Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword

 

 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth.  I did not come to bring peace but a sword.  For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.'  He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.  He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

 

"He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward.  And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.  And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."

 

- Matthew 10:34-42 

 

We have been reading through Christ's appointment of the twelve disciples to become the twelve apostles, and His instructions to them preparing them for their first apostolic mission (see readings from Monday and Tuesday).  In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued:  "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."

 

"Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth.  I did not come to bring peace but a sword."  My study Bible comments that just before Christ's most violent death on the Cross, He promised peace to His disciples.  But the existence of evil necessitates spiritual warfare.  The earth to which Christ came was under the authority of Satan (John 12:31; 2 Corinthians 4:4).  Therefore, it's essential that Christ wage war against the leader of vice with weapons of virtue (Ephesians 6:11-18).  Moreover, peace, as we commonly think of it, may be simply a false peace which ignores issues of truth.  Genuine peace, according to my study Bible, is reconciliation ot God through faith in Christ and surrender to truth.  This genuine peace has division as a byproduct because not everyone wants truth.  In the fallen world, it says, divisions are necessary for truth to be manifest (see 1 Corinthians 11:18-19).

 

 "For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.'  He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.  He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it."  In Christ's mission is a fulfillment of the prophesy of Micah 7:6.  In addition to the literal meaning, which has been experienced in the Church since Christ's time, the older generation divided from the younger is symbolic of the rejection of the new covenant by followers of the old, and also of the spiritual struggle between our old, sinful state and our renewal in Christ (see Ephesians 4:20-24).  To carry his cross, my study Bible explains, a true disciple must be ready, if necessary, to sacrifice even family relationships.  

 

 "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward.  And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.  And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."  My study Bible notes here that apostles are ambassadors who represent the Lord.  So, therefore, all who extend help to them are showing mercy directly to Christ and will receive God's reward (see Matthew 25:40).  

 

 Once again, in today's reading, Christ's words convey the meaning and effect of His power.  That is the power with which He is sending out His apostles into the world to heal and to preach the gospel of the kingdom of heaven.   Here He first speaks of that power as a sword:   "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth.  I did not come to bring peace but a sword.  For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.'  He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.  He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it."  St. Paul also speaks of the word of God as a sword:  "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).  Here in Jesus' words, that sword pierces even families, for the love of Christ -- even as He says so Himself -- is the ultimate arbiter and discerner of reality, even beyond the things and people we love most in this world.  This also includes taking up our own crosses to follow Him; for our very lives are truly in His hands.  These words might seem harsh and extreme, but we need to consider that it is the author of our very lives who is speaking, the Creator of all reality that we know.  And at the same time that He's teaching us about sacrifices that may have to be made as we follow Him in carrying our own crosses, Jesus adds to another dimension of His power, that it is a blessing to all who honor it and those who receive another who carries this gospel and this kingdom within themselves into the world in His name:  "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward.  And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.  And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."  The blessings of the Kingdom extend to all who may welcome it, or even show hospitality to one who does.  When that goodness is recognized and honored in another -- as a prophet, as a righteous man, even as one of the little ones in the name of a disciple -- this is honored by God.  Let us consider the graciousness of God, God's awesome power and the truly magnificent working of God's grace.   For His truth, His word is a two-edged sword that cuts both ways, depending upon the side of it on which we fall.  For this mysterious power works as Christ has indicated, in the myriad ways that pervade all that we know and do, and connect between people.  Let us seek His grace always and honor it.

 

 

 

 

 

A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master

 

 "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 our recent readings, Jesus has appointed the twelve disciples to become apostles, and has been preparing them for their first apostolic mission.  In yesterday's reading, He taught them: "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."  Jesus says, "Therefore do not fear them."  He's referring those who will persecute His followers (see yesterday's reading, above).  My study Bible points out that Jesus repeats "Do not fear" three times in this preparatory discourse to the apostles (verses 26, 28, 31) in order to embolden the witness of the gospel in the face of adversity.  Christian believers, then and today, it says, must neither be intimated by persecution nor fail in their mission to preach. 

 

  "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."  That Jesus says there is no need to fear the killing of the soul shows the immortality of the human soul, which is ours by grace, my study Bible tells us.  "Fear Him"  is a command to fear God (Proverbs 9:10; Luke 1:50, 23:40; Acts 10:2; Colossians 3:22; 1 Peter 2:17), for 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 is literally "Gehenna."  In Jewish history, my study Bible explains, Gehenna (the Valley of Hinnom) became a place of forbidden religious practices such as the sacrifice of children in fire (2 Chronicles 28:3; Jeremiah 32:35).  King Josiah put an end to such practices (2 Kings 23:10).  By the time of Christ, this valley had become a garbage dump which smoldered ceaselessly.  Because of these associations Gehenna acquired the connotation of eternal punishment in the afterlife.  

 

Jesus repeatedly preaches to His disciples, "Do not fear."  My study Bible notes, as stated above, that we are instructed to resist the devil (James 4:7), but not to fear him.  What is quite interesting in today's reading is the reference to Gehenna, the valley of Hinnom, which was a place where worshipers of Baal sacrificed children to that god (also referenced in this instantiation as Molech) by passing them through fire.  Baal was also considered to be the god of the underworld, the place of the dead.  Jesus here proclaims that such a god has no power either in heaven or in hell, for He instructs us to fear only Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Thus, Jesus is proclaiming that all power in heaven and earth, in all creation, belongs only to God.  In the tradition of the Church, it is Christ Himself, who, after His Crucifixion and before His Resurrection, destroys the gates of hades and frees those souls there, bringing the gospel even to that place.  Thus we are to fear only God, and Christ Himself is the One who will judge souls.  Thus He preaches to the disciples (and to us) fearless witness, with discretion ("be wise as serpents and gentle as doves"; see yesterday's reading, above).  Moreover, Jesus goes into great detail to make us aware not only of the power of God, but also its keen ever-presence and awareness of every detail of our lives, and the lives of God's creatures:  "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."  In addition to God's awareness of our lives, Jesus moreover will represent those of us who confess Him before people in this world, as He will testify of us (confess) "before My Father who is in heaven."  As further testimony to His power of judgment, He adds, "But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."  So we are encouraged to put our faith in Christ and in His commands to us not simply as good, and true, and beautiful, but as representative of the will of the God of all things, in heaven and in earth, in all of creation, and for every aspect of our lives.  We witness on behalf of the One who will judge, who has the ultimate power we can know.  Let us understand that our lives in this world are impacted through such a mission and purpose so as to make them as that which serves the highest good, the truth of our very existence and creation, and that our souls are immortal.  What we do here will also continue with us into the afterlife, into the places where God is present, and Christ reigns.  Yet even for such a power, the very hairs of our head are numbered and precious, as are even the tiny sparrows of this world.  So, would we not gladly confess such a Father, and Christ Himself, who has come to us in the image of the Father, in love and compassion?  Let us be grateful for this great grace we have been given, to participate in His power, and share in His mission, as we serve our master.  

 

 

 

 

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves

 

 "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."

 

- Matthew 10:16-23 

 

Yesterday we read about Jesus sending out the twelve apostles on their first missionary journey:  These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying:  "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.  Freely you have received, freely give.  Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.  Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.  And when you go into a household, greet it.  If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it.  But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"

 

 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."  My study Bible comments on this passage that here Jesus instructs the disciples to be wise as serpents so that they might not be unnecessarily wounded and that they might take all advantage of the spread of the gospel.  He also tells them to be harmless as doves so that they should not retaliate against those who do them wrong.  Moreover, in this way they should be blameless in their witness of the gospel. 

 

"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."  My study Bible indicates that persecution must not cause the disciple to quit, but simply to move forward in one's mission.  According to St. John Chrysostom, it notes, before the Son of Man comes is not a reference to the Second Coming.  It means that before the disciples could visit all the cities in Palestine, Christ would rejoin them -- thereby more quickly ending the hostility they would encounter.  

 

 As Jesus sends out the apostles on their first missionary journey, He has first told them to carry themselves in a very humble manner.  The only rebuke to those who will not receive them is that they are to shake off the dust from their feet as they leave.  (See yesterday's reading, above.)  Judgment is left to Christ in the "day of judgment," which will be at the end of the age.  Here in today's reading, as Jesus continues with His instructions, we read His words about persecution that will come to them.  Jesus presents this persecution as inevitable, and perhaps this is something that we, even those of us who live in nominally Christian countries where there is freedom of religion, must also take seriously.  There is first of all, Christ's teaching about proper responses to persecution and hatred.  We might not be persecuted for being of Christian faith, but there are teachings to which we adhere within our faith, regardless of denomination.  The world remains the world, a place dominated still by violence, by greed and ambition, by manipulation, by lies, even hatreds.  These things remain a part of the enemies of the kingdom of God.  Secondly, we can't forget Christ's words about the importance of testimony.  We mustn't simply think of testimony in terms of persuasive words or arguments, rational exposition of our faith in some kind of public debate.  Jesus adds regarding testimony:  "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."  If in our testimony we speak words by the Holy Spirit, then there is a power in testimony that is at work in the world on hidden spiritual levels, "behind the scenes," so to speak, and one simply can't estimate the impact of that power that can be contained in words through the Spirit, just as the power of Christ's words continues to influence the world throughout the centuries since His human life on earth as Jesus.  The powerful impact, for example, of the words in the Gospels goes beyond simply the printed words on the page; there are times when our soul is simply ready to hear or read those words, and that impact can't be explained away in terms of efficiency or utility.  Jesus warns of betrayals, and we know that betrayals and hostility, even hatred, for following our faith can happen in a number of ways having nothing to do with official persecution of a state.  Jesus tells us, "But he who endures to the end will be saved."  If we read the Revelation and Christ's prophesies of end times, we find also that this applies beyond the early Christian era, and to the whole of this time in which we await Christ's return and judgment.  When evil is present in the world, a Christian will struggle to follow faith and to resist following evil.  This remains a reality with us, regardless of historical change, and so we continue to take Christ's words seriously -- in the ways we present ourselves, how we carry ourselves in the world, how we respond.  Let us learn to be the disciples who follow in the footsteps of the apostles, regardless of who we are or where we live.  Let us continue to endeavor to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves.  Let us make wise and prayerful testimonies.  Let us not copy the ways of the world but remain true to His teaching. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And as you go, preach, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand"

 

 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying:  "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.  Freely you have received, freely give.  Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.  

