Matthew 10:16-42

Matthew 10:16-25 The persecution that will come

As Jesus’s followers go out to preach the good news, what problems will they face?

What are the risks they will face?

What are the reassurances Jesus offers?

In verses 17, 18, and 21, who will oppose them or cause them trouble?

Jesus mentions religious leaders, governmental authorities, and family members.

As you try to be transparent and open about your faith, is there anyone who is likely to oppose you or cause you trouble?  If so, what might you do about it?

Have you experienced any situations like what is described in verse 20, where you did now have a plan for what you would say about your faith, but the Spirit spoke through you?

How can you live a life that is so open to the movement and guidance of the Holy Spirit that that kind of guidance “in the moment” is possible?

Where are you tempted to hold back in boldly following Jesus? What does this passage say to you?

Based on what Jesus says in these verses, would you say martyrdom should be sought, avoided where possible, or avoided at all costs?

In verse 23b, Jesus says that the Son of Man will come before they have proclaimed the good news in all of the towns of Israel.  Matthew might have understood this to be true in the sense that the beginning of the coming of the Son of Man was inaugurated when Jesus died and rose from the dead.  Or he might have seen the coming of the Son of Man as having occurred when Jerusalem was destroyed and Israel was shattered by the Romans in A.D. 70.  We will explore the coming of the Son of Man when Jesus talks more about it in Matthew 24.

In verse 24, Jesus says the disciple is not above the teacher.  The word disciple means a learner or student.  How do you maintain your role as a lifelong learner under Jesus?

What are some ways that we, as disciples, are called to be “like” our teacher Jesus?

Matthew 10:26-33 Do not fear

What does Jesus emphasize repeatedly in verses 26, 28, 31 of this passage?

Why might fear be a natural response?

What are reasons why fear is unnecessary?

What is Jesus saying about us and God in the sparrow analogy in verses 29-31?

What fears do you face?  What does this word from Jesus about not being afraid say to you in your particular circumstances?

In verses 32-33, Jesus contrasts those who acknowledge him before others and those who deny him before others.  William Barclay suggests (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1, pp. 403-404) that there are three ways we can deny Jesus: by our words, by our silence, and by our actions.  What does it look like to deny Jesus by our words?  . . .  by our silence?  . . . by our actions?

What does it look like to acknowledge Jesus before other people by our words, our silence, and our actions?

Where in your life do you need to be a clearer witness to Jesus right now, and how might it affect your words, your times of silence, or your actions?

Matthew 10:34-39 The choice

What are the some of the things Jesus says will be part of being called by him?

What does Jesus mean in verses 34-36 when he says he has come to bring a sword?

When Jesus says he has not come to bring peace, but a sword (verse 34), he explains what he means in verses 35-36.  He is not talking about military might or violent uprising.  He is not saying that he wields a sword, nor is he saying that the sword should be wielded by his disciples.  On the contrary, the sword is wielded by those who oppose Jesus and his disciples.  Jesus is lamenting the fact that his coming produces such opposition that some will die by the sword.

The quote in verses 35-36 comes from Micah 7:6, where the prophet describes with great sorrow how the society around him has degenerated to the point where those who are faithful to God cannot trust the people around them, but instead must look to God and wait for God to provide salvation (Micah 7:7).

What does the conundrum in verse 39 about finding your life/losing your life mean?

How might a person today have to give up the life they have today in order to find the life they are called to by in Christ?

What do you think of Jesus’s blunt honesty in this passage?

Do we need more of this kind of honesty in the message of Christianity in our day?  Or can we avoid this tough message and still be saved?

Most people don’t face this choice in stark, life-or-death terms the way the martyrs did. They do face smaller life decisions that change the direction of their lives and even smaller choices every day about how to live their lives.  How do these smaller choices both reflect and determine where we stand with Jesus?

What is the cost or sacrifice that comes with following Jesus?

What is the reward or benefit?

