For the Matthew 10:27-31 PODCAST, Click Here!
27 Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. ~ Matthew 10:27-30
Today, we return to our study of Matthew 10 where the Lord Jesus continues to instruct His disciples on being disciples. Discipleship is a life-long process whereby the believer in Christ becomes more Christ-like. In today's passage the Lord Jesus continues to address the issue of fear in the life of the believer. The Bible mentions two types of fear. The first is reverential awe of God and is obviously beneficial to us. The second causes us to run from God and is a detriment and is to be overcome.
In v.27 of today's passage we read, "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops."
The Lord Jesus had been teaching His disciples secretly about His kingdom which is light to the darkness of this world. Spiritual darkness describes the state of a person whose sin has not been atoned for and who lacks a personal relationship with God. Most people live in rebellion to God without even knowing it. Fortunate for us the darkness of separation from God is overcome through the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. In John 1:4-5 we read, "In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
Then the Lord Jesus told His disciples to take His teachings to the whole world and proclaim them from the housetops. In that day, the roofs of the peoples houses were the place to make announcements. And, the announcements made from the rooftops of the houses have always been the best. The message we are to share with the people is life-giving. The message rescues people from eternal death and separation from God. Once made alive to God, it is normal and natural for the believer to deeply desire to see the lost enter into a personal relationship with God. This is due to the fact that God is giving to us His heart for the lost.
In v.28 of today's passage we read, "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
It is the fear of the rejection by man that strangles effective evangelism most. Self-preservation is the biggest culprit here. For those who live in the light of eternity, sharing the truths of the Bible is natural. This is the second of three "fear nots" that the Lord uttered to His disciples that day. In these statements the Lord underscored the fact that if we fear God, we will not fear man or anything else. Having a proper understanding of God is what enables the believer to battle our fears. A proper reverence of God will lead us into the darkest places in this world to share the truth of God's Word with whomever will listen. And, why should we fear those yet in the darkness when all they can do is to kill our bodies and not our souls. We all know that we will live on into eternity. And, when we are in eternity God will give us new glorified bodies.
In v.29-31of today's passage we read, "29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."
The Lord used the copper coin to illustrate the seeming insignificance of a sparrow. Just two copper coins added up to a Greek "penny." About sixty-four Greek pennies made up a denarius, or a day's wage for a laborer. In light of God's care for the smallest of His creation, the Lord Jesus used the third of the three "fear not" statements. This time the Lord used this phrase in the context of what seems to be insignificant animal life. Nothing happens in the most insignificant parts of this life that God does not know or care about it. In fact, He knows the very strands of hair on our heads. His point is that we have nothing to fear, especially in light of the fact that God is aware of even our most difficult moments and we can trust Him with it all. Not only does God see the sparrow when it falls, but the sparrow would not fall to the ground apart from the His will. It’s not as if the sparrows fall at random from the trees and God takes note when it happens. The sparrows fall because God willed them to fall, and if He didn’t, the sparrows would never fall to the ground. This means God cares about us much more than the sparrows and He meets their every need.
After all is said and done, in a given moment we see only bits and pieces of God’s plan for our lives. Sometimes those bits and pieces don’t make much sense to us. We lack the ability to see how each piece fits together. I find it helpful to be very aware of where to begin in my thinking regarding these things. If we start with the things that frighten us, we will find it hard to reason back to God. We must always start with what we know to be true about God. Even then, we have a difficult time making sense out of our fears. It was John Nelson Darby who once said, "That which is darkness to my intellect has become light to my soul." When we realize that whatever has happened to us has come through the sieve of His will for us, we can rest assured that it will render a good result for us. What we must do is to keep our eyes on Him and to be patient with Him and to trust Him through it all.