 

"Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.  And when you go into a household, greet it.  If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it.  But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"

 

- Matthew 10:5-15 

 

On Saturday, we read that Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.  But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."  And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.  Now the names of the twelve apostles are these:  first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. 

 

  These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying:  "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.  Freely you have received, freely give.  Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food."  My study Bible explains that the disciples' mission is like Christ's:  to preach and to heal.  It asks us to note that Jesus sends them only to the Jews.  It says that Christ's earthly ministry was focused on the Jews (Matthew 15:24) so that, after the Resurrection, the Jews could not blame the disciples for going "to uncircumcised men" (Acts 11:3).  Jesus is preparing them to be single-minded in their mission to preach and to heal.  First He emphasizes for them that His power is free; that is, it is a gift from God.  And second, He teaches them to carry no money, so that they cannot be accused of greed -- and so that they would learn dependence upon God. 

 

 "Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.  And when you go into a household, greet it.  If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it.  But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"  My study Bible notes that Christ commissions His servants to give a greeting of peace, the same peace that was proclaimed by the prophets (Isaiah 52:7), that Christ Himself will offer to the disciples (John 14:27; 20:19), and that would be revealed as a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22).  

 

Let us look at some elements of Christ's commissioning and instructions to the disciples on this first apostolic journey which may seem somehow contradictory to us.  Perhaps to modern ears, we're used to thinking of "good" and "bad" in terms of what loving behavior is, and what it is not.  But the truth of Christ is a kind of two-edged sword, if we can put it in such metaphorical terms, as did St. Paul (Hebrews 4:12).  We either embrace that truth or we don't.  We either embrace His gospel message, or we don't.  And as the Person who is truth (John 14:6), we receive Him or we don't.  That is, the fullness of His message, His person, His grace is the complete expression of truth into which we seek to grow as we enter into communion with Him.  So there is a type of double-edged quality to the mission and instructions with which He sends out these disciples now chosen to become apostles.  The apostles' character and demeanor must be one of peace and humility, just as Christ Triumphal Entry into the Holy City of Jerusalem was that begins what we know as Holy Week (Matthew 21:1-11), as conveyed in His being seated on the colt of a donkey.  They will carry no money, nor will they dress ostentatiously.  They will be dependent upon how they are received wherever they go.  They are not to "trade up" for better accommodations, but stay in the first place where they are welcomed ("stay there till you go out").  As my study Bible pointed out, these apostles are to greet every household where they go to preach, presumably with the common greeting of offering peace.  But Jesus tells them something that stands out in a modern world that doesn't often understand discernment.  He instructs the apostles, "If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it.  But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet."  As the disciples do not go out into the world in their own names, they go out in the name of Christ, and He has given them His power to take into the world to do its healing work on so many levels, including the offering of His peace.  If they are rejected, so it is Christ's power and mission and grace that is rejected; Christ's peace is rejected, so it will return to the apostles.  To shake the dust from their feet is a rebuke, but it's also symbolic.  We are reminded that Christ is also the judge, and He will judge at the end of the age.  Is our final end only to be that dust?  (See Genesis 3:19.)  His words affirm this power of judgment:  "Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"   In the world, the work of the Holy Spirit, the power of God, works as a kind of measure.  We accept the promptings and work of the Spirit, or we do not.  But this "measure" is something that bears fruit in the final judgment of Christ.  We all have a lifetime to work out what we love and what we don't, what we accept and that which we reject.  Only Christ can judge, and only God knows the true heart of people.  Let us take seriously these instructions given to the disciples, for the power they carry with them is not only the grace and power of Christ at work in ministry, to "heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons."  As they have freely received of Christ, so they are to freely give.  This includes as well the peace of Christ, and the power of His word.  Moreover, with them, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand."  God's grace and love is freely given, but we are also free to reject it.  However, the reality of the power of God is the very reality of life and existence itself, even of all creation.  We should understand the power of Christ's healing word and grace, and what we reject for ourselves when we can't or don't receive it.  It carries the power of forgiveness for sins, a great healing grace indeed, and the love to heal us spiritually, to heal the soul.  Consider what is turned down, in turning away that grace, and what remains without it.    The lost sheep are those He seeks; without the Shepherd, we remain only lost.  But yet still, He offers us the kingdom of heaven.

 

 

The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few

 

 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.  But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."  And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.  Now the names of the twelve apostles are these:  first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.  

 

- Matthew 9:35—10:4 

 

Yesterday we read that two blind men followed Jesus, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!"  And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him.  And Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you."  And their eyes were opened.  And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See that no one knows it."  But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.  As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed.  And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke.  And the multitudes marveled, saying, "It was never seen like this in Israel!"  But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons."

