July 9, 2022 – Matthew 10:24-33
In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus’ address to his apostles and all those doing evangelistic work continues. Jesus, sending them out to carry out the mission of preaching and healing, warns them that they will find opposition, rejection and persecution. However, Jesus encourages the apostles and us as well to stand firm, saying three times, “Do not be afraid!” We know, therefore, that we too will succeed despite the opposition we encounter if we trust in Him.
Jesus, continuing to give instructions, reminds them very clearly that they cannot expect better treatment than He Himself received, “The disciple is not superior to his teacher.” All in all, Christians should not be surprised at the violence and abuse against them
even though, at times, they may be hard to understand. If they have treated the Master and the Lord in this way, his followers cannot expect better treatment. If the Master is called the Prince of Devils, how much more those in his family! Remember what Jesus had said earlier, “Blessed are those who suffer persecution because of the gospel.” Much of Jesus’ teaching to his disciples was done in silence and away from the crowds. He often told both the people He was healing and the demons not to talk about Him. His disciples were not supposed to reveal His identity as the Messiah either because at that time people were not ready and might misinterpret the true meaning of His teaching.
Do not be afraid: Jesus gives three reasons why the apostles, and us, should not be afraid. The first reason is that opponents will not be able to prevent Jesus’ followers from successfully carrying out their mission because God will make known their evil plans and deeds: “Nothing is hidden that will not be discovered.” The Lord will “bring to light the things hidden in darkness” (1 Cor. 4:5), will avenge his faithful and will not allow evil to win-this is the promise of v. 26. The second reason not to be afraid is the limited power of our adversaries. They can kill the body, which dies too soon anyway, but they have no power over the soul. The third reason why we should not be afraid is the providential care and protection of Heavenly Father who cares for all His creatures. We are more important to God than the sparrows ” two sold for a penny.” The God who cares for an insignificant bird like the sparrow cares for even our smallest problems, even counting the hairs on our heads. Although this is an encouraging assurance, we may find it hard to believe when we are in the midst of persecution.
Messages of life
– Jesus is telling us that although we may, like Himself, lose our lives, He will be with us. Not being true to our convictions is a fate worse than death.
– “Do not be afraid.” This is not a naive and unrelated word; it is a word
that requires deep trust in the presence and, therefore, in God’s help. What about us, do we listen to him when he invites us to have such trust?
Fr Joby Kavungal RCJ
BASILICA Sanctuary San Antonio, Messina