6th Sunday
after
Pentecost
Proper
7
Lectionary 12
Matthew 10:
24-39
Exegetical Notes by Brian Stoffregen
Proper 7 // Lectionary 12 A: Exegetical Notes on Matthew 10:24-39
These verses are part of Jesus' second discourse (10:5-42). He has
selected the Twelve (10:1-4) and gives these instructions before
sending them out. Like the first discourse (ch. 5-7), it seems to be a
collection of various sayings.
I've used the 10 separate sayings included in our text as listed in
_The Five Gospels_, but put them in four groupings -- (they have five)
-- and used my own titles for them. One could concentrate on any one
of the sayings or groupings or try and figure out why they were put
together.
THE OUTLINE
1. Disciples & Slaves (10:24-25)
2. Don't Be Afraid (10:26-33)
a. The Hidden Will Be Made Known (10:26)
b. Whispered Words Will Be Shouted (10:27)
c. Whom to Fear (10:28)
d. Sparrows & Hair (10:29-31)
e. Acknowledging or Denying (10:32-33)
3. Peace or Sword (10:34-36)
4. Conditions of Discipleship (10:37-39)
a. Being Worthy of Christ (10:37)
b. Taking Up One's Cross (10:38)
c. Saving One's Life (10:39)
1. DISCIPLES & SLAVES (10:24-25)
The outline that I use connects these verses with 10:16-23 (an
optional part of last week's text) where Jesus tells the disciples
that he is sending them out like sheep into the midst of wolves and
that they will most likely suffer persecution from authorities and
family members.
Just as disciples are sent to proclaim the same words as Jesus
proclaimed and do the same things Jesus has done (10:7-8), so they
should also expect to face the same persecution as Jesus did. The
opposition will call them names and misrepresent them. More about
"Beelzebul" can be found in Mt 12:22-32.
Does the lack of opposition to our faith mean that it is strong or
that it is weak? While I don't think that seeking persecution should
motivate our words and actions, I also wonder if fear of ridicule or
persecution keeps from doing anything? If we aren't suffering in some
way, why not? Is it because we are surrounded by people who are
already in Jesus' "household," or because we are failing to be
witnesses?
2. DON'T BE AFRAID (10:26-33)
Three times in this grouping Jesus tells the disciples not to be
afraid (vv. 26, 28, 31). Why should they be afraid? He has just told
them that they are sheep in the midst of wolves. They will be flogged
and arrested. They will be betrayed by family members. They will be
hated by all -- and Jesus tells them not to be afraid!
Fear is a powerful motivating force. It can control our actions as it
does others in Matthew:
* Herod doesn't execute John because he fears the crowd (14:5)
* Chief priests and elders give no response about John's authority
because they fear the crowds (21:26)
* Chief priests and Pharisees want to arrest Jesus, but they fear the
crowds (21:26)
Fear can control our words and our actions. It should not control the
actions for those who trust God.
There are five different sayings in this group. All are found in Lu
12:2-9; but some are also found in Mk and Thomas.
a. THE HIDDEN WILL BE MADE KNOWN (10:26)
Very similar sayings are found in Mark 4:22 and Luke 12:2. The next
saying is found in Luke 12:3, but not in Mark, leading to the
conclusion that they may have been separate sayings. The form of both
is synonymous parallelism.
What is hidden? Who makes it known?
Looking at the first Greek word _kalypto_ doesn't help much. Its only
other use refers to the waves "covering" the boat (8:24).
The parallel word _kryptos_ is used in 6:4 & 6 to refer to giving
help
to the needy *in secret* and praying *in secret*. God who sees what is
done *in secret* will reward the giver and prayer. Are the hidden
things the good deeds the saints have done which God will reveal at
the Last Day?
The related verb _krypto_ may offer some help.
* It is used of the lighted city that cannot *be hid* (5:14).