 

  Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.  But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."   This phrase, like sheep having no shepherd, is similar to the language in Mark 6:34, which we read as a description of the crowd of 5,000 which Jesus will feed in the wilderness (see Mark 6:30-44).  Here the words weary and scattered describe the crowd, meaning that they were like those cast aside from the world, exhausted in their struggles.  In a sense, it's a description of those who are figuratively "homeless" -- like sheep having no shepherd, who need His good guidance and love, His compassion.  In yesterday's commentary, we remarked upon Christ's gathering of the outcast, the poor in spirit, the outliers in some sense.  Here the description of these people exemplifies those to whom He has come to extend His care, His church.  His comment,  "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest" teaches us that this is indeed how He views these multitudes.

 

 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.  Now the names of the twelve apostles are these:  first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.   My study Bible comments that disciples and apostles are often used interchangeably for the twelve.  Jesus gave them power to perform miracles, while He performed them by His own power.  It notes that he names of the Twelve are not the same in all lists, because many people had more than one name.  Here the names are given in pairs, which suggests who might have traveled together on their "first missionary journey," as St. Mark tells us that they were sent out two by two (Mark 6:7).  

 

It's very interesting to note how Jesus fulfills the needs He encounters in the people, as He goes out preaching, teaching and healing.  At this point in His ministry, He's encountering multitudes who are like sheep without a shepherd, weary and scattered.  As commented above, this description gives us a sense of people who are beleaguered by life, in some sense cast off by the society that does not feed them what they need.   They need a true leader, someone to guide them, and clearly that Someone is Jesus, who is our true and good Shepherd (see John 10:1-30).  This description of the multitudes sounds like something that many "multitudes" could relate to today in our world.  Wherever we are, it seems that there are a lot of people feeling like they are in need of a shepherd, who may feel cast off and even without a deep sense of community.  Christ responds in a characteristic way, which is not sad nor diminished in optimism, but rather quite the opposite.  He sees these seemingly lost multitudes as a harvest which is plentiful for His future Church, but that there is simply a need of more laborers to gather them.   These are the people He has come to gather to Himself, to guide as Shepherd.  They are the lost sheep who need Him.  And now is the time not simply to minister to them, but to expand His ministry by extending His power to His disciples who will now become apostles.  After calling the Twelve, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. This is what Christ has come to do, and it is an opportunity for the glory of God and the power of Christ to manifest itself and grow within human beings.  These are the ones He has come for, and this is the way that His Church will be built.  Christ at once gives us many things characteristic of Himself and His work:  if something is sad, or weak, or broken, or in need of healing or care in our sight, it is an opportunity for His work, His power, His energy.  If something is cast off, He can gather it to Himself, and the ones who are scattered He can gather into His community.  And He will do this by extending His power through human beings, the faithful disciples.  This is also, if we look closely, the characteristics of the Cross, for in what appears to us sad or broken or needful, and invites despair, there is God who can work even through all things.  Just as St. Paul was told that God's strength was made perfect in his weakness (1 Corinthians 12:9), so grace works through the things that look "less than" to us, and Christ's greatest power continues to work through the Cross, even defeating death.  Let us look to that grace for all the surprising, uplifting, and beautiful things it can bring into our lives as well.  For we may all be laborers in whatever ways we are called.  

 

 

Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword

 

 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth.  I did not come to bring peace but a sword.  For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.'  He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.  He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

"He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward.  And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.  And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."

 

- Matthew 10:34-42 

 

In our current readings, Jesus is speaking to the Twelve preparing them for their first apostolic mission (beginning with Monday's reading).  Yesterday, we read that Jesus told them:  "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." 

"Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth.  I did not come to bring peace but a sword."  My study Bible comments that, just before His most violent death on the Cross, Christ promised peace to His disciples (see John 14:27).  But the existence of evil, my study Bible explains, necessitates spiritual warfare.  The earth to which Christ came was under the authority of Satan (John 12:31; 2 Corinthians 4:4).  It is therefore essential that Christ wage war against the leader of vice with weapons of virtue (Ephesians 6:11-18).  Jesus has also made a similar statement in Luke 12:51, albeit in a different context.  There my study Bible explains that there are two kinds of peace.   There is a false peace which is a shallow harmony resulting from ignoring issues of truth.  But genuine peace is reconciliation to God through faith in Christ and surrender to truth.  Genuine peace, it explains, has division as as byproduct because not everyone wants truth (the "sword" of Christ; see Hebrews 4:12).  In the fallen world, my study Bible continues, divisions are necessary for truth to be manifest (see 1 Corinthians 11:18-19).  

"For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.'  He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.  He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it."  My study Bible says that this is a fulfillment of the prophecy of Micah 7:6.  In addition to the literal meaning here, which has been experienced in the Church since the time of Christ, the older generation being divided from the younger also symbolizes the rejection of the new covenant by followers of the old, and also the spiritual struggle between our old sinful state and our renewal in Christ (see Ephesians 4:20-24).  Moreover, my study Bible comments, to carry one's cross, a true disciple must be ready, if necessary, to sacrifice even family relationships.  

