Sunday Sermons
The Honest Cost - Matthew 10:32-39
The Honest Cost
Matthew 10:32-39
I am impressed that Jesus is incredibly honest with anyone who would consider following Him. The real and actual cost is presented upfront in no uncertain terms.
10:32 “Everyone”: The same rules apply to all. There does not exist a cheaper yet viable version of following Him. Salvation is open to everyone who would confess Him. The term “confesses” means to acknowledge but it means more than that. “The verb really means to say the same thing as another, to voice agreement with Him, and thus acknowledge and to confess Him. 'In front of men' emphasizes the public character of this confession” (Lenski, pg. 412). “Before men”: It is very easy to confess Christ privately, among those who already believe in Him, or where you know there will be no criticism or push back, yet it is another thing to confess Christ before unbelievers and in the face of opposition. In light of this statement, currently am I really confessing Christ before men (John 12:42-43)? “We may deny Him by our silence… (when there was) the opportunity to speak some word for Christ, to utter some protest against evil, to take some stand, to show what side we are on. Again and again on such occasions it is easier to keep silent than to speak” (Fowler, pg. 381-382).
“Confess Me”: Much more is required than simply saying that you are spiritual, religious, or that you believe ‘in God’. The confession here involves acknowledging that Jesus is the Son of God (Romans 10:9-10). Which also involves confessing that He died for our sins, rose from the dead and is the only path of deliverance (John 8:24; 14:6). “I will confess Him before My Father”: Which would include owning us as His own on the Last Day when we stand before Him at the judgment (Matthew 25:32-34).
10:32 “Deny”: The term means to contradict, disavow, reject, refuse, such as in the translation, “if any one disowns Me” (TCNT). The confession here must be backed up with actions Matthew 7:21. People can confess Christ with their voice, and yet deny Him in their daily lives (Titus 1:16; 1 Timothy 5:8; 2 Timothy 2:11-12). Remember, we can deny Christ simply by our silence. We do not have to verbally deny Him before men to be guilty of disowning Him, we can simply remain quiet in reference to our faith.
10:34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth”: The verse suggests that many people have falsely assumed that Jesus came to bring some type of Utopian peace on the earth, some sort of easy and all encompassing unity that requires very little commitment or change on our part. Or, a Christianity that involves minimal cost. Apparently, First Century Jews had the same misconceptions as 21st century individuals. “But a sword, for I came to set a man against”: Jesus here echoes something that we saw in the Old Testament, the truth will be and has always acted like a sharp sword. To this day there are people who refuse to talk about “religion” because of the potential such has to end friendships or relationships, and this is one reason why some people refuse to be associated with any religion at all (but which is an impossible task, for everyone believes in something).
- Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), but this peace is found only in a relationship with Him (John 16:33; Philippians 4:6-7). “Jesus did not come to bring peace on earth to just any and every rebel against God (Fowler, pg. 384).
- “The idea is this: If Christ had not come, the earth would have gone on undisturbed in its sin and its guilt until the day of its doom. At once war resulted when Christ come, for in their perversion men clung to their sin” (Lenski, pg. 415).
Christ did not come to give man a tranquil or undisturbed life. Christ came to save men, but some want to cling to their sins (John 3:19-20), some want the praise of men (John 12:42-43); some people are going to love their pleasures, self-centered life, dishonest gain, more than Christ, and in so doing they are going to fight or push back against Jesus’ followers.
“Jesus Himself is the sharpest line of separation between men and the greatest disturber of easy consciences. To be confronted with Jesus is necessarily to be confronted with the choice whether to accept Him or to reject Him; and the world is always divided into those who have accepted Christ and those who have not” (Fowler, pg. 385). “Better war and the division, saving as many as possible, than to let all perish in their sin” (Lenski, pg. 415). Some try to blame drama and friction on the faithful Christian in the family, at work, and so on. Yet the divisiveness happens when individuals refuse to let go of their sins. The following is how far this sword goes. Jesus is the dividing line, even dividing the closest family ties.
Here we see the extremely personal character of relationship with God. Such demands loyalty above and beyond the most intimate relationships. Jesus is clearly warning us of the cost involved, because becoming a Christian may make your family, your enemy, but remember the ultimate enemy is the Devil (Romans 6:16). Very few families will remain united on the truth over time. Having a family in which there is disagreement over the truth is not a rare thing, in fact, it will be a very common occurrence.
“Enemies”: That is one strong word. Yet if a family member is attempting to lure us away from God, or if a family member is contradicting what Jesus taught, they are making themselves into an enemy. If this is the case, then we must at the very least acknowledge that they are dangerous and we must have the courage to oppose them as they are leading others in the wrong direction. This verse should really make us think before we marry someone. Are we bringing an enemy into our family circle? Are we marrying someone who is a Trojan Horse? Anyone who tries to keep you out of heaven, is a dangerous enemy. We might be tempted to ignore such things and sweep them under the rug, yet the divisions are real and will manifest themselves. If we do nothing, Satan will not remain on the fence. We might want to call a truce, yet Satan will not. When you are in sin or error, you will simply keep pushing it, that it is the nature of rebellion, you will act it out.
“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.” (Matthew 10:37-39)
“More than Me”: What Jesus says here correct. There is something very unhealthy about a parent or family member who insists that we love them more than God. Any earthly relationship in which the other person requires that we put them before everything else or on a pedestal are typically doomed to failure in the end. I do not want my children sacrificing their spiritual future for some whim or selfish wish I have. If I am in the wrong or on the wrong path, then if others really do love me they will warn me and they will not follow in my steps. The rich man in Luke 16 finally realized this, he did not want his brothers to follow the path that he had taken in life (Luke 16:28).
“Take up his cross”: Each person has a cross to carry and no one can do this for us. Being a Christian will not be easy for anyone. Each must do what he must for Christ's sake, even at the price of the most heart-breaking sacrifices or the most excruciating death. To take up our cross is not a command to literally allow ourselves to be crucified, for what Jesus here requires is to be done on a daily basis (Luke 9:23). “The Christian may have to sacrifice his personal ambitions, the ease and comfort that he might have enjoyed, the career he might have achieved; he may have to lay aside his dreams, to realize that the shining things of which he caught a glimpse are not for him” (Fowler, pg. 395). The idea is that whatever it takes to remain faithful to God and keep my covenant with Him, that is what am I willing to do.
Matthew 10:39 "He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it”.
“Jesus declares that all self-seeking is self-losing. He who makes his own life the chief object of his endeavor really fails the more he seems to succeed” (Fourfold, p. 368). “He who is concerned about his life” (Lam), “He who secures his own life” (Knox), “If you cling to your life” (Tay). The man who grasp's and struggles to hold on to every bit of life, happiness, pleasure, and wealth for self, ends us losing happiness, real life, lasting pleasure and enduring wealth.
Matthew 10:40 "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me”.
Those that received the apostle’s were in reality also accepting Jesus and the Father who had sent them. The reverse is also true (John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 14:37; 1 Thessalonians 2:13). Are we receiving Jesus?
Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.com
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net
