Matthew 10:24-33

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Introduction

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24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.

Have No Fear

26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Take a moment and imagine what it would have been like to be in the shoes of those 12 disciples, when your rabbi, or teacher, tells you that he is “sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.” To beware of certain men who will deliver you over to the courts, to be flogged in their synagogues, to be dragged even before governors and kings. That you’ll be hated by all for Christ’s name’s sake. Think about that.
Take a moment and imagine what it would have been like to be in the shoes of those 12 disciples, when your rabbi, or teacher, tells you that he is “sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.” To beware of certain men who will deliver you over to the courts, to be flogged in their synagogues, to be dragged even before governors and kings. That you’ll be hated by all for Christ’s name’s sake. Think about that.
I suspect many of us would be overwhelmed by Jesus’ words, but if verses 16-23 were meant to tell us that we should expect persecution, then the verses before us today are meant to tell us that we should fear not. That when persecution comes that we should not fear it. Jesus isn’t warning his disciples of persecution so that they might despair. He’s warning his disciples of persecution because he cares, which is precisely what we’re going to see today.

A servant is not greater than his master

He begins there in verse 24,
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24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.

There are at least two things worth pointing out here. The first is that we should expect persecution, because Jesus was persecuted. Jesus’ disciples should expect no better treatment than their teacher, in other words, we will share in his lot. To follow Jesus is also to follow him in his afflictions, in his path of opposition, in his path of persecution.
Now, during our last time together I quoted where Jesus says to his disciples,
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18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Now, listen to what else Jesus says in verse 20,
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20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.

20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.

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We should expect persecution because Jesus was persecuted.

We are not alone

Now, the second thing worth pointing out is that we are not alone in any of the persecution or opposition we face. We are meant to be comforted knowing that we will not experience any opposition or rejection that our master hasn’t first experienced himself.
As a parent, after having a conversation with a fellow parent, I often find myself using the phrase, “Well, at least I’m not alone.” Because being a parent is hard, it’s often times filled with moments of uncertainty, disillusionment, frustration, and even despair, and so it’s common to find solace, or comfort, when speaking to fellow parents who are experiencing the same types of situations. There’s a certain comfort that comes with knowing that what you’re experiencing is normal. Therefore, as Christians, as followers of Christ, Jesus wants us to know that it’s normal to face opposition as a member of his household. That this is the normal Christian life and that we’re not alone.
Therefore, something worth asking yourself, is have you ever encountered animosity from others for your faith, for your allegiance to Jesus? If not, it would be wise to ask yourself why. Have you distanced yourself from Jesus in order to avoid rejection from the world? Maybe you’d rather be liked by others than hated for his name’s sake? Again, I don’t mean for us to go looking for opposition and persecution, but there’s a fundamental hatred for God among all fallen human beings which naturally elicits, or causes, a hostile response to the proclamation of the gospel. Therefore, we should be acquainted with that hostility because of our affiliation with Jesus.
One of the most wonderful promises of the gospel is that we will participate in his glory, that we will participate in his resurrection, but it’s important that we remember that we are also to participate in his humiliation, his rejection. We are not above our teacher.

Nothing is covered that will not be revealed

Then Jesus goes on in verse 26,
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26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

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In verses 26-33 Jesus is going to give his disciples 4 reasons to have no fear, and we see the first of those reasons here in verse 26. To have no fear of the wolves who will persecute them because there’s nothing that is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. The evil schemes and intentions of those who persecute Jesus’ disciples will one day be revealed, will one day be made known.
All of us have things that we keep hidden from view, hidden from others, and we can all imagine what it would be like for those things to be made public, for those things to be made known. And Jesus tells his disciples to have no fear of their persecutors, because there’s no evil scheme that is hidden from the Lord, and there’s no malicious intention that will not be laid bare before him on judgement day. They will not get away with their slanderous words, or their unjust tribunals, they will be held to account and they will be exposed. Jesus reminds his disciples that God’s justice will prevail.

Proclaim the gospel without reservation

Then in verse 27 Jesus says this,

27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.

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Now, verse 27 may seem like a strange interruption in Jesus’ train of thought but here he reminds them not to shy away from their duty to proclaim the gospel, but instead to continue proclaiming it publically from the housetops.
You see, it will be their proclamation of the gospel that will cause their persecution, therefore it will be the proclamation of the gospel that will suffer from any fear they have of their persecutors, so Jesus tells them to fear not and to continue openly proclaiming the gospel without reservation.