"He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward.  And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.  And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."  Apostles, my study Bible states, are ambassadors who represent the Lord.  So, therefore, all who extend help to them are showing mercy directly to Christ and will receive God's reward (see Matthew 25:40).  

Jesus says, "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth.  I did not come to bring peace but a sword."   What is this sword?  Above, the notes reported from my study Bible tell us that it is Christ's truth, the word of God.  In Hebrews 4:12, St. Paul elaborates on the word of God as a sword:  "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."  In that case, the division might be within us, and within others, in this conflict between the old life and the new life, or the ways of the world we've learned and the ways that Christ's word (His truth) give us.  When such a word is spoken, it may create sharp divisions within and among people, families, communities, friendships.  This is because, as St. Paul describes it, Christ's word cuts to the heart of all things, and within people as well.  In Revelation 19, we're told of the Faithful and True, who in righteousness judges and makes war, and His name is called the Word of God.  "Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS" (Revelation 19:15-16).  Clearly we can see the consistency of this "sharp sword" which is the truth of the word of God, which proceeds from His mouth.  And we see, as well, the consistent use of the image of the sword of truth used to wage a kind of spiritual warfare, to reclaim the world from the evil one, as my study Bible explains.  So what is this spiritual warfare, and why is it necessary that we join in this struggle? Spiritual warfare is as simple as my study Bible put it:  we meet "the leader of vice" with weapons of virtue, cited from Ephesians 6:11-18, the "whole armor of God," as St. Paul puts it.  When we, therefore, choose to live as faithful Christians, we are in effect waging this spiritual warfare, and taking up our own crosses, as Christ calls the disciples, and we who follow, to do.  St. Paul writes (in the cited passage from Ephesians 6), "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."  When we see tremendous clashes in the world, and the frightening sights that accompany them, then it is time to consider Christ's words and take them very seriously.  He has told the disciples (in yesterday's reading, above) not to fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Rather our deeper reverence is to God.  How can we participate in the spiritual battle to which Christ calls us?  One would suggest clinging to His truth, to the whole armor of God as described by St. Paul, to Christ's word, all the more strongly.  Let us make certain that we take time for prayer, laying all things before God and asking for direction.  Let us not take refuge in following the crowds, indulging in emotional responses which are not the way of Christ.  Let us cling to the righteousness He teaches us.  For this is the division and the sword, and we must make our choice to follow Him.

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

 

 "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 our current reading, Jesus is preparing the Twelve for their first apostolic mission, before He sends them out (see this reading).  Yesterday, Jesus taught them, "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."  Jesus is teaching His disciples not to fear those who will persecute them (see yesterday's reading, above, for His warnings about persecutions to come).  

 

 "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."   In today's reading, Jesus repeats the messages do not fear three times altogether.  My study Bible says that He does so in order to embolden the witness of the gospel in the face of adversity.  Christian believers, then and today, it says, must neither be intimidated by persecution nor fail in their mission to preach.  Moreover, that there is no need to fear the killing of the soul shows the immortality of the human soul, which is ours by grace.  Fear Him is a command to fear God (Proverbs 9:10; Luke 1:50, 23:40; Acts 10:2; Colossians 3:22; 1 Peter 2:17).  Only God has the power to judge the soul, a power invoked here as Jesus speaks of His own confession "before My Father."  My study Bible comments that Christians are instructed to resist the devil (James 4:7), but not to fear him.  Hell is literally "Gehenna."  In Jewish history, my study Bible explains, Gehenna (the Valley of Hinnom) became a place of forbidden religious practices (2 Chronicles 28:3; Jeremiah 32:35).  King Josiah put an end to those practices (2 Kings 23:10).  By the time of Christ, the valley had become a garbage dump that smoldered constantly.  Because of these associations, it notes, Gehenna acquired the connotation of eternal punishment in the afterlife.

Jesus teaches His disciples to fear God more than they would fear those who will be hostile to them.  This remains true now for us as much as it was then, and it would seem to be just as difficult for us to be mindful of such priorities.  But Christ is not inviting His disciples to court danger nor even to become involved with those who will seek to persecute them for His name's sake.  What He is emphasizing here, on the contrary, is a question of what priority they will serve in life.  Far more important to remember God, to keep in mind the essential value of the soul, than to consider temporal or worldly fears outweigh that in importance.  If we might put the question another way, it seems that we can ask ourselves what ranks in order of importance as to where our loyalty lies.  Do we respect, honor, and fear the people who would reject Christ and persecute His followers, or is it God who commands our respect, honor, and even fear -- fear in the sense that it is God who is the stronger, better power, and fear in the sense that it is God who is the Creator of all.  For that invites us to ask the question, what do we lose if we lose our relationship with God?  What do we lose if we are not in good order, or right relatedness to the One who lays the foundations of existence?  In that case, we have to fear not only the loss of our own priceless soul, but to fear an existence which is out of order with the cosmos itself, and far away and detached from God who is love and the root of love.  What would the qualities of our lives be like then, should we honor instead those who seek to persecute the ones who love Christ?  To what would we be bowing?  What would the qualities of our lives be like then?  It is an important question to answer, for to honor that fear of those who would persecute Christ is to honor a spirit of anti-Christ in some sense.  It is to give ourselves up to the fortune of the moment, the ire of those who hate, the worldly power of those whose practice is a kind of rage.  For us as Christians, it is important to draw this line -- an understanding that our worldly fears are not to be placed in significance above our love of God and Christ, for to do so is to dishonor the latter.  Christ asks His disciples to be exceptionally prudent:  to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.  We are not to entertain danger nor to approach the realities of persecution with anything but awareness, shrewdness, and peace on our part.  Nonetheless, in whatever tribulation comes, we are prepared with devotion and an understanding of the sanctity of the soul and its precious value.  For in that understanding comes our highest loyalty. We must understand "fear" in this context as a kind of respect for enormous and unknown, unlimited power; in this sense, to fear God is wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).  To fear the persecutors pales in comparison, for to God our worth is also precious.  Let us weigh what is more precious to us, and where our values ultimately are to be found.

