The Gospel of Matthew 10:24-39
Jesus said to the twelve disciples, “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 Beelzebul, 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. 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. 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”.
Let us Pray the Collect for Sunday: O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving-kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Hello Jesus! This could be Jesus for today, when He says: “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” Maybe He needs to come today and bring that sword. Use it to clean up some of the corruptness in the world. Jesus being who He is wouldn’t use the sword against tyranny, instead he would use The love given to Him by His Father. This is not a call to violence. The “sword” is the division that truth inevitably brings. A metaphor for how society reacts to cultural loyalty. There are many examples of this split where the sword becomes the division that truth inevitably brings. Those divisions in truths are abundant today, in workplaces, schools, communities, politics and the church. Someone chooses Christ over family expectations. Someone refuses to participate in injustice. Someone’s conversion disrupts old patterns. Someone’s allegiance to Christ challenges cultural idols. Division along political lines (the big one for today). That sword is that split that divides, the split that keeps us from truly appreciating our believes without others interfering. So even though this Gospel is a little on the harsher side it points out that conflict, abusive behavior, ignoring others is the sword Christ brought with Him. This gospel is peace in its essence, but disruptive in its arrival.
Let Us Pray:
Lord Jesus, You who walked the path of truth with courage and compassion, teach us to follow You without fear. Reorder our loves so that You are first, and let every other love flow from Your heart within us. Give us the courage to speak truth with gentleness, to bear the cost of discipleship with grace, and to trust in Your care more than the world’s approval. May our lives reflect Your cross-shaped love, and may we find our true selves in losing ourselves for Your sake. Amen.
Reflections by Bob 