MPC, 31st August 2003.Matthew 10 - "Ultimate Choices"
Phil Campbell MPC, 31st August 2003.
My friend Paul Sheely runs a Youth Group out in Dubbo in the New South Wales western plains. Paul was telling me he'd been talking to one of the high school kids in his group. And this kid says to him on the Sunday night, "Paul, I've decided! I'm going to get serious about being a Christian. I've been mucking around. I'm going to start living like I mean it." The next Wednesday lunch time Paul was up at the high school; he was going to be guest speaker at the school Christian group, the iscf. And as he was heading for the classroom where the lunchtime meeting was, Paul found himself walking right behind the young guy who'd spoken to him Sunday night. The guy doesn't know he's there. And he's walking along the corridor with his mates. Talking. They're getting closer to the room where the ISCF group's meeting. And there's a sign on the door.
And the young guy goes to turn into the room where the ISCF meeting is on. And his mates can't believe it. One of them says to him, "Hey, you're kidding. You're not going in there are you?" And he laughs one of those withering sort of laughs.
As Paul Sheely was telling me the story, he said, there was still plenty of time. The guy could have easily said, "Nah, no way. Just picking up my bag"; would have only taken a small step to be back in stride with his mates. And laugh as well, and keep going. But Paul said as he watched from a step or two behind, this young bloke from his youth group didn't flinch. Because when he's said on the Sunday night he was going to start living as a Christian like he meant it, he'd been serious. And now he was going to count the cost. And so he said to his laughing mates, "Too right I'm going in there." And walked through the door.
Now if you were a Christian as a teenager, you'll know. You'd rather die than look stupid to your peer group. And maybe a lot of us adults have exactly the same problem. And so you'll know... being serious about following Jesus can lead to all sorts of sticky situations. Being serious about following Jesus in spite of all the hype you might hear about it making you healthy and wealthy and wise, can actually make you marginalised and endangered and despised.
So in Indonesia; Amrozi, the Bali Bomber, is spending his time in jail writing songs. Here's a line from one of his latest. It says, "Get rid of the Christian filth. Shout to Allah, Allahu akbar."
And they're not just singing about it; they're committed to doing it. They've just arrested Hambali; who's the guy who organised the synchronised killing of 18 Indonesian Christians in Christmas Eve church bombings three years ago.
Being Christian in the 20th century isn't just an embarrassing business if you're a teenager. It's a life threatening business. And it has been, right from the start.
We're stepping back in time to the very first Christian mission. I guess it's fair to call it that. It's a mission exclusively to Israel. Who you see at the end of chapter 9, Jesus feels compassion for. They're like sheep without a shepherd. They're leaderless, they're rudderless, they're heading for destruction.
And so he hand picks twelve crack disciples, and he gives them authority to do what he's been doing... and he says to them in verse 6 of chapter 10, "Go to the lost sheep of Israel." Don't go to the Gentiles. Don't go to the Samaritans. Gather up the lost sheep.
Tell them the kingdom is near. And do what I've been doing, to show the time has come. Heal their sick. Raise the dead. cleanse the lepers. All the stuff Jesus has been doing in Israel the last couple of chapters, multiply it by twelve. And go through all the towns of Israel.
And so Peter and Andrew and James and John and Philip and Bartholemew and Thomas and Mathew and James and Simon and Judas, they're commissioned as apostles. Sent to gather the lost sheep of Israel.
Can I ask you to think for a minute, what sort of response do you reckon there's going to be? I mean, here's the son of God. The long awaited Messiah. Here's the good shepherd in person. The Israelites have got Bibles full of promises that this Messiah's going to come, that he's going to heal their diseases, that he's going to make their lame walk, that he's going to give sight to the blind. And now he's here. With his 12 disciples. Which I guess is provocative, isn't it? One for every tribe of Israel. And he's sending them out, saying the time has come. Time to repent.
So what do you reckon's going to happen?
Well, Jesus has got a fair idea.
And he spells it out. Don't think you're going to be welcomed by everyone. You'll be welcomed by some. But face the reality. He says, you're going to be persecuted. He says, you might as well know, you're going to be flogged. And it's just a few chapters later Jesus is. He says, because of me you're going to be handed over to the councils and synagogues and governors and kings. And again, it's just a few pages later Jesus is. He says, you'll be betrayed. As he is.
And I guess Peter and James and Andrew and John and the other guys are saying, What have we got ourselves in for?
Read from verse 16. It's a bit like the zoo. Have a look what he's saying. "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." He's saying it's a jungle out there. It might be Israel, they might be meant to be the people of God. But when you go out to the towns of Israel you'll be surrounded by people who want to make a meal of you. So be smart. As well as innocent.
"Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. On my account you'll be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles."
But he says, Don't worry. Verse 19. Because you're not on your own. And the reality is, God is with you. He says "When they arrest you don't worry what to say or how to say it; At that time you'll be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."
It's funny, someone quoted that verse to me once and told me that's why preachers don't have to bother preparing sermons. Just get up and start talking, and the Spirit gives you exactly the right words. Well, I guess in some churches preaching is a bit like being under arrest and on trial. But that's not exactly the point Jesus is making. He's telling his apostles they're going to do what he's been doing. That they're going to be treated the way he's treated. But when it happens, here's the guarantee - they're not alone. God's with them. And he'll give them exactly the right words at exactly the right time - not to get 'em off the hook. But to be faithful witnesses of Jesus.