 

 

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves

 

 "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."

 

- Matthew 10:16-23 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus sent out the Twelve and commanded them, saying:  "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.  Freely you have received, freely give.  Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.  Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.  And when you go into a household, greet it.  If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it.  But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"

 

  "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."  My study Bible comments that Jesus instructs the disciples to be wise as serpents so that they might not be unnecessarily wounded and that they might take all advantage in the spread of the gospel.  To be harmless as doves so that they should not retaliate against those who do them wrong, and blameless in their witness of the gospel. 

 

 "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."  My study Bible comments here that persecution must not cause the disciple to quit, but simply to move forward in one's mission.  According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible notes, before the Son of Man comes is not a reference to Christ's Second Coming, but it simply means that before the disciples could visit all the cities in Palestine, Christ would rejoin them, and therefore more quickly end the hostility they would encounter. 

Jesus tells the disciples, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."  This teaching would seem to apply to us today as much as it did to the disciples, for if we carry Christ into the world we are bound to find, at times, that the world will not "receive" us either.  This mindset is very important, and remains so in the Church.  To be wise as serpents remains an important concept in this word translated as "wise."  This word in Greek is φρόνιμος/phronimos.  It indicates a mind-set, an attitude, a way of looking out at the world.  Its indication is prudence, a pragmatic understanding of do's and don'ts, in that sense of shrewdness conveyed here.  It asks us for the kind of sensitivity a proper missionary or even emissary or representative should have.  Some synonyms given by Strong's are intelligent, prudent, sensible, wise.  In the mind of the Church, a related word, φρόνημα/phronema, remains important (and remains in important use in Orthodoxy), as it conveys a set of values and way of thinking that is sought to be cultivated through faith and religious practice, an understanding of relationships and relatedness in Christ.  (St. Paul uses this word when He speaks of the "mind" of the flesh and the "mind" of the spirit in Romans 8:6-7, 27.)  It indicates once more the internal reality of faith, that this Kingdom the disciples are to announce isn't just a matter of rules or a written code, but is also something internal to us, and dynamic, and in which we grow.  The word translated as "harmless" (in harmless as doves) literally means "unmixed" (ἀκέραιος/akeraios), indicating innocence and simplicity, purity, to be without mixed motives.  It also teaches us something of an inner mindset, even a purity of heart when it comes to the gospel message.  In the prayers and the practices of the Church over time, and through our faith and God's work in us, we are to build up this understanding and mindset conveyed by Christ.  We are to understand that engaging in fruitless struggles and debates gets us nowhere in our message of the gospel of the Kingdom, but only following His teachings as directed here.  So much of Christ's teaching is about the formation of mindset, a way to look at ourselves in the world, and our place as those who also seek both to dwell in and to bear Christ' kingdom into the world.   These disciples have lived with Him and learned from Him, and He sends them out to be "like Him" in bearing the gospel message.  We are reminded of St. Paul's words to the Athenians, in preaching to them of the "unknown god" (to the Athenians) for whom he was an apostle:  "for in Him we live and move and have our being."   To be wise as serpents and harmless as doves is part of what it means to live and move and have our being in Christ, to develop the way He wants us to live, the "mind" of the spirit.  May we continue to learn how to embody His word for us.

 

 

 

 

If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you

 

 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying:  "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.  Freely you have received, freely give.  Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.  

 

Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.  And when you go into a household, greet it.  If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it.  But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"

 

- Matthew 10:5–15 

 

On Saturday, we read that Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.  But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."  And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.  Now the names of the twelve apostles are these:  first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

 

 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying:  "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.  Freely you have received, freely give.  Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food."  My study Bible comments that the disciples' mission is like Christ's:  to preach and to heal.  Note that Jesus sends them only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  My study Bible says that Christ's earthly ministry was focused on the Jews (Matthew 15:24) so that, after the Resurrection, the Jews could not blame the  disciples for going "to uncircumcised men" (Acts 11:3).  It notes that Jesus prepares the disciples to be single-minded in their mission to preach and heal.  He first reminds them that His power is free, in fact, a gift from God; and then instructs them to carry no money so that they cannot be accused of greed, and also so they would learn dependence upon God.  