Fearing the right thing

It’s why he continues there in verse 28,

28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

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It isn’t that Jesus means for his disciples to have no fear at all, but rather for them to fear the right thing - to fear God. Listen to how Jesus says it in Luke’s Gospel, chapter 12, verse 4,
We should not fear proclaiming the gospel, we should not fear sharing the gospel with anyone, because there’s a limit to what others can do to us. They may be able to go as far as putting us to death but they cannot destroy our soul. Instead we ought to fear God who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Listen to how Luke records it in his Gospel,

4 “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!

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The question isn’t whether we will have fear or not, but who we will fear, and we have an infinitely greater reason to fear God than we do to fear men. So the second reason we ought not to fear persecution is because those who slander us cannot throw us both body and soul into hell. Only God can do that, and if we are citizen of his kingdom then we ultimately have nothing to fear when we proclaim the gospel of his kingdom.

God cares for us

This is why Jesus continues there in verse 29,

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

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We’ve seen this analogy before in Jesus’ sermon on the mount. If God cares for something so small and trivial as a sparrow, then how much more does he care for you, who is of considerably greater value than many sparrows? The answer is immensely more, and yet not one sparrow falls to the ground apart from your Father in heaven. He even knows the number of hairs on your head, you don’t even care that much about yourself! God cares for his people!
So on one hand we ought to fear God, and rightly so, but then on the other, because of the great mercy that God has shown us through the sacrifice of his Son, we have no need to fear. “Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.” So the third reason we should have no fear of those who persecute us is because God cares for us, and there is nothing outside of this hand of providence. There are no maverick molecules to unravel God’s good purposes for you, even in the midst of the worst persecution.

Immortal until our work is done

As I was thinking about this text I was reminded of man by the name of George Whitefield who lived from 1714 to 1770. He was born in Great Britain and died in Massachusetts. In church history he’s known as one of the greatest evangelists to have ever lived.
“Whitefield delivered more than 18,000 sermons in his lifetime, an average of five hundred a year, or ten each week. One of his favorite preaching places was just outside London, on a great open tract of land known as Moorfields. He had no designated time for his services, but whenever he began to preach, thousands came to hear. Not all were fans, and he would often say, “I was honored with having stones, dirt, rotten eggs, and pieces of dead cats thrown at me.” Several times, he was also attacked physically, being beaten or having bricks thrown at him. Afterward, he said, “We are all immortal until our work is done,” a phrase he would often repeat.” (Kirk Cameron & Ray Comfort, The World’s Greatest Preachers)
That’s the God in whom we serve.
I’m reminded of the verse in Amazing Grace, ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.”

Acknowledged before God in heaven

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.”
One one hand as Christians we realized at the beginning that we ought to fear God, yet then we realize that because
And finally we read there in verses 32-33,

32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

To whom will our loyalties be? Will they be to Christ or to men? To Jesus or to the world? Persecution and opposition will certainly reveal our loyalties. Will persecution render us silent? Will rejection cause us to close our mouths? Where will we stand? On what hill are we willing to die?
Now, how often have we become gun shy after receiving even the slightest opposition from others when we’ve attempted to share the gospel with them? Well, Jesus’ answer to that is to fear not, to not fear those who can only kill the body, and to instead fear God who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
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4 “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! ()
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Following Jesus will be hard

Jesus says in ,

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

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Following Jesus will cost us everything. It means we’ll have to deny ourselves and take up our crosses to follow him. We’ll have to lose our lives in order to save them. Following Jesus will be hard, and it will certainly not lead to your best life now, but it will be worth it.
In John chapter 6 Jesus gives some hard teachings and we read that many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him, so Jesus says to the twelve,

“Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

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Peter said and did a lot of disastrous things but here he gets it. If you want to know why I’m a Christian, this is why, because Jesus has the words of eternal life and I have believed, therefore where else would I go?
And what an incredible promise given to us by our Lord there in verse 32,
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everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,

If this doesn’t extinguish our fear of persecution, nothing will. Jesus has just told his twelve disciples “that the world will hate them, persecute them and [maybe] even kill them, but they could endure it all knowing that He would confess them before the Father. We, too, have this promise, and there is no deeper comfort.” (R.C. Sproul, Commentary on Matthew, p. 325)

Prayer

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