4th March 2023

4th March 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read (Matthew 10v16-33)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


It would have been extraordinary to have lived in the days of the Apostles. Imagine seeing and hearing these men in person, they were real life eyewitnesses of Christ and His works. Yet before we get all misty eyed, we must remember that the Apostles faced constant persecution. They were not always greeted as they should have been.


The Lord warned the twelve that they were like sheep in the midst of wolves (v16). The language is clear, the Apostles were like a tasty meal for their ravenous enemies. Therefore they were to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves (v16b). This seems like a strange thing for the Lord to say, when we think of serpents we think of Satan. But Christ isn't calling His followers to be deceitful in order to survive in the world. Rather the Apostles were to be as shrewd as serpents whilst seeking to harm no one by their work.


The Apostles could expect to be handed over to the Jewish authorities and be flogged in the synagogues as a result (v17). Furthermore they would be dragged before the governing authorities for Christ's sake and it would be there that the Apostles would be able to share the Gospel before Gentiles like the Romans (v18). In such moments the Lord promised His help. The Apostles were not to be anxious about what they would say to their opponents. Instead the Spirit would be at work and He would give to the Disciples the very words that they were to say (v19-20).


The persecution would even arise within the family home. Here (v21) Matthew draws from Micah 7v6 which says "for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house." Can you imagine such family division? What causes it? Jesus is clear. His Apostles will be hated even by their own relatives for the sake of the name of Jesus (v22). We should never underestimate how offensive Christ is to even those we love. 


However the Apostles were not to be "punchbags" and offer themselves constantly to abuse and rejection. Instead if they met with severe persecution in one town they were to move quickly to the next (v23). Why did the Apostles need to move quickly? Jesus said "truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes." (v23). This is an incredibly difficult verse to interpret and a wide range of explanations are available. My view is that we need to understand this verse in its wider context. Jesus sends His Apostles on a preaching mission to the Jews and then tells them that they won't have completed that mission before "the Son of Man comes"


Jesus is the Son of Man and usually when we think of His coming our minds turn to the end of human history. But in this instance the coming of the Son of Man refers to His crucifixion and resurrection. The Apostles would not have completed their mission to the Jews before the triumphant raising of Christ. Nevertheless, the Apostles were to get on with their work for the time was short.


The hostility to the Apostles should not have been a surprise. The Lord reminded the twelve that the servant is not above his master (v24) but the servant should be like his master (v25). Therefore if the crowd said Jesus was in league with Satan then they would do much worse to Christ's followers (v25b). Satan is here called "Beelzebul" and this name probably comes from 2 Kings 1v2-3 where "Baal-zebub" was a false god.


Brothers and sisters, we are not Apostles but we can certainly expect ongoing persecution in this world. What are we to do? Jesus says that we are to have no fear of those who oppose us. The Gospel will be revealed in the end and therefore we should be diligent in proclaiming it now (v26). What Christ has told us must be proclaimed from the rooftops (v27). This will certainly bring trouble to our door but we are not to fear those who can kill the body (v28). Instead we should fear God who can destroy both body and soul in hell (v28).


My friends we are so valuable to God that even the hairs of our head are all numbered (v30). The Lord knows when a single sparrow falls to the ground (v29) and we are worth far more than even many sparrows (v31). Therefore despite the clear warning of ongoing hostility to the message of the Gospel we are to seek to acknowledge God before all humanity (v32) knowing that He will not deny those who have not denied Him (v33). The race before us is long and surely it is hard "but the one who endures to the end will be saved." (v22).


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q92 What is a Sacrament? A Sacrament is a holy ordinance instituted by Christ; wherein, by sensible signs, Christ and the benefits of the new covenant are represented, sealed, and applied to believers.
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