The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ According to Matthew.

            “ 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 Beelzebub, 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.

“ 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. (Mt.10:24-39)

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Last week we heard Jesus’ words as he sent his disciples into the countryside to preach the gospel. This week’s readings continue from last week. 

He tells them that since he, Jesus, was called a Satan by some so-called religious people when he cast out demons, it is likely that they, his disciples will also be misunderstood, and slandered, 

But he tells them to have no fear  because the truth will out. The truth will be seen. And he tells them not to be afraid of being hurt, He says that  rather than being afraid of people, they should remember that it is God’s hands that  their eternal lives are held.

In God’s hands!

God knows each of you, he tells them. If God sees even the sparrow fall to the ground, then surely he will care about you his precious children.

Jesus says not only that, but that he will  bear witness in heaven for those who witness on earth, for him.

He says, go, take the message of the Gospel, and do it daringly. If you fail to do it out of fear, you will, instead of saving your life, lose it.  But being fearless, and bringing the love of God to the world will save your life for eternity. 

These words sound dramatic, don’t they?  But those who followed Jesus would be persecuted, and perhaps even killed.  Later on, when Christians were being persecuted in parts of the Roman empire, they were often given the option of denying Jesus, and worshipping the emperor.

Should they refuse, the punishment was death.

Thank goodness that in today’s world we are shielded from having to make such a horrible choice.

But the fact is that in some countries,  even as we speak, people are faced with monstrous decisions to do with life and death, and principles, and loves and hates, and politics.

And the religious and political freedom we have today is because in our own history; people have been willing to die for their faith, and their principles.

So what is there  left for us to do?  How are we called to fight for our faith and to stand up for Jesus now that there is no dangerous work to do.   

Christianity is said to have been fed with the blood of martyrs and that may be,  but I think also  that Christianity was fed on the resolve of those who would stand up for what they believed, and would not be swayed whatever the cost.  

That’s what we are asked to do – to stand up for – to witness to our faith – our love of God and the Jesus we follow, whatever the cost.

For some, that means standing up in front of a congregation and telling of their faith, as frightening as it is to speak in public, and about such an intimate thing.

For others, it may mean telling a superior at work the truth about a situation even when doing so may result in a reprimand, or even the loss of a job.

Then again, witnessing for one’s faith may mean butting into a conversation where other people are denigrating Christian faith.

It may mean insisting on going to church to worship and witness, when family members pressure you not to go. 

It may mean acting as a Christian and being the one to apologize and build a bridge of reconciliation between yourself and a family member from whom you have been estranged for years.

It may mean speaking up for someone who is being condemned; for someone who is guilty, and yet is also a victim of circumstances.

It may mean speaking about your feelings on a particular issue even when everyone else in the room has the opposite point of view.

If you think about it, there are many times when we are challenged to live as a Christian, to witness with truth and integrity, in modern life.

But these are hardly life or death situations –  merely the sort of situations that all of us are faced with every day.   .

And yet, how many of us have shirked our responsibilities, have stepped back from the plate, so to speak, for nothing less than the fear of embarrassment, or plain nervousness?

How many of us have turned down the  chance to stand up and be counted, have abandoned our principles for plain faint-heartedness?

How many of us have in effect, turned our back on Jesus, the one we profess to follow, and in whose teachings we believe?

I don’t think any of us can claim always to have been forthright for Jesus in our faith at all times.    I can’t.

Neither could the disciples. Especially the leader of them all, the apostle Peter.

After Peter denied Jesus those three times, he was devastated, wasn’t he? He must have despaired of ever measuring up to what he thought a true follower would be. And yet, Jesus relied upon him. Jesus didn’t reject him. Jesus didn’t discard him.

And Peter went on to become a wonderful, talented, and courageous representative of – apostle of  – his master.

There is a true story about a young man working for a bank, who found himself in financial difficulties. He was beset with worry, driven to do something he would not normally have done.  He changed some figures, and stole money from his employer.

He wasn’t very clever at it because soon afterward, his boss called him in and confronted him with the evidence of his wrong-doing. To his credit, he didn’t try to lie his way out of it. He admitted his crime. He tried to tell the bank president that this was the only time he had ever done anything like this.

“I suppose you think that since this is the only time you have stolen from us, that we should forgive your lapse?”

“Well,” the young man whispered, “I have done wrong and I am willing to take my punishment.”

The president went on, almost as if he hadn’t heard the miscreant, “ Some thirty years ago, a young clerk, just like you, stole a sum of money, and was found out, and the bank overlooked it that one time. Do you know what happened?”

“No, sir.”

“He became a valued and trusted employee of this bank and is with us today.”

“Really sir?”

“Yes. That young man was me.”

None of us can claim to have always done the right thing. But praise God, He forgives us, understands us,  and still wants us to serve him.

Peter made his mistakes, as did the other disciples, but God was still able to use them to build his kingdom.

But Jesus’ words are very challenging. “Unless you are willing to take up your cross and come with me, you are not fit to be my disciples.”

We all have crosses to bear. We all have things in our past that we would rather forget; things that weigh us down, that prevent us from properly following him with conviction.

How can I – such a weenie – such a sinner – such a weakling – such a poor example of a Christian, how can I –   how can I be anything good for him?

Pick up your cross, whatever it is that is holding you back, and follow Jesus.

We can make it, despite having to carry that cross.  We can, by God’s grace put behind us whatever it is that has held us back.

“If you tell others that you belong to me, I will tell my Father in heaven that you are my followers. “

Not if you do great works;  not if you change the world single-handedly; not if you do great miracles –    just tell others that you belong to me.

That’s the extent of our witness, required by our Lord.

To own him as Lord, and to be one of his. 

It’s not too complicated is it?

A clergyman took his seat in a dining car of a train traveling along the Hudson River. Opposite him was an atheist, who on seeing his clerical collar started a discussion.

“I see you are a clergyman.”    

“Yes” came the reply. “I am a minister of the gospel.”          

 “I suppose you believe the Bible.”       

The clergyman, orthodox in his views, responded,  “I certainly do believe the Bible to be the Word of God.”     

“But aren’t there things in the Bible that you can’t explain?”

With humility, the minister answered, “Yes, there are places in the Bible too hard for me to understand.”    

With an air of triumph, as though he had cornered the preacher, the atheist asked, “Well what do you do then?”

Unruffled, the minister went on eating his dinner – which happened to be Hudson shad, a tasty fish but known for being bony.    Looking up, he said, “Sir, I do just the same as when eating this shad. When I come to the bones, I put them to the side of the plate and go on enjoying my lunch. I leave the bones for some fool to choke on.”

The apostles weren’t theologians. Nor were they great orators. They had nothing much to recommend them except one thing. They were determined to bring the message of the gospel to all who would listen.

And the message of the gospel?

Simply this, Jesus saves!  

Amen.