Matthew 10: 27-33 Jesus Teaches the Fear of God
“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.
Confess Christ Before Men
“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.”
Ever wonder why Jesus called so many fishermen to be his disciples? Fishermen were used to hard work, long hours, bad working conditions, and sudden storms. Fishermen understood that once you had launched out onto the Sea of Galilee, you were committed, whether or not you enjoyed the experience. As a tax collector, Matthew had had to thread his way through the Roman bureaucracy and the demands of local religious leaders who shunned him until they needed money. The other disciples were probably equally tough-minded.
In an earlier day, the Timex people used to boast about their watches that “They take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’!” The idea was that no matter how badly a Timex watch was abused, it would still work under the worst conditions. Here Jesus is telling us that if we want to be his disciples, we must be like Timex watches, taking abuse and continuing to work in spite of it.
“Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.” When God gives you a message, you are bound to deliver it, no matter the circumstances. In Jesus’ day, housetops were flat, making it easy for someone to stand on the housetop and shout messages to all the neighbors. It’s possible that if someone had an announcement for the community, they would shout it from the housetops. If we are serious about the Gospel being good news, we too should be willing to broadcast it by any means possible. St. Francis of Assisi is quoted as having said, “Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.” People believe our behavior far more than they do our words if our words fail to match our behavior.
“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.” For many of us, martyrdom is simply a concept; however, for many Christians in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Iraq, Iran, Northern Korea and other places, martyrdom is a constant possibility. These people gather to pray and worship, realizing that at any minute they might be shot or beheaded. These people fear God more than they do Satan or his emissaries.
“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.” You can imagine Jesus smiling as he says this, teasing the disciples. Many times we think God is sitting somewhere at a great distance, occasionally hurling thunderbolts at bad people. But God is as close to us as our heartbeats and knows us more completely than we know ourselves. Each of us is precious to God, so precious that He knows the number of hairs on our heads. We can trust the One who knows us!
“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.” One of the saddest scenes of the night before Jesus is crucified is the scene in which Peter is warming himself over a fire out in the high priest’s courtyard. Three times, onlookers question Peter to see if he is one of Jesus’ disciples and three times Peter denies it. Just as Peter denies Jesus for the last time, Jesus looks from the room where he is being interrogated, and his eyes meet Peter’s. Suddenly, Peter realizes what he has done and stumbles out, weeping bitterly.
Blessedly, for Peter this is not the end of his story. Later Peter fearlessly preaches about Jesus and eventually is crucified for his faith. Peter humbly requests that he be crucified upside down, believing that he is unworthy to die in the same fashion as Jesus.
Sooner or later, all disciples will deny Jesus at some point. No matter how we might protest, we are just as fallible as Peter was. But Peter changed, and so can we. May we trust God to change us so that we will be utterly faithful, utterly fearless, and utterly hopeful!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. Redeem us from our failures and mistakes and help us to be faithful, fearless, hopeful, and loving. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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