* It is used of the things God has *hidden* from the wise and learned
and revealed to little children (11:25)
* It is used of Jesus' parabolic speech (13:35 from Ps 78:2)
* It is used of a treasure and talents being *hidden* (13:44; 25:18, 25)
It would seem that what is hidden is the Gospel -- the treasure given
to us by God. The passive of "to be revealed" and "to be made known"
may indicate that God is the revealer. The same word ("to reveal") is
used in 11:25 of God revealing the hidden things to little children;
and in 16:17 of God revealing to Peter the good confession.
However, the parables of a city on a hill and the proper stewardship
of the talents also indicates that it may be our responsibility to
make known what has been revealed to us. We can't keep the truth of
the gospel hidden or in the dark. It was given to us to share -- not
to hoard -- which leads to the next saying. What does it mean to be
faithful stewards of the Gospel?
b. WHISPERED WORDS WILL BE SHOUTED (10:27)
Assuming a connection with the above saying, the hidden thing is what
Jesus has told us in the dark -- and we are to bring it to light. It
is clearly our responsibility to make known what Jesus has said --
perhaps not literally shouting it from roof tops -- although many
churches have speakers for chimes on their roofs!
Why shouldn't we be afraid to speak in the light and shout from the
rooftops? Because God will make the Word known -- whether or not we
participate in that proclamation. The motivation of an imminent
Parousia and its coming judgment was probably a much stronger force
for Matthew's readers than for us.
c. WHOM TO FEAR (10:28)
If fear is to control our actions, there is one whom we should fear
above all others. The contrast between _psyche_ (soul) and _soma_
(body) suggests two separate parts, which is not found in the Hebrew
understanding of human beings. Luke's parallel does not use _psyche_
(12:4-5).
The origin of the word psyche comes when ancient Greeks noticed that
there was something different about a dead animal and a living animal
(including humans). That difference they called "psyche". Thus it
refers to breath, life-force, personality, the self. It is what makes
you, a living you.
Christopher Reeves, having been paralyzed from the neck down, said
that after the injury he became very much aware that who he is, is
more than his body. Similar illustration might be given with other
handicapping conditions, e.g., cerebral palsy or stroke, where the
body may not function as well as it should; but the essence of the
person is more than the physical appearance or abilities. This image
may be expanded to talk about relationships -- the difference between
lusting after the physical appearance or loving the person.
The same two words are used in Mt 6:25 where Jesus says that the
*life* is more than food and the *body* more than clothing. _Psyche_
is used later in this chapter when Jesus says: "Those who find their
*life* will lose it, and those who lose their *life* for my sake will
find it" (10:39). _psyche_ implies more than just physical existence,
but a quality of life. There is more to life than just bodily
existence. There is more to a person than his/her physical appearance.
_Gehenna_ ("hell") is derived from the Hebrew _ge-hinnom_ = "Valley of
Hinnom". There some of the kings of Judah engaged in forbidden
religious practices, including human sacrifice by fire (2 Chron. 28:3;
33:6; Jer. 7:31; 32:35). Jeremiah spoke of its judgment and
destruction (Jer. 7:32; 19:6). King Josiah put an end to these
practices by destroying and defiling the high place of the valley of
Hinnom (2 Kings 23:10). It became a garbage dump for the city of
Jerusalem. Quite literally, it could have been a place where fires
never went out. Probably because of these associations with fiery
destruction and judgment, the word _Gehenna_ came to be used
metaphorically during the intertestamental period as a designation for
judgment and punishment. It is distinguished from _Hades_, the other
Greek word sometimes translated "hell" and the Hebrew _Sheol_ which
were places where the dead went, but not seen as places of punishment.
In contrast to v. 28, where God can destroy "body and soul" in
_gehenna_, 5:29-30 talks about the "whole body" (no "soul") being
thrown into _gehenna_. The word _apollymi_ also connects these verses.
God *destroys* body and soul in 10:28; whereas the individual
*destroys* or *loses* the sinful parts in 5:29-30.
_apollymi_ is also used for the "*lost* sheep" to whom the disciples
(and Jesus) are sent (10:6; 15:24) and in 10:39: "Those who find their
life *will lose* it, and those who *lose* their life for my sake will
find it."
The message that I get from these is that we are responsible for
*destroying* our life = daily dying through repentance, so that we
might find life now and not face the Great Destruction (and _gehenna_)
at the end. This is similar to the old Fram commercials, "You can pay
me now, or pay me later." The payment later will be much greater than
the one now. We can face God's judgment now through repentance and
receive forgiveness through Jesus; or face God's judgment later.
We are also responsible to make sure that others who may be "lost" may
hear the Good News and thus avoid the Great Destruction at the end.
This word is also used in 18:14: "So it is not the will of your Father
in heaven that one of these little ones *should be lost*." It is clear
that it is not God's will that any one should be destroyed in
_gehenna_, which leads us to the next saying.
d. SPARROWS & HAIR (10:29-31)
The one we should fear is also one who cares for cheap birds (and
birds that go cheep <g>) and every hair on our heads. However,
God's
care doesn't keep birds (or hair) from falling and perhaps dying.
God's care for disciples doesn't keep them from persecution or even
death -- but God knows what we are going through.
We should not be afraid because we are more important to God than
sparrows. While it is a simple statement, it may be difficult to
believe in the midst of persecution when God's help doesn't seem to be
present. I have found many people who need to hear over and over again
how important they are to God, and thus, also to us.
e. ACKNOWLEDGING OR DENYING (10:32-33)
Earlier the disciples were told to proclaim the good news that the
kingdom of heaven has come near (10:7). Here they are to express
openly (_homologeomai_) *Jesus Christ* before other people.
It seems to me that there is an area between "expressing openly" and
"denying" -- where most people are located -- they neither express
openly nor deny. They believe in Christ, but don't share that faith.
What we do on earth affects what Jesus does for us in heaven. While it
may not be the best motivation for witnessing, the fear of being
denied by Jesus before his Father in heaven, is part of what Jesus
declares. The only other times this word is used in Matthew (26:70 &
72) it is Peter who denies Jesus. However, acknowledging Jesus before
others just so that we can get Jesus to acknowledge us before his
Father in heaven isn't the most altruistic motivating force either.
3. PEACE OR SWORD (10:34-36)
"Peace" (_eirene_) is not a big word in Matthew. It occurs twice here
and twice in 10:13 where the missionaries are to grant peace on the
worthy house and take it back from the unworthy house. A form of the
word is used in 5:9 where "peace-makers" are called blessed.
Matthew presents a contrast about "swords" in 26:47, 51, 52, 55. A
crowd comes with swords and clubs to arrest Jesus. One of Jesus'
followers draws a sword and cuts off the ear of the high priest's
slave. Jesus tells him, "Put your *sword* back into its place; for all
who take the *sword* will perish by the *sword*."
This leads me to believe that it must be a different type of "sword"
Jesus takes up in 10:34. It is not a weapon used to conquer or destroy
others. Instead, Jesus dies for those with their swords of steal. I
would suggest that the dividing sword of Jesus is a cross of wood. For
an illustration, one might take a cross-shaped piece of wood and wave
it around like a sword and then stand it up like a cross.
The family divisions were probably real situations faced by Matthew's
church. He makes being ostracized by one's family a fulfillment of
scriptures as he loosely quotes Micah 7:6 and as a result of being
faithful to Jesus. As I stated in my notes on the parallel passage in
Luke (12:51-53), this also happens in the 20th century. A woman in a
church I served a few years ago, hadn't spoken with her mother in 18
years -- ever since "this good Catholic girl" married a Lutheran and
joined the Lutheran church. I know of former LCMS clergy/seminarians
who ended up on the "outs" with their families when they went with the
seminex walk-out.
