this relationship to God, in their trust in God's power and awareness, and especially in the love of God. All else is of lesser importance and magnitude. What of the Kingdom do you reveal to others? How does the Kingdom reveal itself through you? How does trust in God's power teach us the confidence to reveal, to bear fruit, to use the talents God has given us? Remember that Jesus prepares us for adversity, for slander, even persecution. But the hairs on your head are all numbered, and even the sparrows have One who knows of each of them.
