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

 "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 yesterday's reading, Jesus continued speaking to the twelve, just as He was sending them out on their first apostolic mission:   "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."

 "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."  Jesus has just finished telling them that they must conduct themselves in a wise way, and be prudent and humble.  He has warned them about persecution that will come.  (See yesterday's reading, above.  But His conclusion regarding the persecution that they will face, just as He has faced it:   "Therefore do not fear them."  In the following verses, do not fear is repeated three times.  They are prepared for bold witness in the face of adversity.  Prudence and wisdom do not come from fear, but faith.  My study bible says that Christian believers, both then and today, must neither be intimidated by persecution nor fail in their mission to preach.  The entire gospel of Christ is a revelation of the reality of the  Kingdom.  The very nature of what they do is to reveal truth.

"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."  My study bible says that the fact that there is no need to fear the killing of the soul shows the immortality of the human soul, which is our be grace.  Fear Him is a command to fear God (Proverbs 9:10; Luke 1:50, 23:50; Acts 10:2; Colossians 3:22; 1 Peter 2:17), because only God has the power to judge the soul.  Christians are instructed to resist the devil (James 4:7), but not to fear him.  Hell here is translated from "Gehenna."  In Jewish history, Gehenna (which was the Valley of Hinnom) became a place of forbidden religious practices (2 Chronicles 28:3; Jeremiah 32:35).  By Christ's time, my study bible says, the valley had become a garbage dump that smoldered ceaselessly.  Because of these associations, Gehenna acquired the connotation of eternal punishment in the afterlife.

"Gehenna" gives us an image of hell:  in Jesus' time it was a smoldering garbage dump, in ancient times a place of horrible practices, such as burning children alive in sacrifice, an abomination to God.  If we think of the analogy of a ceaselessly smoldering garbage dump, we get a picture of a place in which that which must be left behind or discarded as worthless is burned, and in particular that which stands in the way of union with God.  But, if we can receive it, the flames of hell are the flames of the energies of God, burning away what cannot stand in those flames and the fullness of the light of God.  And in the image of the light and the flame of God's love, we get a context for Jesus' preaching to the apostles about their bold witness even in the face of persecutions.  He has been accused of casting out demons by the ruler of demons (see this reading), and so tells the disciples that if this has been said of Him, the Master, how much more will be said of those who are of His household!  But fear has only one place in them:  it is God who must be feared alone.  In a strange sense, today's reading with its image of hell teaches us about the hell that is on earth, into which they are courageously to go to preach the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. In the world, the One who has come to liberate is persecuted, even claimed to be one who works with the ruler of demons.   The mention of Gehenna sends into the text a message about those who are faithless to God, the practices of evil.  Later on Jesus will teach that the one sin that will stand is to call the work of the Spirit evil (Matthew 12:31-32).  Where the holy is called evil is a vision of hell.  Jesus is calling for His disciples to turn such a "hell" upside down, to boldly preach the revelation of the Kingdom in the world, in the name of the only One who is to be feared.  Persecution seeks to place fear into the hearts of the persecuted, but Jesus exhorts His followers only to fear God, and to reveal that which is given them to reveal.  "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."  Into the valley of fear, they are not to fear the world, but God alone.  The One whom they serve knows each sparrow, and the number of each hair on their heads.  Therefore they are precious members of this Kingdom, and must remember that in mission.  It's an orientation to the world that He gives them, one in which they are to be wise and prudent, to conduct themselves humbly, to have awareness of  their own weaknesses, but to fear only God.  Jesus lays it out very plainly:  "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."    We have a choice to make:  we can walk into the worldly hell and bear witness to the kingdom of heaven with our lives, or we can cower in fear of the world instead and betray our own souls.  We choose which master we serve (6:24).  His apostles are those sent out to bring the good news to the world.  Which mission do you choose to live in your life in this world?