December 25, 2012
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 10:32-39
OBSERVATIONS
Interesting that this is the reading for today.
Compare what Jesus says with what the angels sing at His birth:
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.” (Luke 2:14)
Jesus is like a salesman selling a car, listing all the problems up front.

I guess we can appreciate this, there is no ‘bait and switch’, no promise of a rose garden.
And yet the point, at the end of all this, is that those who give up their lives will find it in the end.
Maybe Jesus, as blunt as He, is showing how serious things are.
No one would go for this, unless the cause was really worth it.
Jesus is like Martin Luther King Jr., appealing to people to join him in his cause for justice and equality, not because it will be easy, but because it is right and good.
Or better, MLK is like Jesus.
What do you notice in this passage?
APPLICATION
If I think of Jesus’ calling us to carry the cross with Him like MLK asking people to join him in his cause against injustice and inequality, then what He says makes sense.
Jesus is on a mission, He is putting His life on the line for justice, equality, truth, morality, as well as for the weak, the oppressed, the abused.
This is not just about ‘being saved’, but joining Jesus in His salvation mission for all (not just for me).
We have turned salvation into something for me; it’s no wonder then that we balk at the hard parts of Jesus’ words.
Why should I risk my comfort, my relationships, my reputation, my life for others, why should I join MLK in standing up against racial injustice, I might get hurt, I might die.
I am reminded of Martin Niemoller’s observation about not speaking up for others…

First they came for the communists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.
Then they came for the socialists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me.

It will not be easy to follow Jesus, but it is right, it is good, and we will overcome in the end!
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
God, following Jesus is no pleasure cruise. But what He stands for, what He lives for, it is right and good and worth it in the end. Help me to speak up, no matter the cause, and help me to persevere to the end!