Matthew 10:24-39 - June 25, 2023

“So, have no fear,” Jesus says. Easier said than done. 

It is hard to have no fear with the way everything is these days. Things are uncertain, confusing, vindictive, polarized, discomforting. Even with positive, exciting things going on, there is that little bit of doubt - and that doubt leaves just enough room for fear to sneak in. 

Last week, Jesus sent out the twelve disciples - and us - on a mission. He was giving them a little bit of a pep talk. After the comfort and promise of Jesus seeing us and who we are, he says to go out; proclaim the good news! Our lesson today is still part of his “sending out” pep talk. But in the verses we skip over between last week and this week, Jesus gets a bit more real. He lays out the difficulties his disciples will face. Today, he is reminding them and forewarning them, but he is also trying to comfort them. 

The thing about it, though, is we tend to forget the comfort part and only focus on the warnings and negatives. I mean, who noticed anything comforting in our passage today? We focus on the bad things - the swords, the separations, the discord among families, the denials… These warnings kick us into fight or flight mode - none of which is helpful when proclaiming the God of grace. And so, we start to be afraid, to fear. 

And we all have some deep-set human fears:  

Being alone - and not like “I need some alone time,” but ALONE alone. No friends, no family, no relationships. Being left behind. Being set against contact, conversation, community. 

Not being good enough. We all want to be good enough. If you’re good enough, people will like you and you’ll never be alone. You’ll have it all - friends, money, prestige...

Which then brings us to the fear of ‘Not having enough’ - because if we just had enough, we’d always be happy. Right?  

When these fears come up, we look for simple, easy, immediate answers - answers the world is all too happy to give. 

Are you afraid of being alone? The world tells us what to do to fit in. Buy this, wear that, own this, look a certain way. TV ads and products are made just for you; if you have these, you’ll never be alone! 

Are you afraid you’re not good enough? The world tells us that at least you’re better than them. News stations, websites, and politicians tell you exactly what you already think and know to be true. They validate you; you are more informed than everyone else. You are on the right side, which means you are good enough.

Are you afraid of not being happy? The world tells us what is most important. Bank accounts. Power. Control. If you want to be happy, that’s what you’ll strive for, that’s what you’ll do. Keep it! Accumulate it! Because at any moment, it could all go away. 

You - and only you - matter. See, you do belong. You aren’t alone… if you follow our lead. Those messages are what surround us day after day after day. Those “answers” are what surround us day after day after day. Those messages dominate our lives. They tell us who we are and what we should be. 

And if we don’t listen to them, if we don’t follow their lead - there is no place for us. Our greatest fears will come true. We’re nothing, nobody. You won’t matter. You’ll never be happy. Our world, while pretending to offer answers, only stokes our fear.

But Jesus says, “Have no fear of them.” Do not be afraid. This is the message of angels and prophets and now the Christ: Do not be afraid.
Fear not.
Do not fear those who will oppose you, Jesus says. In time, the truth will come out. God has Good News.
The world tells us what to do to fit in. And yet, God says, “You already belong.”
The world tells us how to become valuable. Jesus says, “You are of the greatest worth.”
The world tells us what is important. The Spirit reminds us that to God, you are important. 

Fear dominates our lives. And it seems that Jesus follows these words of hope with even more fear, but this is more about naming our fears out loud. The world, the authorities, other people and things - they can harm you, but they cannot affect your eternal destiny, your salvation, your place in heaven. God can. 

Jesus says, “Don’t listen to them.” In his word is promise. Because while Jesus names our fears, these fears are permeated with that phrase of hope: “Do not be afraid.” Do not be afraid. This sentence always leads to good news. 

This same God, the one we are to honor and revere and look to, the God who has power over our immediate and eternal lives, this God loves us above all things. Loved more than all the sparrows. Loved in all the details of who you are, all the ins and outs, all the hairs on your head. You are loved, and you are formed into the new family of God. 

All this is Good News that flows in, with, under, and through everything, even our fears. But the Good News of Jesus is more than just how he starts by telling us not to be afraid. The Good News is also how Jesus finishes the story in his actions. 

Jesus encountered our world, and he stood up to those things which we still fear. 

He went against the pressures that told him he must fit into how the world works - he must do this or that to belong. He knew that he belonged to God. 

He went against the powers which preferred order, adherence, and hierarchy. He upset the applecart by loving and welcoming and sharing a meal with anyone, letting them know of their worth to God. 

He even faced one of the greatest fears any human being has, and that is death. And under the threat of death, Jesus loved God. 

In all these things, Jesus went against the answers our world tries to give. He went to places we dare not go, he did things for people whom we dare not even recognize, he stayed true to God’s Kingdom when most of us would sing a different tune at just the mention of a hammer and nails. 

All this because Jesus knew what was important: we all belong to God and nothing changes that. We are all beloved children, more valuable than anything, with all the hairs of our heads counted. And in Jesus, we see how God deals with fear, with our world, with us in our good times and in our bad. 

If God can use something as awful as the cross to work redemption, then God can and will work through all our hardships - big or little - for the sake of life. Instead of condemning the world, God decided to save it. Instead of being a God of fear and scaring the hell out of us, Jesus came to show us inescapable, overpowering, unconditional love. 

So, instead of fear, as has been our default for so long, maybe we actually live out the mission Jesus sends us out to do with joy. Anticipation. Hope. It is what Jesus calls us to, afterall. In the face of all that is daunting and fearful, Jesus says:

Have no fear - the world does not have the last word.
Do not fear - Jesus has faced the worst our world can do.
Do not be afraid - God has you. Forever.