 

"Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.  And when you go into a household, greet it.  If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it.  But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"  My study Bible notes here that Christ commissions His servants to give a greeting of peace, which is the same peace that was proclaimed by the prophets (Isaiah 52:7), the same peace He would offer to the disciples (John 14:27, 20:19), and the same peace which would be revealed as a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22).  Note the responsibility for the acceptance or rejection of that peace rests upon those to whom it has been given, and the consequences of rejection.

What is this peace that Christ offers, and that by extension He commands His servants and representatives, the disciples sent out as apostles, to give to others?  My study Bible comments, as noted above, that it is the same peace proclaimed by the prophets.  Isaiah 52:7 says that the same One who proclaims peace is the One "who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'"  Well, we certainly know who that is, for He is the One who brings the gospel to us.  Clearly the peace He offers is Himself, and is in Himself, and is extended to us in the Spirit which also gives this peace.  In a sense, this peace can also be called a confidence in Christ, for when we take heart in Christ, and find our identities in Him, we have a sense of the sureness of the rock upon which we build our home, our faith (see this reading).  Christ's peace is therefore a kind of energy (for want of a better word) or force that acts as a kind of power unto itself, and is found in His name, which we accept or reject.  Peace has also the meaning of reconciliation, and perhaps this is where we find the strongest sense of what Christ's peace is, for all things are reconciled in Christ.  In Him, all things are set in good order, and they are renewed, for He is the way, the truth, and the life not just for us, but for all of creation.  As Jesus begins His farewell discourse to the disciples at the Last Supper, He tells them (and all of us), "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me" (John 14:1), and this, too, is a statement of peace.  For this peace is a product of trust, and trust is the root of belief as Jesus uses the word here.  In fact, in the Greek, it's the very root of the word translated as "believe."  In Whom do we trust? In what do we trust?  How are we reconciled to Christ, the One who has the way, the truth, and the life for us?  For there, in that trust, is where we find our peace, when we know that despite all our uncertainties, and troubles, and not knowing, there is a place for us we can trust in, and our loyalty to Christ is not misplaced.  For ultimately, God is love, and we know He loved us (see 1 John 4:7-11).  When we offer Christ's peace, it seems, we offer all of these things, ultimately bound up in our trust in God's love through Christ who has taught us love through His life, and taught us to love as His new commandment (John 13:34-35).  These are the things in which we trust, He is the One in whom we trust.  The peace He offers is Himself, and there is no other like Him.

 

 

 

He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me

 

 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth.  I did not come to bring peace but a sword.  For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.'  He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.  He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

"He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward.  And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.  And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."

 

- Matthew 10:34-42 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus is speaking to the Twelve as He is sending them out on their first apostolic mission.  In yesterday's reading He taught, "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." 

 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth.  I did not come to bring peace but a sword."  My study Bible comments that just before His most violent death on the Cross, Christ promised peace to His disciples.  But the existence of evil provides the necessity for spiritual warfare.  The earth to which Christ came was under the authority of Satan, called by Christ the "ruler of this world" and the "god of this age" by St. Paul (John 12:31; 2 Corinthians 4:4).   Therefore, my study Bible says, it's essential that Christ wage war against the leader of vice with weapons of virtue (Ephesians 6:11-18).  It also notes that genuine peace is reconciliation to God through faith in Christ and surrender to truth.  Genuine peace has division as a byproduct because not everyone wants truth.  In a fallen world, divisions are necessary for truth to be manifest (see also Luke 12:51).

"For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.'  He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.  He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it."  My study Bible notes that this fulfills the prophecy of Micah 7:6.  It says that in addition to the literal meaning, which has been experienced in the Church since the time of Christ, the older generation being divided from the younger generation also symbolizes, first of all, the rejection of the new covenant by followers of the old covenant, and also the spiritual struggle between our old, sinful state and our renewal in Christ (Ephesians 4:20-24).  To carry one's cross, my study Bible explains, a true disciple must be ready, if necessary to sacrifice even family relationships. 

 

"He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward.  And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.  And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."  My study Bible comments that apostles are ambassadors who represent the Lord.  Therefore, all who extend to help them are showing mercy directly to Christ and will receive God's reward (Matthew 25:40).  

 

