Filters for Finding Who's First

Matthew 10:34-39 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn“‘a man against his father,a daughter against her mother,a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. The context here continues to be Jesus sending His apostles out into the world as His servants: following Him is going out there in His name. As they, and we, go, priorities will be tested. Who do we love more? Who do we put first? Family? comfort? Our personal goals? or Him and His? Jesus is filtering out those who really do not want to follow Him, but who really just want Him around in case they need Him. At this point the crowd has become great, yet He narrows it down to twelve that He sends out. As we seek to follow Him, let us put the filters on, straining out all those things, until what we have left is Christ in us.

The Fairness of Christ...

So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 10:32-33 ESV) Jesus has sent His disciples out into the world to serve and to speak for Him. He has warned them of the opposition they will face, and of the distractions they must leave behind. Now He puts it bluntly: "go out there and tell them, or when you come back, I will act like I don't know you." That's fair. Often times we speak against God for not being fair: we try to do the right thing, yet we become sick or are the "victim" of some terrible tragedy. Those complaints have their answers (and the importance of the struggle to come to those answers), but here there is no unfairness in God. If we do not admit that we are His, and that we are hopeless without Him, we have no reason to expect Him to claim we belong to Him. If we take that seriously, what should that do to our witness for Him?

Translating Care into Courage...

Matthew 10:29-31 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. It takes courage to get up every morning - to believe that our lives matter enough for something that it is worth the investment to take on the daily challenges we will face, let alone the unexpected ones. These challenges are intensified when we add in the opposition we will face as followers of Christ in a hostile world. What can get us up in the morning? Where can we find the courage for each new day? Our Father cares. He is intricately interested in our thoughts, plans, activities, and even the little things that aggravate us - like our hair falling out. Take heart, have courage, get up and get going - His eye is on the sparrow, and he watches over you.

Perspective

Matthew 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. In context, Jesus is telling us how to approach life as we go out into the world to proclaim the Gospel. As we go, we will face persecution by a world that does not understand, and often, does not want to know. How do we respond to that? Often, our initial response is fear. But what we need to do is put our fears in proper perspective. Who is the Almighty One? The Creator or those who persecute us? Who will ultimately be the Judge before Whom we all must stand? Put in perspective, there is only One we should fear.

Broad Daylight Policy

Matthew 10:26-27 “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Our Greatest fears are of what is unseen, unheard. That is evident from the encounters Jesus had with the demon-oppressed, as well as those where He forgave sins. The unseen makes us uneasy, fearful. But some day, before Christ as judge, all will be revealed. We are to live in light of that fact now. The truth is not to be hidden; rather, it is to be proclaimed. The truth sets us free from fear and doubt. We need to be "above the board", "on the table", in all our dealings, because they will be revealed. We are to avoid fear like the plaque.

What to expect...

Matthew 10:24-25 “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! As Jesus continues to tell us what it will be like to go out and serve Him, He tells His disciples they have already seen and heard the kind of responses to expect. The Pharisees had accused Him of casting out demons in the power of Beelzebul. This was a totally irrational, illogical accusation, but these are the kinds of things we should expect to be accused of. Opposition to the gospel does not make sense - the offer of the greatest free gift available being rejected due to our pride. But that's what often happens. Sadly, we need to expect that, yet, in compassionate love, continue to share the good news.

All in perspective...

Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. (Matthew 10:21-23 ESV) When we look at this world, and the negative reaction to the gospel that creates all sorts of havoc in families, communities and nations, we may feel like punting and running away. But rather than run away, Christ tells us to run TO the next town, looking for those who are receptive, letting as many as possible hear before He returns. We need to step back and get the bigger picture of what God is, and is going to do, and our part in it.