(Joseph Bianco)
Matthew 10:16-39 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
24“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign[g] those of his household.
26“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28And 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. 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
34“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For 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. 36And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37Whoever 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. 38And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
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Dear church family, in Matthew 10, our Lord commissions his disciples for mission with unflinching realism. He sends them out “as sheep in the midst of wolves,” warning of persecution, betrayal even within families, and hatred for his name’s sake, revealing the cost of following him. Yet woven throughout these sober words is profound encouragement: the Spirit will give utterance in the hour of trial, endurance to the end brings salvation, and ultimate vindication awaits. Jesus himself was maligned when the people called him Beelzebul; how much more will his household be opposed? He calls us not to naive optimism but to wise innocence—shrewd as serpents, harmless as doves—while proclaiming the gospel boldly, without fear of man. This passage lays bare the reality that the gospel divides: it brings not superficial peace but a sword, turning even households against one another when Christ is supreme.
From our Reformed perspective, these verses underscore several foundational truths. First, the sovereignty of God over every detail of life and at the same time the compassion of a father who comforts us in our suffering: not one sparrow falls apart from the Father’s will, and the very hairs of our heads are numbered. In trials, we are never abandoned; divine providence governs even the malice of men. Second, the doctrine of perseverance: “the one who endures to the end will be saved.” True faith, wrought by sovereign grace, is preserved through hardship by the same Spirit who effectually calls and applies our justification. Third, the lordship of Christ demands absolute allegiance: no earthly tie—family, comfort, or self-preservation—may rival our devotion to him. Whoever loves father or mother more than Christ is not worthy of him; whoever does not take up his cross daily is not worthy. This radical call exposes the idolatry of the heart and summons us to lose our life for Christ’s sake that we might truly find it.
Beloved, many of you reading this have already experienced the cost of following Christ. You have experienced relational strain, personal loss, and may have even changed the entire trajectory of your lives to follow Jesus. Although this passage can feel heavy in many ways, it’s meant to be an encouragement. Don’t be afraid. Fear not. The Christian life is not one of ease, but it is one of joy and peace in the midst of trial. The Christian life is not one without conflict or grief, but it is one where we do not grieve alone; where we have the Spirit to comfort us. The encouragement is that although many trials will come if you follow Jesus, you are not alone. You have a God in heaven who will acknowledge you before men. You have a skilled master able to lead you in his path. You have a Father who intimately knows you, every hair on your head. You have the Spirit who will give you the words you need to speak. And you have a promise, that if you lose your life, you will find an infinitely better one in Jesus. Take some time to pray against fear, and for these promises to manifest themselves in your life.
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An audio version of each devotion will be posted on our church podcast “Life Together at CRPC,” which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.