4. CONDITIONS OF DISCIPLESHIP (10:37-39)
These are not verses that are usually used to try and attract people
to Christianity. When should costly following be taught to believers?
a. BEING WORTHY OF CHRIST (10:37)
The comment about families in vv. 35-36 probably led to this saying,
found in a different context in Luke (14:26). It is actually a
positive statement about families. Jesus claims priority over the most
important things in our lives -- including our parents and our
children. If following Jesus meant we had to give up eating slugs or
worms, discipleship would be very easy. I'm not sure that testimonies
that declare, "I gave up the worst things -- the most sinful things --
in my life, e.g., drugs, alcohol, sex, stealing, etc. to follow Jesus"
mean much. Paul's personal testimony stresses the giving up of the
very best things -- the most religious things -- in his life in order
to follow Jesus (Phil. 3:2-11). Can we ask our worshipers about the
good things in their life they have given up -- or, perhaps better,
made less important in their lives -- to follow Christ?
Some family systems theory thinking may be appropriate to this
section. One's identity can be so wrapped up in pleasing (or
displeasing) the family that the person has no real self-identity --
or real faith. It could be that Jesus doesn't want people just going
along with the crowd or one's parents to follow him, but committed
individuals who are aware of the costs of following.
Later Jesus illustrates what this means when he redefines his family:
"And pointing to his disciples, he said, 'Here are my mother and my
brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my
brother and sister and mother'" (12:49-50). Doing the will of God is
more important than the most important things we have on earth. It has
to become more important than doing the will of parents or doing the
will of children. (Although doing God's will certain will mean
honoring honorable parents and caring for children.)
Jesus also gives this promise: "And everyone who has left houses or
brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my
name's sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal
life" (19:29).
b. TAKING UP ONE'S CROSS (10:38)
This contains the first reference to "cross" in Matthew and it refers
to believers' crosses rather than Jesus'. For Matthew's readers they
not only looked back to the cross of Jesus, but also to the martyrdom
of Christians that had already taken place. We need to encourage the
looking back at the lives of the faithful as inspiration and
encouragement for us to live faithful lives today.
"Worthy" (_axios_) is a word that occurs often in Mt 10 (vv. 10, 11,
13, 37, 38), but perhaps its use in 22:8 relates most closely to our
text: "Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but those
invited were not *worthy*.'" They were not worthy because other
activities were more important than responding to the king's
invitation.
Carter (_Matthew and the Margins_) after noting that crucifixion was
not used on Roman citizens, but "for sociopolitical marginals such as
'rebellious' foreigners" (p. 243). Thus, "The cross was a means of
dividing citizen from non-citizen, the socially acceptable from the
rejected" (p 243). Then he concludes:
...Jesus' words are a call to choose a way of life of marginalization,
to identify with the nobodies like slaves, and with those some
understood to be cursed by God. It is to identify with those who resist
the empire's control, who contest its version of reality, and who are
vulnerable to its reprisals. It is to identify with a sign of the
empire's violent and humiliating attempt to dispose of those who
threatened or challenged its interests. To so identify is not to
endorse the symbol but to reframe its violence. As the end of the
gospel indicates, it is to identify with a sign that ironically
indicates the empire's limits. The empire will do its worst in
crucifying Jesus. But God raises Jesus from death, thwarting the
empire's efforts. And Jesus will return to establish God's empire over
all including Rome (24:27-31). To not respond positively to such a call
is to not be a disciple (*not worthy of me*; see 10:37). [p. 244]
c. SAVING ONE'S LIFE (10:39)
I've already made comments about "life" (_psyche_) and "lose"
(_apollymi_) earlier. In an age of consumerism -- where people want to
find and gather in order to find their lives, this verse is quite
appropriate. In the book _Reaching Out without Dumbing Down_, Marva
Dawn makes this statement: "the boomers' search for a church to meet
their needs instead of commitment to the Church through which to
serve" [144]. We are a generation that consumes rather than
contributes -- takes rather than gives.
Connected to our theology, _apollymi_ can mean "to kill" or "die". The
way to "find life" is to "die to one's self," but this is not
self-deprecation, but dying for the sake of Jesus. It means
confessing, "I can't do it." I've commented in other notes that this
confession is at the heart of repentance, rather than "I can do
better." "I can't do it myself," is a statement of dying to one's
self, dying to one's powers and abilities. It opens one up to accept
the promise that God can do it and has done it for us.
