While the truths in this section would apply to God’s servants during any period of Bible history, they seem to have a special significance for the church today. The emphasis is, “Fear not!” (Matt. 10:26, 28, 31). The particular fear Christ discussed is explained in Matthew 10:32–33: the fear of confessing Christ openly before men. God has no “secret service.” The public confession of faith in Christ is one evidence of true salvation (Rom. 10:9–10). Several reasons show why we must not be afraid to openly confess Christ. Let’s examine these reasons that are found in Matthew 10.
Suffering is to be expected (vv. 24–25). Men persecuted Jesus Christ when He was ministering on earth, so why should we expect anything different? We are His disciples, and the disciple does not “outrank” the Master. They said that Jesus was in league with Satan (Beelzebub: lord of the dung; lord of the house), so they will say the same thing about His followers. However, we should count it a privilege to suffer for Him and with Him (Acts 5:41; Phil. 3:10).
God will bring everything to light (vv. 26–27). The enemies of Christ use secret and deceptive means to oppose the gospel. But true believers are open and courageous in their lives and witness. We have nothing to hide. “In secret have I said nothing,” said Jesus (John 18:20). False witnesses lied about Jesus during His trial, but God saw to it that the truth came out. We have nothing to fear because the Lord will one day reveal the secrets of men’s hearts (Rom. 2:16) and expose them and judge them. Our task is not to please men, but to proclaim God’s message. The present judgment of men does not frighten us, because we are living in the light of the future judgment of God.
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.
We cannot escape conflict (vv. 34–39). Once we have identified with Jesus Christ and confessed Him, we are part of a war. We did not start the war; God declared war on Satan (Gen. 3:15). On the night our Lord was born, the angels declared, “On earth peace” (Luke 2:14). But Jesus seemed to deny this truth. “I came not to send peace, but a sword” (Matt. 10:34). Had Israel accepted Him, He would have given them peace. But the people refused Him, and the result was “a sword.” Instead of there being “peace on earth,” there is “peace in heaven” (Luke 19:38). He has made peace through the blood of His cross (Col. 1:20) so that men can be reconciled to God and to each other.
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’s 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: 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: 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.
We can be a blessing to others (vv. 40–42). Not everyone will reject our witness. There are those who will welcome us and receive a blessing. After all, we are the ambassadors of the King! Our King will see to it that they are rewarded for what they do. When people receive us, they welcome the King, for we are His representatives. Read 2 Samuel 10 for an example of what happens when people mistreat the envoys of the King.
The blessing, however, is not automatic. It all depends on the attitude of the host. If he receives the ambassador as a prophet (a spokesman for God), then he gets one reward; if he receives him only as a righteous man, there is another reward. But even a cup of cold water, given with the right spirit, brings its own reward.
Keep in mind that the theme of this last section is discipleship, not sonship. We become the children of God through faith in Christ; we are disciples as we faithfully follow Him and obey His will. Sonship does not change, but discipleship does change as we walk with Christ. There is a great need today for faithful disciples, believers who will learn from Christ and live for Him.
This brings us to the close of the first major division of Matthew, The Revelation of the King. We have seen His person (Matt. 1—4), His principles (Matt. 5—7), and His power (Matt. 8—10). How will the nation respond to this revelation?