Matthew 10:34-11:1

Matthew 10:34-11:1

Jesus said to his Apostles:

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.

I have come to bring not peace but the sword.

For I have come to set

a man against his father,

a daughter against her mother,

and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;

and one’s enemies will be those of his 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 his cross

and follow after me is not worthy of me.

Whoever finds his life will lose it,

and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

“Whoever receives you receives me,

and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.

Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet

will receive a prophet’s reward,

and whoever receives a righteous man

because he is righteous

will receive a righteous man’s reward.

And whoever gives only a cup of cold water

to one of these little ones to drink

because he is a disciple–

amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”

When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples,

he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, it is hard to hear your Son’s words today. He speaks about bringing a sword instead of peace, instigating familial strife, and the need to love him more than my own family. Soften the hardness of my heart to receive your Word and understand it so that it may bear abundant fruit.

Encountering the Word of God

1. I Have Come to Bring the Sword: In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is concluding his second major discourse on the mission of his apostles, the royal officers of his Kingdom (Matthew 10). As we read the passage, we can naturally ask: “How is it that Jesus, the Prince of Peace, announces that he comes not to bring peace upon the earth, but the sword, and to set family members against each other?” What Jesus is alluding to is a prophecy of Micah, which states: “For the son belittles his father, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and your enemies are members of your household” (Micah 7:6). According to the prophets and first-century Jewish thought, there would be a time of great tribulation that would precede and inaugurate the age of salvation. In brief, Jesus is saying that he has come to inaugurate the time of tribulation and that the age of salvation is dawning. He is sending out his apostles with the Good News of salvation. “The proclamation of the kingdom will cause division not because of the message itself but because of the ways people receive it. Responses will vary from full reception to hostile rejection, and thus will cause discord – even hostility – within families” (Mitch and Sri, The Gospel of Matthew, 148).

2. Loving God First: After speaking about the fulfillment of Micah’s prophecy about tribulation, Jesus speaks about the hierarchy of our love. We cannot love even our own family members more than the three persons of the Holy Trinity. The worthy disciple of Jesus does not love their father, mother, son, or daughter more than Jesus Christ. The first commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. The second commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves. As the First Letter of John teaches, the two commandments go together: “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar” (1 John 4:20). Many times, our love for God is expressed in how we treat and care for our brothers and sisters in need. This teaching about loving God more than our family is followed by the need to love God more than our own earthly lives. If we put our earthly temporal lives first – i.e., focusing on the disordered pursuit of possessions, earthly treasure, earthly fame, and pleasure – we will lose out on heavenly eternal life. By contrast, if we live earthly lives of sacrificial and servicial love – i.e., losing our lives for the sake of Christ – we will gain eternal life.

3. Receiving Jesus’s Disciples: Today’s Gospel reading concludes Book Two of Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 8-10). It ties welcoming the apostles and disciples of Jesus, who are sent out with the prophetic message of the Gospel of the Kingdom, to welcoming and receiving Jesus himself. Receiving Jesus also means receiving the Father, the one who sends his Son, and the Spirit, the one sent by the Father and the Son. At the end of the Gospel passage, Jesus mentions three rewards or wages – for serving a prophet, for serving a righteous person, and for serving a little one. This covers a whole range of service, from welcoming a prophet, apostle, or missionary to giving a cup of cold water to a disciple of Jesus. God is not outdone in generosity: “Those who take up their crosses by leaving all their possessions behind and enduring persecutions will be repaid a hundred times as much” (Eubank, Wages of Cross-Bearing and Debt of Sin, 88). God mercifully forgives the debt of sin to those who ask and repays righteous deeds far more than they are worth.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are with me always. The path to salvation passes through tribulation. I do not ask that you remove trial, temptation, and tribulation from my life. Rather, I humbly ask that you strengthen me, guide me, and protect me as I journey toward you.

Living the Word of God: What trials, temptations, and tribulations am I experiencing right now? How am I doing with them? Do I trust in myself to be victorious, or do I see myself as fighting the good fight with Jesus by my side?