Why Put up with the life of a disciple (Matthew 10:24-31)

 The Life of a Disciple.

You would think that serving the Lord would always be enjoyable, it is after all working for a wonderful boss who is gracious and generous, and all of that’s true. In reality having served the Lord for decades virtually all of my adult life I have found that to generally be true. However, there’s another side of serving the Lord because the work can be difficult. Serving the Lord can involve suffering as well. It’s sort of like well to use Jesus’ own analogy sending sheep out among wolves when he sent out the 12 apostles, he gave them some instruction warning them that their call to service might involves suffering. He even told them that they might suffer persecution from religious leaders, civic leaders, even family members. He told them that some would be arrested even a whipping was possible, and of course he said they would be hated by everybody.

If all of that’s true I have a question why would you put up with all of that why would you volunteer for a job that has that kind of a job description. Well if you keep reading and what the Lord told the 12 when he sent them out you will discover that the Lord answers that very question.

I want us to look again at Matthew chapter 10 and the instructions the Lord gave the 12 when he sent them out to preach. Matthew 10: 24-29 a continuation of a speech, a commission begun back in verse one. Now in this passage Jesus in in essence is telling them and by nature us also that there is suffering in service in his service. But it seems to me that he’s telling us but these are the kinds of sufferings. If you go out and serve the Lord, then one thing is that you’re going to be falsely accused.

At several points in this whole chapter so far he has said, (three times in fact), do not fear, do not fear, do not fear.  So what I want us to do is I want us to look at this passage and we’re going to see these three forms of suffering. He mentions being falsely accused, being afraid, and being involved in arguments, even with your own family. However, in the midst of all of that I want us to grapple with another question, which is, if that’s what serving the Lord is like why put up with all of that. While we’re discussing these forms of suffering I want us to also discuss why we should even do this at all so in verse 24 he says that.

The message that Jesus says he is bringing is the very message that is going to divide people, even members of the same family. With that in mind let’s begin let’s look at verse 24

 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.  (Matthew 10: 24)

We need to pause right away; he’s saying in this verse you are the student the and the servant and so don’t think that you’re somehow going to be above the teacher or the owner of the slave. In those days they treated the teachers the way a servant treated a master. But you should not expect any better treatment than they will give your master and leader. In the next verse he gets more specific he says in verse 25.

 It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house ]Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! (Matthew 10: 25)

Beelzebub was the name of a philistine God the Jews used it as the name of the devil. To call somebody Beelzebub was one of the most offensive titles you could use in Jesus’ day and yet that is precisely what they call Jesus Christ  Jesus is saying, if they called me the devil himself and you’re going to follow me, guess what’s going to happen to you. Earlier in this very chapter he said you were going to be hated just because you revere my name. You are going to be ill-treated including things like being arrested and whipped. Now he adds to that offensive name calling. They might call you a devil or an idiot for becoming a fanatic or some other such title but the idea is you’re going to be falsely accused. I think it’s just really fascinating to me that when the press wants to talk about Christians in a negative light they always want to make us look foolish or a fanatic you’re going to be called an idiot if you go out and talk about Jesus Christ. Just want to warn you, it’s coming. Why in the world would I want to do that? I’m a self-respecting human being I don’t anybody thinking I’m stupid. I certainly don’t want anybody to think I’m a fanatic then why would I go out and do that if that’s the treatment I’m going to get.  Why put up with that, well buried in these statements is a little phrase and I think is the answer at least part of the answer to that question. Look again at verse 25, it is enough to be a disciple and to understand that a disciple is not above his teacher nor a servant above his master. If in your heart you really want to be a follower of Christ, I really want to be his disciple his learner then that is enough. Because by doing that we are what is called, conformed to Christ, so that’s why you put up with it because what you get out of it is being like more like Christ.

In Philippians chapter 3 the apostle Paul said, “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection”. That I may know him is the passion of your soul. That I may know him, then it’s enough, that I suffer because he suffered and that’s what I get. I get to be like him and that’s that.

Years ago, when I was working through an Easter series of 7 sermons on the final word of Jesus. The last 7 words or phrases that Jesus spoke from the cross.  I remember well one day getting toward the end of that series and seeing God Incarnate Jesus Christ betrayed by somebody very close to him denied by his friends, deserted by his inner circle and I remember sitting at my desk and thinking In linking that the object of my spiritual life was hanging on a cross. I think for the first time I understood that if I’m being conformed to the image of Christ and that’s what happened to him, what does that mean for me. That’s what’s of course is going to happen if I am in anyway like him. I can’t tell you how that spiritual realization changed my life. They’re going to think I’m an idiot, so what, they thought he was filled with the devil. So, I’m going to be betrayed, good that means I get to be like him. I’m gonna be deserted and I’m going to be denied but by undergoing that I’m going to enter into his experience. Why put up with it, because I want to be like him, that’s why.  The second form of persecution is you’re gonna be put in a situation where you’re going to be afraid. Let me show you, look at verse 26.