This could also mean that like with parents and children earlier,
Jesus and the doing of God's will needs to have a higher priority than
"self" (_psyche_). My own pleasures and comforts cannot be the top
priority in my life.
Mark Allan Powell (_Loving Jesus_) has a chapter called "Sunday
Morning." He relates this story:
I remember talking to [a] Christian rock fan down in Austin, Texas. He
was a Jesus freak, just like I used to be and still want to be, and I
envied him. He was just living in the joy of the Lord, reading his
Bible every day and praying to Jesus and speaking in tongues and
playing Christian rock on his stereo. When I asked him about church, he
didn't write it off, but he did say that he hadn't been able to find a
congregation where he felt like he fit in. "the church where I'm a
member," he said, 'it's like something out of an old black-and-white TV
show. You know, _Ozzie and Harriet_ or _Leave It To Beaver_. Everybody
dresses up in suits, and they play this music that doesn't sound like
anything on the radio and the preacher talks about things that have
_nothing_ to do with my life, and, I don't know, it's just … _boring_!
So, he said, he didn't go. I asked him about finding a different
church, but he didn't know about denominations and didn't really want
to get into all the different doctrines and stuff, so he just didn't go
anywhere. "Maybe when I'm older, I'll get more out of it," he said. "Or
maybe the church will, you know, lighten up or something."
Well, this time, I did give advice. I don't know if it was _good_
advice or not, but I thought about it overnight and then got back to
him:
"Do you love Jesus?" I asked.
"Yes, I do. I love him with all my heart."
"Would you die for him?"
"Yes, I would."
"You would die for him, but you won't be bored for him?"
And so I said, this is what I think the Lord wants you to do: I think
that Jesus wants you to get out of bed every Sunday morning and go to
the _Ozzie and Harriet_ church and just sit there for one hour, being
bored. Do it for him. Call it "bearing your cross" if you like. Just do
it. [pp. 129-130]
Part of the reason Powell said this was because as a young pastor he
visited a number of "inactive members" of a church he served. He sums
up these visits: "…everyone was saying in some way, shape, or form, 'I
quit coming to church because I wasn't getting out of it what I
thought I should get out of it'" [p. 130].
A little later he asks, "Where do we get the idea that what happens in
church is about us? It is the Lord's day. We go to worship the Lord"
[p. 131].
Can something as simple as being bored in church be a way we take up
the cross and follow him?
CONCLUDING STORY AND COMMENT
A Jewish Story called "Bad Business" from A Treasury of Jewish
_Folklore: Stories, Traditions, Legends, Humor, Wisdom and Folk Songs
of the Jewish People_, Edited by Nathan Ausubel, Copyright, 1948,
Crown Publishers, Inc., New York
The Evil Spirit once came dejected before God and wailed, "Almighty God
-- I want you to know that I am bored -- bored to tears! I go around
doing nothing all day long. There isn't a stitch of work for me to do!"
"I can't understand you," replied God. There's plenty of work to be
done only you've got to have more initiative. Why don't you try to lead
people into sin? That's your job!"
"Lead people into sin!" muttered the Evil Spirit contemptuously. "Why
Lord, even before I can get a chance to say a blessed word to anyone he
has already gone and sinned!"
In a similar way, we don't need Jesus to cast a sword on earth -- we
do that pretty well without his help. We don't need Jesus to turn
family members against other family members -- we do that pretty well
without his help. We need Jesus to show us how *not* to draw our
"swords" of anger and revenge, of death and destruction. We need Jesus
to show us how to take up our crosses in love and forgiveness for our
enemies -- even when they are our family members -- and even when they
may be our own selves.
Not only do we need to hear about Jesus' help, but we need to shout
the message to a world estranged from itself and from its God.
Brian Stoffregen
Faith Lutheran Church, 2215 S 8th Ave., Yuma, AZ 85364
e-mail: brian.stoffregen@gmail.com
from http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pericopeonline/