Jesus first

³⁴ “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; ³⁶ and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ ³⁷ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁸ And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁹ He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.¹

What Jesus comes before your Family. Yes Jesus is before your ma and pa.

37. It is affection that binds households together; thus Jesus moves on to consider the place of love. He assumes that there will be love between parents and children, but claims for himself a higher place in his disciples’ affection than that which they accord to their nearest and dearest on earth, and that in a society that held it a dreadful thing to put anyone higher than one’s parents. Loves⁸⁸ is a significant word; it points to the warmest affection. Jesus does not bid his followers love their parents or their children (nor, on the other hand, does he forbid warm affection in the family). He simply assumes that family members will love one another. But he is concerned that they must not value their attachment to the members of their families so highly that he is pushed into the background. This has important implications for an understanding of the person of Jesus. No mere man has the right to claim a love higher than that for parents or children; it is only because he is who he is that Jesus can look for such love. The words imply that he is more than a merely human teacher and leader. Of the one who lacks this love for him he says that he is not worthy of me (GNB, “is not fit to be my disciple”). We must not forget that Jesus knew what it was to experience misunderstanding in the family, for his own thought him mad (Mark 3:21). Jesus is not asking from his followers something he did not know for himself.

38. The demand for loyalty is further brought out by relating it to taking up a cross (cf. 16:24). For us this is a remote metaphor, but Jesus’ hearers were people who had seen men take up their cross (anyone condemned to be crucified was required to carry the cross beam to the place of execution). They knew that when this happened and the man went off with a little knot of Roman soldiers, he was on a one-way journey. He would not be back. Thus, for them, taking up the cross stood for the utmost in renunciation of the claims of self. The person who took up a cross had died to a whole way of life; Jesus demands from everyone who follows him nothing less than a death to self. For follow⁹¹ see on 4:20; here it clearly means “follow as a disciple” (after me is a glimpse of the way a follower would literally walk behind his teacher).

39. Now comes the tremendous paradox that brings out the truth that the person who concentrates on getting the best, by that very fact loses it. He who finds is more exactly “he who will have found,” and life (see on v. 28) may be used of the whole of one’s earthly existence or of life considered in terms of eternity. This poses something of a problem: Is Jesus speaking of life here and now or of life in eternity? But perhaps we can put the antithesis too strongly; both may be in mind. “Since the soul is the center of both the earthly and the supernatural life, a man can find himself facing the question in which character he wishes to preserve it for himself” (BAGD, 1.d). To find life in the sense of the things one delights in here and now and without regard to other considerations is to lose it in the deeper sense, both now and in eternity. The verb rendered lose can have the sense “destroy”; it points to the total loss of the only life that is worth living in the empty pursuit of that which has no permanence; it cannot last beyond the fleeting hour. The other side of the coin is that the person who counts life well lost in the service of Christ will find life in the fullest sense. That person will live a fuller life here and now and can face eternity without trepidation. For my sake is important. Jesus is not suggesting that anyone should weigh up the merits and demerits of life here and now and life in the hereafter and decide for the latter on the grounds that he will get more out of it that way. That is still selfish living and means the loss of real life. The life that matters is the life for the sake of Christ, the life that takes the same road of self-denial as Jesus did and that is concerned not with the benefit that one will be able to secure either here or hereafter, but with the service of God and of one’s fellows. It has been suggested that life here means very much what we mean by “self”; to concentrate one’s best energies on oneself is to destroy oneself, whereas to lose oneself in the service of Christ is to find oneself.²

The only way a believer can escape conflict is to deny Christ and compromise his witness, and this would be sin. Then the believer would be at war with God and with himself. We will be misunderstood and persecuted even by those who are the closest to us; yet we must not allow this to affect our witness. It is important that we suffer for Jesus’ sake, and for righteousness’ sake, and not because we ourselves are difficult to live with. There is a difference between the “offense of the cross” (Gal. 5:11) and offensive Christians.

