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SCRIPTURE:     Matthew 10:24-39

 

 

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VERSES 24-39:  THE LOST ART OF CROSS-BEARING

 

This is the third part of Matthew's Missionary Discourse (10:5-42).  In these verses, Matthew collects a number of related sayings of Jesus having to do with committed discipleship in the face of conflict. 

 

These verses are rooted in the history of Israel –– famous for persecuting prophets (Jeremiah 26:20-23; 2 Chronicles 24:20-22; Luke 11:47-51; Acts 7:52; Hebrews 11:32-38).  The point is that, if prophets suffered persecution and Jesus suffered crucifixion, Jesus' disciples can expect similar rough treatment.

 

 

VERSES 24-25:  A DISCIPLE IS NOT ABOVE HIS TEACHER

     

24"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant (Greek: doulos) above his lord. 25It is enough for the disciple that he be like his teacher, and the servant like his lord. If they have called the master (Greek: kurios –– master or Lord) of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!"

 

 

Just as Jesus faced opposition and, ultimately, the cross, so Jesus' disciples will face persecution and possible martyrdom. 

 

"It is enough for the disciple that he be like his teacher" (v. 25).  The disciple usually has less status than the teacher, but Jesus' disciples are privileged to be like their master in the opposition that they face.

 

However, Jesus does not call us to provoke persecution or to seek martyrdom (see 10:14).  Persecution follows naturally when we expose evil –– challenge power –– demand change –– undermine the status quo. 

 

"If they have called the master (kurios –– Lord) of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household" (v. 25).  Beelzubul was a Philistine god whose name meant "lord of the house," so Jesus is making play on words in this verse –– he is the Godly master of the house, but is accused of being the Satanic master of the house.  Just as people accused Jesus of working by the power of Beelzebul (9:34; 12:22-27), so also they will accuse Jesus' disciples of demonic power.   

 

 

VERSES 26-27:  PROCLAIM ON THE HOUSETOPS

 

26"Therefore don't be afraid of them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed; and hidden that will not be known. 27What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim on the housetops."

 

 

"Therefore don't be afraid of them" (v. 26).  Fear in the face of persecution is natural, but Jesus gives three reasons not to fear (vv. 26, 28, 31):

 

The first reason not to fear is that, "for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed" (v. 26).  Evil people love darkness (John 3:19), but the Lord "will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and reveal the counsels of the hearts"  (1 Corinthians 4:5)

 

"What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim from the housetops" (v. 27).  Jesus calls the disciples to proclaim boldly and publicly that which he has taught them in private.  Flat housetops make platforms for public announcements.  We are not to tiptoe around the truth in the fear of inviting persecution. 

 

 

 

 

 

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VERSE 28:  DON'T BE AFRAID OF THOSE WHO KILL THE BODY

 

28"Don't be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna" (Greek:  geenne ––Gehenna).

 

 

"Don't be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul" (v. 28).  The second reason not to fear is the limited power of our opponents.  They can kill the body, which will die soon anyway, but they have no power over the soul.  Only God has power over eternity.

 

"Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna" (v. 28).  Scripture often speaks about fear of the Lord (Psalm 2:11; 15:4; 19:9; 22:23; 25:12, etc., etc., etc.).  We prefer to think of God's love rather than God's judgment, and have lost our sense of awe in God's presence.  It is appropriate, however, to fear the Lord, because God has authority over body and soul throughout eternity. 

 

 

VERSES 29-31:  YOU ARE OF MORE VALUE THAN MANY SPARROWS

 

29"Aren't two sparrows sold for an assarion coin? (Greek: assariou) Not one of them falls on the ground apart from your Father's will, 30but the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31Therefore don't be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows."

 

 

"Aren't two sparrows sold for an assarion coin?" (assariou) (v. 29).  The third reason not to fear is God's compassionate love.  God cares even about tiny sparrows, birds that become in this verse a symbol of inconsequential value. 

 

An assariou is not the equivalent of a U.S. penny, which is nearly worthless today.  It is a copper coin worth 1/16th of a denarius, and a denarius is a day's wages for a laborer (Matthew 20:2).   Therefore, an assariou represents 1/16th the amount required to sustain a family at subsistence level (food, clothing, and shelter) for one day ––the equivalent of several dollars (in the U.S.).  To determine the value of an assariou in your currency, divide the annual income of an ordinary adult worker by 250 to get a daily wage (5 days per week x 50 weeks).  Then divide that number by 16 to get the value of an assariou).  Or do it in one step by dividing annual household income by 4000.

 

"but the very hairs of your head are all numbered" (v. 30).  We are reminded of a new mother whose baby is so precious that everything about it seems wonderful –– each finger and toe seems like a separate miracle.  God loves us in that kind of detail.

 

 

VERSES 32-33:   WHOEVER CONFESSES ME, I WILL CONFESS

 

32"Everyone therefore who confesses (Greek: homologesei) me before men (Greek: anthropon –– men, humans), him I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven. 33But whoever denies me before men (anthropon), him I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven."

 

The image is that of a courtroom with Jesus serving (or refusing to serve) as our advocate.  If Jesus is our advocate, we cannot lose.  If Jesus refuses to take our case, we cannot win.  Thus our actions in this life have eternal consequences, because Jesus considers them when deciding whether to defend us.

 

"Everyone therefore who confesses (homologesei) me before men" (v. 32).  Homologesei "carries the sense of confess or trust in, i.e., to declare one's allegiance to Christ" (Blomberg). 

 

We acknowledge Jesus by deeds as well as by words.  The person who worships Christ every Sunday, singing hymns with gusto and reciting creeds from memory, is acknowledging Jesus publicly.  However, if on Monday that person acts selfishly or dishonestly, he/she compromises his/her Sunday witness.  The words of our mouths and the works of our hands need to be consistent if our witness is to be effective.

 

 

VERSES 34-36:   NOT PEACE, BUT A SWORD

 

34"Don't think that I came to send peace on the earth. I didn't come to send peace, but a sword. 35For I came to set a man at odds against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36A man's foes will be those of his own household."

 

 

Jesus says that he has come to bring, not peace, but a sword.  These verses "are presented in the Semitic perspective that view result as purpose.  That is to say, the result of an action is then stated as having been the purpose of the action" (Craddock, 337). 

 

By the time of the writing of this Gospel, Christians were frequently estranged from their families because of their decision for Christ.

 

"For I came to set a man at odds against his father" (v. 35).  In verses 35-36, Jesus quotes Micah 7:6.  Typically, the family is our last refuge.  No matter who is against us, our family is for us.  Separation from one's family is, next to separation from God, the most terrible isolation that we can imagine. 

 

Now Jesus tells us that we can expect conflict even from our family when we live by faith in Christ. 

 

 

VERSES 37-39:   HE WHO LOSES HIS LIFE FOR MY SAKE WILL FIND IT

 

37"He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me isn't worthy of me. 38He who doesn't take his cross and follow after me, isn't worthy of me. 39He who seeks his life (Greek: psychen) will lose it; and he who loses his life (psychen) for my sake will find it."

 

 

The Fifth Commandment (Exodus 20:12) calls us to honor father and mother.  Jesus' words in verse 37 could be seen as anti-parent, but are not.  He is not advocating disloyalty to family but even higher loyalty to God.

 

Jesus calls his disciples to "take his cross and follow after me" (v. 38). By the time that this Gospel was written, Christians were familiar not only with the cross of Jesus but also with crosses borne by Christians on their way to martyrdom.  Jesus' promise is that "he who loses his life for my sake will find it" (v. 39).

 

We live in a "What's in it for me!" kind of world where we are tempted to focus on what we can get rather than what we can give.  Jesus tells us that such behavior is ruinous in the long run –– such people will lose their lives.  We see it even in the short run.  Truly happy people are those who are who live for something larger than themselves.  The narcissist strives for happiness but achieves only broken relationships and unfulfilled dreams.  Jesus promises that it will be quite different for those who "loses his life for my sake" (v. 39).

 

 

SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS are from the World English Bible (WEB), a public domain (no copyright) modern English translation of the Holy Bible.  The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version (ASV) of the Bible, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament.  The ASV, which is also in the public domain due to expired copyrights, was a very good translation, but included many archaic words (hast, shineth, etc.), which the WEB has updated. 

 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

 

Barclay, William, Gospel of Matthew, Vol. 1  (Edinburgh:  The Saint Andrew Press, 1956)

 

Bergant, Dianne with Fragomeni, Richard, Preaching the New Lectionary, Year A (Collegeville:  The Liturgical Press, 2001)

 

Blomberg , Craig L., New American Commentary:  Matthew, Vol. 22 (Nashville:  Broadman Press, 1992)

 

Boring, M. Eugene, The New Interpreter's Bible, Vol. VIII (Nashville:  Abingdon, 1995)

 

Brueggemann, Walter;  Cousar, Charles B.;  Gaventa, Beverly R.; and Newsome, James D., Texts for Preaching:  A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV –– Year A (Louisville:  Westminster John Knox Press, 1995)

 

Bruner, Frederick Dale,  Matthew:  Volume 1, The Christbook, Matthew 1-12 (Dallas:  Word, 1987)

 

Craddock, Fred B.;  Hayes, John H.;  Holladay, Carl R.;  Tucker, Gene M., Preaching Through the Christian Year, A (Valley Forge:  Trinity Press International, 1992)

 

Gardner, Richard B., Believers Church Bible Commentary:  Matthew (Scottdale, Pennsylvania:  Herald Press, 1990)

 

Hagner, Donald A., Word Biblical Commentary:  Matthew 1-13, Vol. 33a (Dallas:  Word, 1993)

 

Hanson, K. C.,  Proclamation 6:  Pentecost 1, Series A  (Minneapolis:  Fortress Press, 1995)

 

Hare, Douglas R. A., Interpretation:  Matthew (Louisville:  John Knox Press, 1993)

 

Harrington, Daniel J., S.J., Sacra Pagina:  The Gospel of Matthew (Collegeville:  The Liturgical Press, 1991)

 

Holwerda, David E. in Van Harn, Roger (ed.), The Lectionary Commentary:  Theological Exegesis for Sunday's Text.  The Third Readings:  The Gospels  (Grand Rapids:  Eerdmans, 2001)

Johnson, Sherman E. and Buttrick, George A., The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 7 (Nashville:  Abingdon, 1951)

 

Keener, Craig S., The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: Matthew, (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1997)

 

Long, Thomas G., Westminster Bible Companion:  Matthew (Louisville:  Westminster John Knox Press, 1997)

 

Morris, Leon, The Gospel According to Matthew (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1992)

 

Niedenthal, Morris and Lacocque, Andre, Proclamation, Pentecost 1, Series A (Philadelphia:  Fortress Press, 1975)

 

Pfatteicher, Philip H., Lectionary Bible Studies:  The Year of Matthew, Pentecost 1, Study Book (Minneapolis:  Augsburg Publishing House, 1978)

 

Senior, Donald, Abingdon New Testament Commentaries: Matthew (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1998)

 

Soards, Marion; Dozeman, Thomas; McCabe, Kendall, Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Lent-Easter, Year A (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993)

 

Tiede, David L. and Kavanagh, O.S.B., Proclamation 2: Pentecost 1, Series A (Philadelphia:  Fortress Press, 1981)

 

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