Sally A. Brown, Professor Emerita, Princeton Theological Seminary
Today’s gospel text, Mt 10:24-39, is the continuation of Jesus’ instructions for the twelve apostles as he sends them to cast out evil forces, heal the sick, and announce the presence of the reign of heaven, just as he has done (see 9:35 and 10:1). Filled with compassion for Israel’s “troubled and abandoned” multitudes (Mt 9:36, New American Bible), Jesus has authorized twelve disciples to extend his ministry. Now, he lays out the risks. Family members will turn against them and betray them. Powerful rulers will bring them to trial. Yet, there are heartening words here, too; Jesus tells the twelve to be unafraid, for the Spirit will give them the Father’s own words to speak (10:19-20).
Preaching today’s lection can be difficult in Western Christian settings where persecution for practicing one’s Christian faith has been rare in recent centuries. Contextualizing Jesus’ commissioning speech (sometimes called the “discipleship discourse,” the second of five major discourses in Mt) will help listeners engage this difficult lection. First, we can point to the fact that Matthew is very likely drawing here on the immediate experiences of his own, late-first-century Christian community when he speaks of divided households and being dragged before authorities to testify. We know, from documents dated only a few decades later, that joining the catechumate—the demanding, weeks-long process of preparing for Christian baptism, that it was not unusual for those seeking baptism to be disowned by their families. On a baptism Sunday, we’re charmed by small candidates for baptism swathed in their white gowns. In the early church, the white robes of a baptizand marked him or her for social marginalization and potential harassment.
Second, it may well be the case that Jesus’ sober warnings about the costs of adopting his practices of liberation and healing are becoming increasingly pertinent for our time and place. Most 21st century Christians in the US, for example, have routinely regarded Jesus’ “discipleship discourse” as historically informative, but not immediately relevant to their own practice of faith. Yet, recent shifts in the social and political landscape in North America and parts of Europe suggest that this situation is changing. For examples, in the US, ideologies have taken root, even within churches, that insist that a strong America is a “pure” America. The influx of immigrants and refugees into the country, even legally, is framed as a threat to national security and prosperity. Many Christians disagree with such ideologies and choose to stand publicly with newcomers to the country who are being accosted, interrogated, and in some cases, detained in massive camps. Those who choose to defend these “sheep without a shepherd” know what it is like to be maligned, threatened, and in some cases, physically abused. Jesus’ characterization of the cost of discipleship rings true.
Many in our pews (and maybe we ourselves) are inclined to keep a low profile amid this turmoil; instinctively, we point to family obligations. A helpful sermon might reflect on this very real dilemma, not forcing a decision, judging, or shaming, but weighing the issues with respect and empathy.
In today’s lection, Jesus balances rigorous challenge with deep reassurance. No less than three times, Jesus tells us: “Do not fear” (vv. 26, 28, 31). God accompanies us as we embrace the outcast, set captives free, and heal the wounded in body and soul. We reveal, in word and deed, the reign of heaven. Some shall welcome us and join our embrace of the vulnerable. Others will block our efforts. Whether welcomed or rebuffed, we are Jesus’ own companions. And when, like him, we give ourselves away to befriend and mend the broken, we shall, in the end, find true and lasting life.
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