December 20, 2012
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 10:21-25
OBSERVATIONS
I thought sheep among wolves was bad: betrayed by family, put to death by people I love?
This may seem strange, but think of what it would be like for a Jew or Muslim to convert to Jesus, and how their family might respond (look up Mosab Hassan Yousef, son of one of the founders of the Hamas terrorist organization).
Hated, I hate being hated, I want everyone to like me, I want everyone to get along.
Jesus encourages His followers to stand firm to the end, not to fight but flee (shake the dust and leave), to keep moving through all the towns of Israel.
Before the Son of Man comes… Jesus must be referring to His resurrection and ascension, His victorious appearance predicted by Daniel (Daniel 7:13-14, compare Matthew 28:18-20).
We should not be surprised that we are treated the same as Jesus, just like Jesus carried the cross before receiving the crown, we too must carry the cross before we receive the crown.
What do you notice in this passage?
APPLICATION
I can’t imagine facing this kind of harsh treatment from my family.
Do I avoid upsetting people, taking a stand that will offend others, do I go ‘soft’ with my following Jesus so that I can avoid being hated or persecuted?
What teachings of Jesus – if I followed them seriously – would alienate me from those I love (selling all I have, giving wealth to the poor, going the extra mile for bad people?)
Do I avoid the hard teachings of Jesus because they will make me look bad before others?
When I hear Jesus speak of the difficulties and demands of following Him, I wonder whether (1) we really have got this christianity thing right, and (2) whether I really want to be a Jesus follower?
It’s so much easier to be ‘saved’ than it is to be ‘sent’.
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, once again I feel like we have redefined christianity (i.e. following You) in a way that removes the demands and difficulties. Can we really call ourselves Your followers if we are not experiencing some kind of hardship for it?
Jesus follower
trying to find His way
This concept of everyone hating you because of Jesus seems to be a recurring theme. It appears to be reported by all the gospel writers, all with the same encouragement – Stand firm to the end and you will be saved. I looked this theme up in Matthew 24:13, Mark 13:13, Luke 21:19 changes the phrase slightly to “By standing Firm you will gain life” and Rev 2:10 says “Be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life”. I felt that I needed to find out what Matthew meant by the word “saved”. This seems to be in reference to life after death based on these other cross references.
I found vs 23 very confusing. You will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the son of man comes. This part of the verse is not clear to me, and I am sure would be part of a good theological debate. The first part of the verse is clear to me. Flee persecution. We are not expected to be passively absorbing persecution if we can avoid it.
Having family hate me because I am a Christian does not happen for me, as most of my family are also Christian. However, in some cultures, accepting Jesus means that your family will reject you. That would indeed be an extremely tough choice. I am thankful that I can follow Jesus with the full blessing of my friends and family.
A servant is not above his master. I start by thinking that this is a positive thing, that a student will learn a portion of what a teacher, who knows more, can teach. But the end of the section talks about how if the head of a household is called Beelzebub, then the whole household will be even more so like this. It was like a twist in my mind to what I thought was a good obvious lesson, to a “beware of evil in following an evil person” type of lesson.
I pray that I will be able to persevere to the end. I pray that I will not need to flee, from city to city to avoid persecution. I pray that I may be able to learn from good teachers, and that I may be a good influence to those that look to me as a teacher.
Observations:
Stand firm.
Family members will be against one another.
Outcast.
Homeless. A wanderer.
Application:
To stand up means to take a stand. That costs. To take a stand for Christ also costs. It splits, divides families. Love is replaced by hate and separation. I have seen that but . . .
what is my cost of following Christ? What are my difficulties for taking a stand? Of whom am I a disciple? What is the cost is discipling today? What does it mean to be a Christian – to be a Jesus follower? Am I going with the flow or against the flow of the world today?
Dare to be a Daniel.
Prayer:
Help me this day to stand up for Jesus in all I do and say.
Standing by a purpose true,
Heeding God’s command,
Honor them, the faithful few!
All hail to Daniel’s band!
Refrain
Dare to be a Daniel,
Dare to stand alone!
Dare to have a purpose firm!
Dare to make it known.
Many mighty men are lost
Daring not to stand,
Who for God had been a host
By joining Daniel’s band.
Refrain
Many giants, great and tall,
Stalking through the land,
Headlong to the earth would fall,
If met by Daniel’s band.
Refrain
Hold the Gospel banner high!
On to vict’ry grand!
Satan and his hosts defy,
And shout for Daniel’s band.
Refrain