 It's interesting that my study Bible comments on the apostles as ambassadors who represent the Lord.  When one thinks of an ambassador, from ancient times it was understood that an ambassador was a representation of the figurehead or monarch for whom that ambassador was working.  In other words, the ambassador for an emperor fully "embodied" the emperor.  Whatever harm might be done to the ambassador, for example, it is as if it were done to the figurehead and the country itself.  This still continues today in terms of modern political life of the world; an ambassador is more than a figurehead or messenger, but a stand-in for the country itself and its leadership.  An embassy is considered the territory of the country it represents, regardless of where it is located.  In this sense, the apostles bear Christ and the Kingdom into the world, and as Jesus uses the term "little ones" as well, one must consider that, in some sense, this is referring to all who bear the Kingdom within them and into the world.  Any time we take our discipleship seriously, we seek to bear Christ's image into the world in the same sense that an ambassador bears a country or its leader into the world.  It is in this way that "whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."  We also must correctly understand the concept of "name" here properly, and that concept is entirely related to the notion of ambassador or embassy as part and parcel of a country or a leader.  That is, not a symbol, but a presence.  Christ's name is the extension of His presence, His "house" in some sense.  So, when Jesus says, "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me," He is, in effect, speaking of His name, the extension of Himself and His presence, and through the name which is that of His Father who sent Him.  It stands to reason, therefore, to infer that the more deeply we bear Christ into the world, as His disciples, the more profoundly we may understand His words in this respect.  There, even within the context of these disciples being sent out on a great apostolic mission -- the first one! -- we are taught fundamental truths about the working of this Kingdom and how essential the practice of discipleship is to everything we do.  That is, the following of His commandments, in taking up our cross, for the ways in which we live our lives to Him (to lose one's life for His sake in order to find it), and together with the consciousness that we are all ambassadors.  That is, we must be aware that we all seek to be true to this Kingdom in bearing it into the world to others.  Let us be aware of the power in Christ's words, the reward that belongs to a prophet, to one who is righteous, and to even a "little one" in the name of a disciple.  For this is worthy of our lives and our dedication.

 

 

But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows

 

 "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, as Jesus was sending out the Twelve on their first apostolic mission, He taught them, "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."   Jesus refers to those who would persecute the disciples.  Earlier, after His public preaching, healing, and casting out demons, the Pharisees claimed that "He casts out demons by the ruler of demons."   Thus Jesus says here that they have called the master of the house Beezebub, and suggesting if they have gone this far to claim such against Him, "how much more will they call those of his household!"  But Jesus' message is "do not fear them."  Over the next few verses He will repeat this message three times.  My study Bible says that this is to embolden the witness of the gospel in the face of adversity.  It adds that Christian believers, then and today, must neither be intimidated by persecution nor fail in their mission to preach.

"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."   Jesus continues to encourage faithful witness, again repeating, "do not fear" the persecutors.  My study Bible notes that there is no need to fear the killing of the soul indicates the immortality of the human soul, which is ours by grace.  Fear Him, on the other hand, is a command to fear God (Proverbs 9:10; Luke 1:50, 23:40; Acts 10:2; Colossians 3:22, 1 Peter 2:17).  This is 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 is literally "Gehenna" (rendered γεέννῃ in Greek).  In Jewish history, as my study Bible explains, Gehenna (the Valley of Hinnom) became a place of forbidden religious practices (2 Chronicles 28:3; Jeremiah 32:35).  King Josiah put an end to these practices (2 Kings 23:10).  By Christ's time, this valley had become a garbage dump that smoldered ceaselessly.  Because of these associations, Gehenna acquired the connotation of eternal 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."  Jesus assures the disciples, in the face of persecution to come, of their great, precious value in the eyes of God.

 

 "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."  Here is the choice.  It is a kind of question posed to us:  to whom does our loyalty belong?

In modern life, there has always seemed to be popular teachings against going along with the crowd.  When this writer was young, as children we were admonished with the question, "If everyone else jumped off a cliff, would you do it too?"  Nowadays because of the popularity of the internet and the experience of online bullying, children are taught that they should either stand up to bullying, or at the very least not go along with it.  They are encouraged to befriend the person who is alone, or unpopular, or picked on in school settings.  Here in today's reading, Jesus is not speaking to children, but to grown men, who've come from other professions that demanded toughness and strength (such as the fishermen) and even shrewd use of material power (Matthew the former tax collector and author of this Gospel).  But now they are sent out to bear the gospel message into the world, to preach that the kingdom of heaven at hand.  This is a mission unlike anything else they have ever done.  For this mission, they are sent out "as sheep in the midst of wolves" (see yesterday's reading, above).  They will face a persecution unlike anything they have experienced in their lives, because they enter into a spiritual battle as disciples of Christ.  This is a different kind of engagement with the world.  In this mission, Jesus has already told them, "You will be hated by all for My name's sake" (again, see yesterday's reading above).  So the admonition to remain loyal to the mission, and not to go along with or fear the persecuting crowds, becomes one of absolute importance and even absolute power:  one may kill the body but cannot kill the soul, the other is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Jesus poses this as a question of whom to fear, a notion that is perhaps unpleasant and unfamiliar to us as those who live without such persecutions to face or to experience.  But the absolute importance and grave nature of this choice remains, nevertheless, although we do not much encounter it on these terms.  Our lives are sustained by God; maybe even more significantly, our souls are sustained by God.  Whether we live in a time of great and open persecution, or a more simple personal life in which we find ourselves forced to make hard decisions based on our faith, the Cross asks us to consider such choices with the gravity Christ gives to them.  This reality still exists:  that we will have pressure from the world to go along with the crowds, and our loyalty to Christ will remain a question of what is most precious to us.  Let us understand that whether or not we wish to perceive it, the gravity of choice remains with us, as is the power of God's love and awareness of each sparrow and every hair on our head.