Matthew 10: 24-33
Jesus
said to his Apostles:
“No disciple is above his teacher,
no slave above his master.
It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher,
for the slave that he become like his master.
If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,
how much more those of his household!
“Therefore do not be afraid of them.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
“No disciple is above his teacher,
no slave above his master.
It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher,
for the slave that he become like his master.
If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,
how much more those of his household!
“Therefore do not be afraid of them.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
God loves every creature that he created. Man is the pinnacle
of God’s creation for he made us in his own image and likeness. Anyone who is
obedient to the commands of the Father will be cherished in heaven for
obedience is desired even more than sacrifice. For the one who is truly
obedient to God there is no need for sacrifice. But for the one who spurns God
there is no sacrifice great enough to atone for this sin. Heaven will be denied
to those who choose love of self over love of God.
No slave is above his master; no student above his
teacher. Jesus is the master teacher we strive to imitate. He is the Law
fulfilled; the visible image of the invisible God. He was first loved by the
people, then envied, feared, hated, and eventually killed. A fallen people
cannot tolerate perfection living among them for it makes their weaknesses,
limitations, and iniquities shine in the light of truth. The light which holds
us to truth must be extinguished.
Anyone who therefore carries that light as if they were a
lantern will also be despised and hated. A true student carries the lessons of
their master inside of them and passes those lessons on to others. For a people
who long to live in darkness all sources of light must be extinguished. We are
promised hardship for refusing to let the light die in our age. What do I have
to fear from this age when I am also promised that I have the master to mediate
for me before the Father at the completion of this age? I can be bold in my
love for the Lord and proclaim that love from the rooftops for I have been
assured mercy when the age of judgment comes.
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