Trinity
Lutheran Church

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The Gospel: Matthew 10:24-39

“A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household! “So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. “Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

The Sermon

When we talk about the bible, we often use the term “Good News” and that is probably what we expect in the first place: that we hear something comforting, something that lifts us up and makes us feel better. A message that gives us a sense of peace without being too demanding. But that is not what Jesus gives us here.

This gospel is not a feel-good story. In this passage, no one gets fed or healed; there is no miracle that immediately fixes a problem and no crowd celebrating what Jesus has done. Instead, Jesus speaks to his disciples about the reality of following him. And that reality is demanding.

Our response to this gospel very much depends on what we hear. If we only hear the warnings and the dire consequences of following Jesus, we might wonder why we should choose this path. But if we listen carefully, we also discover that Jesus is not trying to frighten his followers. He is preparing them. He is telling them the truth about what it means to belong to him.

There is a clear “Jesus First” message in this passage, and it is quite uncompromising. Jesus says that a disciple is not above the teacher, meaning that if the world rejected Jesus, his followers may experience the same. Following Jesus does not come with a promise that everyone will agree with us or believes the same.

And then Jesus goes even further. He says that loyalty to him must come before everything else, even our closest relationships. He speaks about family, saying that those who love father or mother, son or daughter more than him are not worthy of him. These are strong words. They are uncomfortable because most people value family above everything else. But Jesus is not saying that we should stop loving our families. He is saying that even the best things in life cannot take the place of God. Even parents and children have to come second.

This means that our relationship with Jesus cannot be treated as something optional or convenient. We cannot expect Jesus to be our Savior when it benefits us but ignore him when following him becomes inconvenient. A relationship with Christ involves commitment.

Jesus warns that following him faithfully can bring division. That is not an easy message to hear. We often assume that doing what is right will naturally bring people together. Sometimes it does. But sometimes it creates tension because the values of Jesus do not always match the values of the world.

He mixed and mingled with tax collectors, Samaritans, women, lepers, and others on the margins. This didn’t make sense to those who were well established. Why bother, they may have wondered. Yet, Jesus’ focus was on people who didn’t have a lobby, on those who were marginalized.

There were other things he said and did that didn’t make sense to the world and that are still difficult to digest today. Jesus talked about turning the other cheek and loving our enemies. These are not things that are baked into human nature – quite the contrary. He promoted service to others as a priority, not looking out for oneself first – again, not an easy thing to practice.

So, we might get an idea that when Jesus calls us to follow him, he is not inviting us into a life that is just smooth sailing. He is inviting us into a life where we are not always aligned with the values of the rest of the world.

But he is also inviting us into a life where even difficult things have meaning because we are walking with him. And this is where the good news appears. – The good news of this passage is not that following Jesus will always make life easier or that we will avoid hardship, disappointment, or rejection.

The good news is that Jesus sees us. Jesus tells his disciples not to be afraid because God knows them completely. He uses the image of small birds that seem insignificant, yet God notices them. If God cares for even the smallest creatures, how much more does God care for his children? Jesus says that even the hairs on our heads are counted. This is a picture of a God who does not overlook us, a God who knows us personally and completely.

Our faithful choices may not always be popular. There may be times when doing what is right feels lonely. But Jesus sees and cares.

The sacrifices we make for the sake of Christ are not invisible to him. The moments when we choose compassion over convenience, forgiveness over bitterness, justice over comfort, and faithfulness over popularity are known by God.

This gospel is challenging because Jesus does not hide the truth from his followers. He does not promise an easy road. He does not tell us that everyone will approve of us. He tells us that putting him first may have consequences.

But he also tells us that those consequences are not the end of the story. They are all worth it because Jesus sees us, cares for us, and gives us a life that cannot be taken away.

That is the hope of this difficult gospel. Jesus asks for everything, but he also gives us everything. And the life we receive from him is greater than anything we might lose for his sake.

And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.