Each believer must make the decision once and for all to love Christ supremely and take up his cross and follow Christ. The love in Matthew 10:37 is the motive for the cross in Matthew 10:38. To “carry the cross” does not mean to wear a pin on our lapel or put a sticker on our automobile. It means to confess Christ and obey Him in spite of shame and suffering. It means to die to self daily. If the Lord went to a cross for us, the least we can do is carry a cross for Him.

Matthew 10:39 presents us with only two alternatives: spare your life or sacrifice your life. There is no middle ground. If we protect our own interests, we will be losers; if we die to self and live for His interests, we will be winners. Since spiritual conflict is inevitable in this world, why not die to self and let Christ win the battle for us and in us? After all, the real war is inside—selfishness versus sacrifice.³

10:37 not worthy of Me: Those who will be glorified with Christ in His kingdom reign are those who have suffered for Him (Rom. 8:17; 2 Tim. 2:12). Those who refuse that kind of discipleship will experience great loss (1 Cor. 3:15; 2 Cor. 5:10: Rev. 3:11, 12).

10:38 Taking up a cross stands for commitment to the extent one is willing to die for a cause. This verse is not saying the only saved people are those who continually are totally committed. If this were true, who would be justified? Rather, when a person who is saved lapses, as Peter did and as a carnal Christian does (1 Cor. 3:1–4), that person certainly is not worthy of Christ and that act brings loss of reward. Of course, the same is always true of a lost individual. Even his finest work is ultimately worthless to him because it is done apart from acknowledgment and dependency on Christ (Rom. 3:12).⁴

1 The New King James Version. (1982). (Mt 10:34–39). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

2 Morris, L. (1992). The Gospel according to Matthew (pp. 267–269). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press.

3 Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 39–40). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

4 Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (Mt 10:37–38). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.

warni ng and promise

Matthew 10:27–33 (NKJV)

²⁷ “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 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. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. ³⁰ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

³² “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. ³³ But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

28. Again we have an injunction not to be afraid; openness and fearlessness run through this passage. This time the disciples are told not to fear people who can kill⁶¹ the body but can do no more. Body may be used of the bodies of people or of animals, alive or dead; in this place it stands for the whole of mortal life, which is put in contrast to the soul, that which is more than mortal. The persecutors will be able effectively to bring an end to bodily life, but they lack the power⁶³ to kill the soul. People with this significant limitation are not to be feared. But it is a different matter when attention is turned to God (curiously Bruce thinks “the tempter” is in mind, but the tempter’s power avails only to the extent that God permits; McNeile points out that in the parallel passage [Luke 12:5], Jesus speaks of “authority” to cast into hell, an authority that only God has). The Bible never says that believers are to be afraid of Satan. If we are going to be afraid, let it not be of the minor danger that is all that evil people or even Satan himself can bring us, but of the major danger involved in God’s holy wrath against evil. Where they are not able he is able; his power far surpasses that of anyone or anything else in all creation. And Jesus illustrates that power by saying that God can destroy both soul and body in hell (cf. Isa. 10:18). It is perhaps surprising that he should speak of the destruction of the body in hell (for hell see on 5:22): the body dies here on earth. But the expression refers to the whole person, and the whole person is body and soul; Jesus is not so much speaking of the particular area in which the body suffers dissolution as of the power of God, a power not limited to this earth (as the power of the persecutors is), but extending to the world to come. The reference to hell shows that we are not to understand destroy of annihilation. Jesus is speaking of the destruction of all that makes for a rich and meaningful life, not of the cessation of life’s existence.

29. The power of God is to be discerned not only in the way he disposes of soul and body and works out his purposes in hell as elsewhere. We see it in his care for even the most insignificant of his works of creation. Jesus draws attention to the sparrows that were sold in the marketplace for food.⁶⁷ They were very small birds and could command only a very small price: two a penny! Clearly they ranked low in the scheme of things and must be regarded as of little importance. But God takes notice of every individual little sparrow. Not one of them falls to earth (Chrysostom has “fall into a snare,” but this has no support in the MSS) without⁷⁰ the involvement of your Father. It is not certain precisely what these last words mean, as is evident from the translations. NIV has “apart from the will of your Father” (so RSV); NEB, “without your Father’s leave” (GNB, “consent”); JB, “without your Father knowing.” Any of these might be the right way of understanding the passage. But whatever our understanding of the point in detail, it is plain that Jesus is affirming that the little sparrows matter to God. People regard them as of trifling worth, but they are part of God’s creation and have real value for him. God is not so busy running the universe that he has no time for little birds. Perhaps we should notice that the prophet Amos can ask, “Will a bird fall on the ground without a fowler?” (Amos 3:5, LXX). But the loving care of the heavenly Father forms a strong contrast to the fowler’s aim simply to destroy.