Therefore, do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known. (Matthew 10: 26)

Do Not Fear.

Jesus has said, “do not fear” three times in this chapter now. But maybe the question that pops into your head when you hear this statement is, what is it I’m not supposed to fear? What I’m believe is being said here is that if you’re going to go serve the Lord, if you’re gonna talk about the Lord, you’re going to suffer for doing that and Jesus is saying by telling you this now you know the truth in advance. Nothing should surprise you because he has not withheld anything from us, nothing has been covered up.

He expands on this by saying. “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. What he’s saying is I’m gonna tell you stuff spiritual truth and I want you to go preach it and don’t be afraid to speak up about these things. That’s the point of these verses, whatever I tell you in now go don’t be afraid to preach in public places, shout it from the rooftops so to speak. Somebody once said, no one can speak for Christ unless Christ has spoken to them, and no one can proclaim the truth unless they have listened to the truth first, and no one can tell what he does not know.

So first we are to listen and learn what Jesus himself said from his one words in the like of these gospel accounts and then what we have heard from Christ we must speak out it even if speaking out means we are hatred by men. 

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. (Matthew 10: 27)

One of the great reformers in Europe in the 16th century was a man named John Knox when he died somebody said at his funeral here lies one who feared God so much that he never feared the face of any man. Jesus says do not fear people but the second thing he says about this is, verse 28.

 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.  (Matthew 10: 28)

This is actually the same thought and he’s reinforcing it by using repetition, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid to speak out don’t fear any other person for all they can do is kill your body. The flip side of this coin is you should fear only God for it is he who has the power to destroy the body and the soul.  What is this passage is saying is the fear of God will conquer the fear of men, and then we can be fearless in our approach to life, because our body and soul is safe and safe eternally.

Now there’s another thought that balances that idea and I’m going to get to it in a minute but first I want to tell you during World War Two there was a boy who lived in Holland who kept a diary during the Nazi occupation and in that diary he wrote and I quote.

Last week three German officers searched our house, they stopped my dad in the hallway they held him at gunpoint and forced him to open the steel door leading to the basement. One of them ordered my father to crawl space under the hallways with a torch, he was told that if he did not tell them where the weapons were hidden, he would be shot instantly. My dad was usually not a great hero type for a new he was even afraid of the dentist but at this time he showed no fear and as one of the Germans cocked his luger and held it against my father’s temple my dad recited the verse that said, “do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul”. The two German soldiers looked at each other shrugged their shoulders and left.

They can put a gun to your head in the name of Christ because of your witness for Christ, and they still do that today in some countries of this world, but do not be afraid. We could end it there but hang on, it would feel like a bit of an rebuke if we stopped there, but Jesus has one more thing to say in this section.

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. (Matthew 10: 29-31)

He finishes this section by reminding us that we have more value than a Sparrow. So, it seems we need to talk about sparrows for a minute. Two sparrows sold for a copper coin, I don’t exactly know how much that was, one commentator estimates it was $0.25p in todays money. But what we do know is that the Sparrow was the cheapest form of food a poor family could buy at that time. So Jesus is deliberately choosing something that is of little value almost insignificance, if you will, and he says and not even one of them falls to the ground apart from your father’s will. In other words nothing can happen to a believer in Jesus Christ that’s insignificant or outside of the will of the father. I repeat, nothing can happen to a believer apart from the fathers will, write that down, make a mental not of that. Nothing can happen to a believer apart from the father’s will. Remember the story of Job, Satan had to get permission to attack him, God said yeah but you can’t touch him, and Satan could not get Job to curse God. Nothing can happen to a believer in Jesus Christ apart from the father’s will you believe that then don’t don’t fear anything. Two sparrows are sold for a copper coin and not one of them falls, the word doesn’t mean fall and dies it means trips and falls or bumps into something and hits the ground or even just trips up when hopping along, and Jesus tells us that even something like that doesn’t happen without God knowing about it. God knew about it and it didn’t happen apart from God’s will.

The point here is that God is in control and God cares about us. Jesus adds another illustration he has counted the very hairs of your head, are all numbered. Meaning he knows about you and about every detail of your life. God loves you and cares about you, he knows every detail, he’s in control of every detail and he cares about you. If you ever feel alone in life or feel like God has deserted, you. Ever feel like giving up, don’t fear remember God loves you and continue to go tell other about him. Therefore, don’t fear because you are of more value than the Sparrow, if he notices the Sparrow and if he counts the number of hairs on you head don't you think he cares and that nothing happens apart from his will. So, he is in control. That is why we can put up with all of the troubles of this world because I know that underneath God is in control and God cares about me.

But you know what this discussion is not completely concluded yet as it takes another turn and, in a sense, Christ throws us another curve ball, but we shall pick that up in the episode when we shall pick up the text in verse 32.