I suspect we've often got an over sentimental sort of idea about what it means to be disciples of Jesus. And it's partly because a lot of us grew up in a generation where Australia was a so-called Christian country. We were part of the silent majority. Or at least, that's what it seemed like. But that's long gone, isn't it? We're not a Christian country any more. We're a humanist society. And if we're going to be serious about following Jesus, you've got to understand we're not going to have it anything like as easy as it's been in the past. And it's going to take a firm decision. And a firm commitment. And being determined to be Christian is going to be seen as being divisive.
That's the picture Jesus paints in verses 21 to 39. He knows what lies ahead for himself. And He knows what lies ahead for his disciples. It's a terrible picture. Brother betraying brother; Father betraying child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death; all men will hate you because of me. They'll be so keen to get rid of you that even family members will stand against you. And betray you.
Which Jesus says will mean you've got to stick with it through tough times. And make sure you're still standing at the end.
That's how it was in first century Israel. That's how it was if you read the history of the early church in the book of Acts. That's how it was a hundred years later in the Roman empire where their idea of Saturday afternoon sport was throwing Christians to the lions. And as Jesus spells it all out, the question is, do you still want to be in it? Because the stakes are high!
People these days like to think they've got the teachings of Jesus pretty well sussed out. And they've got this wishy washy sort of sentimental idea that it's all about being nice. Or that if you're a good person, everything will go okay. Or that Christianity is somehow meant to be all about tolerance; you see it in the newspapers all the time.
I haven't seen anybody make a cute T-shirt out of verse 34. But if you're going to take Jesus seriously, you've got to take it on board. He says,
Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter in law against her mother-in-law - a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.
And then he adds this. "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me."
Now if you've fallen for the sentimental sort of good time Christianity, this is pretty "in-your-face" isn't it? Because Jesus is saying that following him is going to fly so fundamentally in the face of Israel, is going to fly so fundamentally in the face of the world, that it's even going to divide families.
I knew a girl in Sydney, she grew up Jewish. She knows first hand exactly what Jesus is talking about. Because when she decided she wanted to follow Jesus, her dad publicly disowned her. He was one of the big guns at the local synagogue. And he made it public that Shelley was now a non member of his family.
Which means becoming a Christian wasn't something Shelley did lightly. She was written out of the will. She was barred from family events. When she married her Christian husband a few years later, her dad wouldn't come to the wedding.
Now let me put this straight. It's not that Jesus is against loving your family. Cause he's not. I mean, Jesus is even in favour of loving your enemies. But the sad fact is, when it comes to the choice, sometimes you're going to have to stick with Jesus. And the enemies you're loving end up being members of your family. Who reject you; because you're a Christian.
And can I say to you, it's stupid isn't it? To do that. Unless following Jesus is actually incredibly significant. Unless he really is the Son of God. The forgiver of sins. It's a crazy thing to give up the things of this life for the sake of following Jesus; unless following Jesus is the one thing that's fundamental to eternity.
But can you see that's exactly the point. The decision Israel's being called on to make as Jesus sends out the 12 Apostles, is do they want to be part of the new Israel. Built around Jesus. Or not. And their destiny depends on it.
Verse 32. He says "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before me, I'll disown him before my father in heaven." Or verse 39. "Whoever finds his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
In other words, put Jesus ahead of what other people think; and he'll do the same for you before God at the judgement. He'll say she's with me.
Or shuffle him off into a corner and treat him like an embarrassment, and he'll do the same with you. Put Jesus ahead of the things in this life; and you'll find you've got something far more valuable.
So the bottom line is, as these 12 apostles go out preaching to the towns and cities of Israel, the bottom line is, they're going with the authority of Jesus. And a message of life and death. And in Israel, Jesus says, the message isn't going to always be welcomed. And because of that, they're going to do it tough.
So to borrow from our own Prime Minister, they need to be alert. But not alarmed. They need realistic expectations. But they don't need to be afraid.
He says there are wolves out there... so be alert. Be smart. But because you're doing God's work, there's every reason to be confident.
Which is why we need to close with the fact that three times Jesus says to his disciples, don't be afraid.
Don't be afraid of them, verse 26. Speak out loud. And don't be silenced. What you've heard me say to you, shout it from the rooftops. Without fear.
And again in verse 28. Don't be afraid of them. Because the worst they can do is kill your body. Can't touch your soul. If you want to fear anyone, fear God. Who can extinguish both.
And a third time. Don't be afraid, verse 31. God's a God of detail. A God of infinite capacity to care. God's a God who sustains the life of the sparrow. Who gives life and takes it away in his time. So "Don't be afraid. Because you're worth more than many sparrows." God knows how many hairs on your head. So don't be afraid.
Jesus sends his apostles into a danger zone. Called Israel. And the effects are divisive. As the people of Israel are called to make up their minds about Jesus. We live a long time later. In another place. But the call is exactly the same. And so are the consequences. And we need to see, following Jesus is not just a hobby. Like stamp collecting. Not just an interest like bushwalking. Not just a club. But the fundamental decision on which your eternity rests. In a way that is going to bring division between anyone with their heart set on the kingdom of heaven... and their heart set on the things of earth. Which could mean uncomfortable times.
But no matter how it unfolds, no matter how much opposition, no matter how much it looks like you're losing, no matter how much the laughter in the school corridors or round the office, no matter what the persecution - Jesus says to his disciples then and he says to his disciples now, make up your mind. Whoever finds his life, whoever hangs on to the things of this life... will lose it. And whoever loses his life for my sake... will find it.