10:24,25
Jesus states clearly here that part of our relationship to Him is as students to a teacher, and servants to a master. We always need to keep in mind that any aspect of our relationship to Jesus is just part of that relationship. So Jesus is our teacher, our master, our friend, our brother. But if we focus only on one of these we will have a skewed picture of that relationship. So if we just see Jesus as our friend we are missing it, He is also our Lord. So if Jesus was called Beelzebub (a pagan deity), then the disciples should not be surprised if they are similarly accused. In Aramaic there is also a word play here, for Beelzebub literally means “master of the house”.
10:26
Having given all these serious warnings about the nature of the mission He has sent them on, Jesus draws an interesting conclusion: “So do not be afraid of them”. Jesus has not given these severe warnings to scare us, but to make us aware of the nature of the battle, to prepare us. Contrast how Jesus prepared His disciples for mission, and how we in our churches today often prepare people for evangelism! It is completely different, and maybe that is part of the reason why we are so ineffective. Jesus then gives the reason why we should not be afraid. It is because everything that is hidden will be made known. Persecutors act as if they have all the power and authority, and in the immediate context it may seem to be true. But there will be a day when all will answer to the Judge, and the Judge knows and sees all things. So we must remain faithful to Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment