Blog
“Fearlessness in Christ”
Categories: Bulletin Articles, M. W. Bassford
Jesus says many things that leave us scratching our heads, but one of the most contextually puzzling appears in Matthew 10:26. “Therefore, do not be afraid of them,” He tells the twelve, and indirectly us. “Therefore” usually follows a selection of facts that lead to a particular conclusion, but in the case of Matthew 10, many of the predictions that Jesus makes are not the sort that would lead to fearlessness in most people.
In 10:17, He promises the apostles that they will be haled into court by civil authorities and flogged in synagogues by religious authorities. 10:18 reveals that they will be tried before governors and kings. According to 10:21, they’ll be betrayed by their families. 10:22 says they’ll be hated by everyone. In 10:25, He predicts that they will be treated worse than He will, a revelation that would gain a certain grim resonance in a year or two.
And yet, “Do not be afraid.” Certainly, no one ever could accuse the Lord of hiding the risks of discipleship! Indeed, everything that He predicted would happen did happen to somebody, usually to lots of somebodies. However, to Jesus, those facts are not the important facts. Instead, he bases “Do not be afraid” on three things.
First, they should not fear because God’s Spirit would be with them. Maybe they were a bunch of Galilean peasants, but they would speak with such wisdom and power that they would leave the best minds of the age dumbfounded.
Second, if they endured to the end, they would be saved. This didn’t mean that they would be saved from the physical consequences of persecution. I’m sure that the apostle Paul’s back was a mass of scar tissue! Instead, it meant something more important. Those who were faithful until death would enjoy the salvation of their souls.
Third, to paraphrase an ex-president, they would be on the right side of history. The gospel would be proclaimed. The kingdom of God would triumph. His will would be done on earth as it was in heaven. Those who were with Him were destined for ultimate victory, those who opposed Him, for ultimate favor.
Today, we usually don’t face lawsuits and floggings when we proclaim the gospel, though hatred and family troubles are, alas, very much still with us. Our biggest obstacle, though, is the same as it was 2000 years ago—fear. As the Romans proved, even the mightiest external power can’t stop the good news, but Christians who are mute because of fear can.
When we are afraid, then, we need to remember the encouragement offered by Jesus. We don’t have to know what to say because the Holy Spirit does. It is not our wisdom, but the wisdom of the word, that wins hearts for the Lord. We still anticipate a salvation that is eternal rather than earthly, and we still know that God’s side is the winning side.
In short, we need to learn to trust rather than being afraid. The apostles did, and millennia later, their exploits still shine with deathless glory. Admittedly, no one is going to write the New Testament about us, but God will remember everything we do for Him. We have nothing to fear from honoring His will, but we have everything to fear from rejecting it.
Jesus says many things that leave us scratching our heads, but one of the most contextually puzzling appears in Matthew 10:26. “Therefore, do not be afraid of them,” He tells the twelve, and indirectly us. “Therefore” usually follows a selection of facts that lead to a particular conclusion, but in the case of Matthew 10, many of the predictions that Jesus makes are not the sort that would lead to fearlessness in most people.
In 10:17, He promises the apostles that they will be haled into court by civil authorities and flogged in synagogues by religious authorities. 10:18 reveals that they will be tried before governors and kings. According to 10:21, they’ll be betrayed by their families. 10:22 says they’ll be hated by everyone. In 10:25, He predicts that they will be treated worse than He will, a revelation that would gain a certain grim resonance in a year or two.
And yet, “Do not be afraid.” Certainly, no one ever could accuse the Lord of hiding the risks of discipleship! Indeed, everything that He predicted would happen did happen to somebody, usually to lots of somebodies. However, to Jesus, those facts are not the important facts. Instead, he bases “Do not be afraid” on three things.
First, they should not fear because God’s Spirit would be with them. Maybe they were a bunch of Galilean peasants, but they would speak with such wisdom and power that they would leave the best minds of the age dumbfounded.
Second, if they endured to the end, they would be saved. This didn’t mean that they would be saved from the physical consequences of persecution. I’m sure that the apostle Paul’s back was a mass of scar tissue! Instead, it meant something more important. Those who were faithful until death would enjoy the salvation of their souls.
Third, to paraphrase an ex-president, they would be on the right side of history. The gospel would be proclaimed. The kingdom of God would triumph. His will would be done on earth as it was in heaven. Those who were with Him were destined for ultimate victory, those who opposed Him, for ultimate failure.
Today, we usually don’t face lawsuits and floggings when we proclaim the gospel, though hatred and family troubles are, alas, very much still with us. Our biggest obstacle, though, is the same as it was 2000 years ago—fear. As the Romans proved, even the mightiest external power can’t stop the good news, but Christians who are mute because of fear can.
When we are afraid, then, we need to remember the encouragement offered by Jesus. We don’t have to know what to say because the Holy Spirit does. It is not our wisdom, but the wisdom of the word, that wins hearts for the Lord. We still anticipate a salvation that is eternal rather than earthly, and we still know that God’s side is the winning side.
In short, we need to learn to trust rather than being afraid. The apostles did, and millennia later, their exploits still shine with deathless glory. Admittedly, no one is going to write the New Testament about us, but God will remember everything we do for Him. We have nothing to fear from honoring His will, but we have everything to fear from rejecting it.