A cross is an instrument of death.  How is taking up a cross an apt metaphor for the choice we face?

What is the cross you are called to take up right now in order to follow Jesus?

Matthew 10:40-42 You are representatives of Jesus

What is this passage saying?

This passage implies that we are representatives of Jesus.  What responsibilities come with being a representative of Jesus?

This passage implies that our fellow Christians, even the lowest, are representatives of Jesus.  What does that fact call us to do?

In verse 42,  Jesus talks about giving a cup of cold water to “these little ones.”  Scholars debate whether the “little ones” refers to the apostles/disciples or to the uneducated and needy members of the community.  But it can also be taken more literally.  Who are the “little ones” in this world who need a cup of water?  How can we, directly or through organizations or governments, help people who need access to safe, clean drinking water?

Benedict T. Viviano comments, “It has been observed that if God will reward one who gives a cup of cold water to a disciple, how much more will he reward one who installs an entire city water system” (Viviano, “The Gospel According to Matthew,” The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, para. 72, p. 652).  Many nonprofit organizations, often operating from a religious orientation, help people in less developed countries build wells or implement water purification programs, so that children and other community members will have safe drinking water.  Some people living along the southern border of the United States try to serve Jesus in the “least among us” by providing water to migrants who might die of thirst or heatstroke as they search for a safe place to call home.  There are many ways to give a cup of cold water to “little ones” in need.

If you were to be evaluated (like in school or on a job performance evaluation) on how you are doing as a representative of Jesus, where would you receive high marks and where would it be said that you could make improvements?

How might you respond to this passage in terms of how you relate to other people?

Take a step back and consider this:

William Barclay wrote, “The Christian may have to sacrifice his personal ambitions, the ease and the comfort that he might have enjoyed, the career that he might have achieved; he may have to lay aside his dreams, to realize that shining things of which he caught a glimpse are not for him.  He will certainly have to sacrifice his will, for no Christian can ever again do what he likes; he must do what Christ likes.  In Christianity there is always some cross, for Christianity is the religion of the Cross” (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1, p. 408).

There are many ways that following Christ may require a sacrifice of the will.

It generally doesn’t mean, “I want to be an entrepreneur/lawyer/realtor/artist (etc.) but God wants me to be a missionary in a far-off land.”  More commonly it means, “I want to be an entrepreneur/lawyer/realtor/artist (etc.) but because I follow Christ there are certain things I will not do, even if the world tells me it is necessary for success.”  In our work, we stay true to God, speak honestly and openly about our faith when the opportunity arises, and trust God, without fear, that if following Christ closes some doors, God has other doors for us.

Sacrificing our will generally doesn’t mean we live in absolute penury with only the clothes on our back.  It means we choose to live simply so that we have resources left to put at God’s disposal.  We put Christ in charge of our budget, recognizing that all we have comes from God and that sacrificing our own luxury may help meet others’ basic necessities.

In other words, when our desires and Christ’s will do not line up, we let go of our will so that Christ’s will can have its way.

In exchange, we are given the opportunity to participate, from the platform we have as an entrepreneur/lawyer/realtor/artist (etc.), in the greatest mission we could imagine.  And when we have made that fundamental decision and have lived it for a while and allowed it to seep deeply into the fabric of our life, the ambitions and luxuries that run counter to the mission of Christ sometimes seem less attractive.

That doesn’t mean we won’t face new temptations as situations arise.  But they will less commonly be decisions about the major direction of our lives.  They will more commonly be: “Can I set aside the thing I am working on right now, because the person in front of me needs me to do something for them.”  Those smaller sacrifices of the will are always before us and will continue until we meet the Lord face to face in the life to come.

Do you agree with Barclay that Christianity requires a sacrifice of the will to do what Christ desires? Explain.

What are the kinds of sacrifices that God is asking you to make right now for the sake of his kingdom?  What do you need to do (or keep doing) right now to stay true to the decision you have made to be a follower of Christ?