30. If God is interested in the smallest of his created beings, he is also interested in the smallest details of the people he has made in his own image. Your comes first in the sentence and puts some emphasis on people in contrast to birds, a contrast that is strengthened with But. It scarcely seems to matter how many hairs we have on our heads (and we certainly do not have that information ourselves; Bengel points out that we take no notice of hairs “pulled out by the comb”). The word order is “of you … even the hairs the head, all (of them),” which draws attention to “all” and thus emphasizes that the Father has complete knowledge of the most insignificant information about each one of his children. The verb counted is in the perfect tense, which may signify that the number stays on record; it points to God’s continuing interest.

31. Therefore introduces the consequence of these evidences of God’s care. Since God cares for the humblest members of his creation and since he has knowledge of the most unimportant piece of information about his people, those people need not fear. In this Gospel Jesus often tells people not to be afraid; fear is no part of being a disciple. On this occasion he gives the reason that they matter very much to the heavenly Father; their worth⁷⁴ is much more than that of many sparrows (JB has “hundreds of sparrows”). Since the Father cares for the sparrows, much more will he care for them.¹

Jesus’ basic argument for freedom from fear is the goodness and providence of God. Two sparrows are sold for a copper coin, an assarion, worth about one cent in our money, yet the heavenly Father takes note of them to the extent of providential care. In answer to the question of His taking care of us, Jesus says that even the hairs of our heads are numbered. Providence is God’s interest and care over the smaller details of our lives. It is in direct contrast to the deistic view which holds that God created the world and set it on its course and we should not think that He pays attention to each of us individually! Jesus said that He does care for each, that we, being so much more valuable than sparrows, should rest in this faith, free from fear.²

We fear God alone (v. 28). All that men can do is kill the body; and, if they do, the believer’s soul goes home to be with the Lord. But God is able to destroy both body and soul in hell! Of course, God will never condemn one of His own children (John 5:24; Rom. 8:1). Martin Luther caught this truth when he wrote:

Let goods and kindred go,

This mortal life also;

The body they may kill:

God’s truth abideth still;

His kingdom is forever.

The person who fears God alone need never fear any man or group of men. The fear of God is the fear that cancels fear.

God cares for His own (vv. 29–31). It did not cost much to purchase sparrows in the market. If we compare these verses with Luke 12:6, we discover that sparrows were so cheap that the dealer threw in an extra one! Yet the Father knows when a sparrow falls to the ground; and the Father is there. If God cares for sparrows in such a marvelous way, will He not also care for His own who are serving Him? He certainly will! To God, we are of greater value than many sparrows.

God is concerned about all of the details of our lives. Even the hairs of our head are numbered—not “counted” in a total, but numbered individually! God sees the sparrow fall to the ground, and God sees when a hair falls from the head of one of His children. When He protects His own, He protects them down to the individual hairs (Luke 21:18). There is no need for us to fear when God is exercising such wonderful care over us.

Christ honors those who confess Him (vv. 32–33). To confess Him means much more than to make a statement with the lips. It also means to back up that statement with the life. It is one thing to say, “Jesus Christ is Lord,” and quite another thing to surrender to Him and obey His will. The walk and the talk must go together.

In heaven, Jesus has two special ministries. As our High Priest, He gives us grace to keep us from sinning. As our Advocate, He forgives and restores us when we do sin (1 John 2:1–2). The merits of His heavenly intercessory work do not depend on our faithfulness, for He is faithful even if we are not (2 Tim. 2:12–13). But the benefits of His heavenly ministry are for those who are faithful to Him. When Christ confesses us before the Father, He is securing for us the benefits of His sacrificial work on the cross. When He denies us before the Father, He is unable to share these graces with us. The fault is ours, not His.

