June 21, 2020
“The Cost of Discipleship”
Quarantine Sermon #7
Jeremiah 20:7-13
Romans 6:1b-11
Matthew 10:24-39
So, we just heard some pretty disturbing words in our Gospel passage for today – words that do not sound like the kind and gentle Jesus we know and love.
What does Jesus mean when he says he has not come to bring peace but a sword? And why does he say that he has come to set a man against his father and a daughter against her mother, and that one’s foes will be members of one’s own household?
Many of you know that I facilitate a Sunday morning adult Bible Study class which has continued to meet every Sunday via Zoom during these days of social distancing.
We call our group the “Seekers” – because that is what we try to do – we seek to explore and study the scriptures, learn from them, and listen for the ways in which God is still speaking to us in this day and time.
One concept we have discussed over and over again in our group is the importance of putting any given passage of scripture in the proper context. What was the social, cultural, and political context at the time the passage was written, and who was the intended audience for the writing?
Understanding the context of a passage can greatly assist in fostering understanding – and that is certainly the case with our Gospel passage for today. Context matters.
So, let’s take a closer look at today’s Gospel passage.
The Gospel of Matthew is believed to have been written between the years 80 and 90 C.E. So, it was written several decades after Jesus walked the earth.
At the time of Matthew’s writing, the Christian movement was undergoing much turmoil. The followers of Jesus were facing persecution and opposition, particularly from some of the Jewish authorities, and there were divisions among the followers themselves as to issues of faith and Torah and how to best live out discipleship.
Through the centuries, today’s passage from Matthew and Jesus’ startling words, has been the subject of much study and debate. What I am offering today is one way to try to make some sense of it.
So, if the audience for the writer of Matthew was a community of followers of Jesus who were struggling with divisions and conflict in their mission of carrying out discipleship, that shines a new light on the words that Jesus speaks to the disciples in this passage.
Jesus is not saying to the disciples, as he instructs them for their mission ahead, that he desires the sword over peace – nor is he saying he is against families – he is instead preparing the disciples for what he knows they are surely going to face moving forward – he is warning the disciples that the way of discipleship will not be easy – they will face persecution and resistance – and there will be divisions among followers, and even within families, over what to believe and how to best live out a life of faith.
I for one can certainly relate to those words. We don’t have to look very far in this day and time to see how different interpretations of what it means to be a follower of Jesus can take on very different meanings – and those differences in interpretation can unfortunately cause divisions – not just between different Christian denominations, but within communities of faith – and even within families.
The way of discipleship can indeed at times be costly.
But if we look once again at what Jesus says to the disciples in the Gospel of Matthew – if we look closely – we find that the overall message is one of hope and encouragement. Despite the challenges of discipleship, Jesus tells the disciples not to be afraid – they are to proclaim the good news from the housetops.
And he reassures them, and us, that despite the challenges of this life, and the often difficult journey of faith, our souls are held by a God who knows us so well that even all the hairs on our heads are counted. We are valued. And we are loved.
AMEN