Sunday Sermons
The Disciple
The Disciple
“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become as his teacher, and the slave as his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!” (Matthew 10:24-25).
These two verses follow a section of scripture in which Jesus was preparing His apostles for approaching persecution (10:16-23). In doing so, He reminds them of this very true principle: all subordinates tend to share the fate of their masters or superiors whether it be for good or for ill. If Jesus, the Master, was willing to endure such abuse, then, He cautions, His followers, both apostles and other early Christians in various places, should not expect to be exempted from a similar fate; persecution would be part of the Christian life because “though many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).
- “And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).
- “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12).
- “Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right” (1 Peter 4:19).
The Temptation
A common temptation is to think that we can escape suffering as a Christian – that because we are so talented and gifted, we can present the gospel to the world in a way that it will not offend or cause push back – that we can rearrange and repackage the message of Jesus in a new improved format, a better outline, a better presentation and in such a skilled way that the darkness will not resent the light. Jesus is telling His followers – such is impossible. He is God, God in the flesh and He obviously presented the gospel in the perfect and ideal format, yet the world pushed back. So instead of looking for the “ideal presentation” in which no one is offended, the ideal presentation already exists in the Gospels and the rest of the New Testament. And socially outcast or not, we are to just teach and preach as Jesus taught and preached (1 Peter 4:11), come what may.
They Called Me Beelzebul
The world did not ignore Jesus – it attacked and killed Him. People said He was demon-possessed (John 7:20). They claimed that He was Satan or at least in league with Satan (Matthew 12:24). Wow! You may have been called various things, but has anyone has ever called you “Satan”? What a blessing this forthrightness of Jesus. There is no leading His followers down a road of false promises. He is unabashedly upfront with them. He essentially tells them, “I am not popular. People call Me the devil. If you follow Me you can expect that someone is going to call you names. You will be called crazy or a hater or worse”.
“Therefore do not fear them” (Matthew 10:26)
Jesus will tell his disciples more than once not to fear. In fact, He frequently encouraged His disciples with the familiar phrase “do not fear” (10:28,31), though what Jesus mentions in this section is quite frightening. He speaks of people putting His followers to death for their faith (10:28), and He speaks of entire families just coming apart and breaking up due to either the acceptance or rejection of the gospel (10:35). Loss of family or life itself are two of the most threatening things we could possibly contemplate, and yet still Jesus is saying that even when it comes to the most fearful thing you can imagine happening on earth – we are even still not to fear. How? How can anyone control his or her heart and mind enough to remain calm deep inside during such times? Answer: By a faith so deeply grounded in the knowledge He is there with us in such situations standing with us. (2 Timothy 4:17). So even if family turns on us and abandons us and the faith – God and His people are still with us. Even if our commitment to Jesus costs us our very lives – God's angels attend us when our spirits leave our bodies. What a liberating way to live, to have already confronted our deepest fears and yet so as to not spend the rest of our lives paralyzed by all the lesser fears (Revelation 21:8). May we never erroneously view mere human and earthly opponents and situations as stronger and bigger in our minds than God.
“There is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known” (Matthew 10:26)
- The first thing Jesus could be saying here is that the truth will ultimately prevail. “No amount of ignorance or hiding one’s eyes can impede ultimate conquest and complete vindication” (Gospel of Matthew, Fowler, p. 352).
- As time goes by, real science and human experience only confirm the truthfulness of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus.
- The only way that any sin can even get a hearing or an audience or any support of any kind is that such a sin must first disguise itself as goodness.
The only reason so many people remain on the "wide path that leads to destruction" is because the culture has essentially placed a sign over that path which reads, “Heaven”.
- Jesus here may be guaranteeing the total vindication of His servants, if not in this life, then at the Judgment Day. We tend to forget that at the judgment, every false theory against the truth and every false accusation against Christians will be exposed at such.
- Have you observed some of this happens even in this life? The plans of ungodly men typically are exposed, the truth does come out, and people’s motives are often revealed in their true light. Hence, we should not fret about the false accusations made against us, for God has a way of bringing everything to light. This verse should give tremendous confidence to faithful Christians, and be a cause of dread to people who are being less than honest and less than godly.
- In addition, the verse could be reminding the apostles that people who become cowards and compromise to avoid persecution will be exposed as well.
“What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops” (Matthew 10:27).
Instead of being tempted to water down the message or omit certain parts of it, Jesus commanded the apostles to publicly proclaim what He had taught them. The expression, “the darkness”, probably is talking about what Jesus had taught the disciples privately, such as the interpretation of the parable of the Tares in Matthew 13:36. “When the moment came for the Apostles to break the story, they were to show aggressive courage in publishing it" (Acts 4:13-20, 23-31; 5:20, 29-32,41-42; Ephesians 6:19-20; Ezekiel 3:9,19). The housetops of Palestinian homes were flat and were used as living space. Public proclamations were often made from housetops. “This makes it evident that Jesus is pleading for the widest possible publications of His message” (Fowler, p. 355).
“Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not fear, ‘You are of more value than many sparrows’” (Matthew 10:29-31).
No matter what you will go through in living for God, you are never forgotten. God always knows exactly what is the current condition of your life. He always has you in focus. He knows every single detail about you. He hears the accusations against you. He hears what is spoken behind your back. He knows the plots being laid. He knows how some are trying to trip you up. Yet He is always with you.
“Everyone therefore who shall confess”: (Matthew 10:32)
This confession is not just a one-time-act, but needs to be a continual theme in your and my life. Both our words and actions need to be in complete agreement with the cause of Christ. There will be many temptations to deny Him – yet every temptation to deny Him is likewise an opportunity to confess Him! When Jesus says the phrase “do not think that…” in Matthew 10:34 it is a convicting reminder to stop demanding that God give you a trouble free life. In a country as rich as our own, we must stop demanding that this life be heaven. Let's stop looking for an easy and compromising type of peace and isn’t real. Let's stop allowing others to make excuses for unfaithful family members by attempting to shift the blame for their unfaithfulness onto faithful Christians. Let's be real, be truthful, be salt and be light. Let's love with all our hearts (10:37).
Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net