But something else is involved. One day we shall stand before His judgment seat where the rewards will be distributed (2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:10). If we have denied Him, we will lose rewards and the joy of hearing His “Well done.” To be sure, anyone who denies Him on earth may be forgiven. Peter denied the Lord three times, was forgiven, and was restored.³

10:29 apart from your Father. Not merely “without His knowledge”; Jesus was teaching that God providentially controls the timing and circumstances of such insignificant events as the death of a sparrow. Even the number of hairs on our heads is controlled by His sovereign will (v. 30). In other words, divine providence governs even the smallest details and even the most mundane matters. These are very powerful affirmations of the sovereignty of God.⁴

1 Morris, L. (1992). The Gospel according to Matthew (pp. 262–264). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press.

2 Augsburger, M. S., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982). Matthew (Vol. 24, p. 18). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.

3 Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 38–39). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

4 MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Mt 10:29). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

endruje

Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up again parents and cause them to be put to death. ²² And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. ²³ When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.¹

I think the evil one does not want me to work this passage out so I am going to. We got a couple issues to work on. First the families who hate us for the truth we stand for. They say they are not mad at us but when we take a stand, I get it. I got people that do not want me to push the bible on gay marriage, They think the bible does not stand when it does. We have to be open minded on things and liberal. They do not want us to preach to them as we are told but they tell us the bible is a man made book. No the bible is a book wrote to us by God. It is also good because it is truth and Jesus word hold true in life. It proves the bible really.

IF YOU ENDURE TO THE END. I am a firm thinker that if you place your trusr in Jesus to save you that Jesus is the one who holds you not the other way around.

Endurance of persecution is the hallmark of genuine salvation: It is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. Endurance does not produce or protect salvation, which is totally the work of God’s grace. But endurance is evidence of salvation, proof that a person is truly redeemed and a child of God. God gives eternal life “to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality,” Paul says (Rom. 2:7). The writer of Hebrews expresses the same truth in these words: “For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end” (3:14). We do not earn our salvation by endurance, but prove it. Continuance is a verification of being a real Christian. Theologians call this the perseverance of the saints. The following Scriptures also emphasize perseverance: Matthew 24:13; John 8:31; 1 Corinthians 15:1-2; Colossians 1:21-23; Hebrews 2:1-3; 4:14; 6:11-12; 10:39; 12:14; 2 Peter 1:10.

Persecution quickly burns away chaff in the church. Those who have made only a superficial profession of Christ have no new nature to motivate them to suffer for Christ and no divine power to enable them to endure it if they wanted to. Nothing is more spiritually purifying and strengthening than persecution (cf. James 1:12).

10:17–22. Take no thought means “Do not be anxious.” (See Mark 13:9–13; Luke 12:11, 12; 21:12–19.) It shall be given you promises that the inner prompting of the Holy Spirit would tell them what to say in each situation they would face. For my name’s sake: They would endure great persecution because of their identification with Jesus Christ. But he that endureth to the end shall be saved is a promise of perseverance, not a teaching that salvation may be lost. Rather, it indicates that those who are truly saved will indeed endure to the end²

10:21–22 Jesus detailed some aspects of the coming persecution. The Jews considered family denunciations and betrayals a sign of the end times. These words may allude to Micah 7:6. This passage speaks of internal corruption in Israel; Jesus said this was a sign of the last days. Not only will faith in Jesus tear families apart, but believers will also find that everyone will hate them. As Jesus’ disciples share his authority, they will also share his sufferings. Those who endure to the end (meaning wholly, completely) will enter into Christ’s Kingdom. Standing firm to the end is not a way to be saved but the evidence that a person is really committed to Jesus. Persistence is not a means to earn salvation; it is the by-product of a truly devoted life.³

1 The New King James Version. (1982). (Mt 10:21–23). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

2 King James Version study Bible . (1997). (electronic ed., Mt 10:17). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

3 Barton, B., Comfort, P., Osborne, G., Taylor, L. K., & Veerman, D. (2001). Life Application New Testament Commentary (p. 51). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale.