80 – The Meaning of Discipleship, Matthew 10:24-42
Matthew 10:24 “A [a]disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house [b]Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!
26 “Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. 28 Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in [c]hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a [d]cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
32 “Therefore everyone who [e]confesses Me before men, I will also confess [f]him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever [g]denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
34 “Do not think that I came to [h]bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.
37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who has found his [i]life will lose it, and he who has lost his [j]life for My sake will find it.
40 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these [k]little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”
Footnotes
a. Matthew 10:24 Or student
b. Matthew 10:25 Or Beezebul: ruler of demons
c. Matthew 10:28 Gr Gehenna
d. Matthew 10:29 Gr assarion, the smallest copper coin
e, Matthew 10:32 Lit will confess in Me
f. Matthew 10:32 Lit in him
g. Matthew 10:33 Lit will deny
h. Matthew 10:34 Lit cast
i. Matthew 10:39 Or soul
j. Matthew 10:39 Or soul
k. Matthew 10:42 I.e. humble
Commentary
This passage, while often invoked as a threat in chain email or viral social media posts (“if you don’t forward this, it’s because you’re denying Jesus”), was delivered by Jesus as an encouragement to His disciples. The literal translation of the word for disciple is listed in the footnotes as “student”. These are people who are learning from Jesus and preparing for action as apostles. Jesus told the disciples that they should not expect to be above Him, but that they could expect to be like Him. At first, the idea of being “like” Jesus seemed to me to be about thought processes, wisdom, and closeness with God. As I was reading the Word in Life Study Bible, the authors of the supplemental materials had a completely different take on what it meant to be like Jesus, and their editorial comments focused almost exclusively on Jesus’s actions, such as serving others, acknowledging personal vulnerability, and openly evangelizing. “In reality, secret discipleship is a practical impossibility. Jesus constantly called for an open confession of Himself by His followers. We must be willing to acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Saviour, with all that those terms imply” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1195). These behaviors are probably a natural outflow of the change of heart a disciple experiences, but it is definitely helpful to consider specific actions you could emulate if you run dry on inspiration. Then again, the Holy Spirit is a never-ending source of inspiration, so it may not be necessary to index all of Jesus’s specific actions if we rely on the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
Other scholars have stayed a little closer to the text when interpreting what it means to be like Jesus. If Jesus’s first and second sentence foreshadow His third sentence, we can read it like this: “If I am persecuted for this teaching, do not think that you will escape the same treatment (you are not above Me). In fact, it is your privilege to share in these trials and thereby become more like Me” (paraphrase mine). “Persecution follows naturally when we expose evil—challenge power—demand change—undermine the status quo. If we are faithful, there is a good chance that we will face opposition. When that happens, we share Christ’s cross—and are like our master” (https://sermonwriter.com/biblical-commentary/new-testament-matthew-1024-39/).
In this case, Jesus uses the specific example of name-calling as a type of opposition He was facing, but not just run-of-the-mill playground bullying. The word Beelzebub comes from the rabbinic words for “dung” and “lord,” so it is literally translated as “lord of dung or filth.” Some translations use Beelzebub in this passage, and some use Beelzebul (the root word “zebul” means temple). Beelzebub may be derived from Baalzebub (a word which can be found in the Old Testament), which means “Lord of the flies.” We don’t see the word Beelzebub until the New Testament, and it is first used by Jesus (here in this passage). But it is obviously a reference to something the Pharisees have been calling Him previously. The Greek term for “lord of the house” (Matthew 10:25) would have been very close to the same spelling as Beelzebub when translated into Hebrew, so “possibly here a play on words was intended by Jesus. Jesus then contrasts His true identity with this degrading epithet hurled at Him by His enemies. He is ”Lord of the house,” but they have called him “Lord of the dung heaps” (The Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 1, pg. 505). Based on its use throughout the New Testament, scholars are unclear if the terms Beelzebub and Beelzebul were meant to refer to Satan himself or some lesser prince, but regardless of the specific evil spirit to which the name referred, Jesus offered logic in Matthew 12:24-32, which proved that He not only was NOT affiliated with this character, but that to purport that He was would be blasphemous (see reference verses below).
Because we can rely on the future judgment, both to vindicate committed disciples and condemn the blasphemous, we can proclaim Jesus’s message without fear. In fact, Jesus encourages His disciples, whether practically or metaphorically, to get up on top of the flat rooftops of the day, where they can be seen and heard by all. Jesus charges the disciples to live with only eternity in mind. Earthly powers can only steal our earthly life – not our everlasting communion with God in eternity. It is therefore more important to do what God (the eternal judge) calls us to do, rather than what earthly judges command us to do. “It should be noted that God is the One who has authority to cast men into hell, and not Satan, who will himself be ultimately cast into everlasting fire” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1195). For an interesting note about the reference Jesus made in footnote C, to Gehenna, see this commentary https://sermonwriter.com/biblical-commentary/new-testament-matthew-1024-39/.
Jesus then juxtaposes the Father’s judgment with the Father’s love. While God is capable of casting souls into Hell, He also cares so much for all His creation that He is aware of the life and death of each small sparrow and counts each hair on our heads. His love is another reason we can execute His will without fear from earthly powers. Not only does He have the power to see justice done, but He loves us enough to do it, as long as we are justified by Jesus’s testimony of us. Because of this, Jesus warns the disciples against denying Him, and it is important to distinguish that, while Peter denied Christ before the crucifixion, he was still a key disciple and a leader of the church afterward. The type of denial Jesus warns against is an ongoing refusal to acknowledge the Messiahship and saving power of Christ (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1195).
Jesus then switches gears to talk about why He came, and it may seem at first that Jesus purposely came to stir up trouble. However, as we learned in the opening verses, trouble will naturally arise when the truth is brought to light, and Jesus came to bring the truth. Additionally, as we studied in the last post, there were many who were already suffering the loss of close family relationships because of their faith in Christ, so they identified with Jesus’s proclamation that relationships would be severed. Furthermore, the disciples discover that they must even lose their own lives by taking up their crosses. The reference to the cross in verse 38 is “the first mention of the cross in the New Testament … It was the custom for the condemned man to carry his cross on the way to his own execution … These words come as the climax of His warning to the apostles that their mission would involve arrest and persecution, potentially culminating in condemnation to death” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1195). As Jesus foreshadows the manner of His own execution, it not only speaks to His physical audience at the time, but to all Christians throughout the ages. In fact, the idea of identifying with the cross is one of Paul’s primary focuses in some of his epistles to the churches. However, Jesus reassures His audience that those losses are not for naught. By submitting to all these trials in the name of Jesus, they will save their souls.
The saving of souls has lost its gravity in our modern Christian-ese, so I want to explore that a little more. The word “life” in verse 39 is literally translated in the footnotes as “soul”. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who has found his [i]life will lose it, and he who has lost his [j]life for My sake will find it. The distinction of life and soul is important to me because when I read this, I thought, “Jesus gave His life so I wouldn’t have to – why would He then say I couldn’t be part of the kingdom unless I die also?” I understand that “dying to self” is different from eternal death and damnation, but the statement in verse 39 still confused me. When the word is interpreted as soul, it makes much more sense. Whether you live or die in the commission of evangelism, the important thing is that you have forfeited your soul to the keeping and the will of God.
Also, while submitting themselves to trials of all kinds (up to, and including, physical death), they are also told to go out of their way to care for other followers of Christ. When Jesus encourages others to do good in the name of the disciples or prophets, it reminds us that we do not have to be prophets ourselves in order to support the ministries of those who are serving the Lord as a vocation. Even those for whom it is not a vocation (the littlest ones) need support (financial or otherwise) and encouragement from their fellow believers, and those who offer that support will be rewarded by the Lord (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1195). The word “little” in verse 42 is analogous to “humble,” according to footnote k. This phrase appears throughout the gospel accounts, and the first image that always comes to mind when I read “little” is some kind of orphan or waif. It is helpful to describe the recipient of water in this illustration as “humble” in order to better understand the scope of humanity to which Jesus referred. The verses in the references for Matt 10:42 are also interesting because they demonstrate that “the least of these” were/are especially those who claim the name of Jesus, not necessarily just any lowly or humble person.
This was an especially long commentary, so rather than try to append a conclusion, I will just close by saying, “God sees the heart.” These instructions from Jesus are specific and intimidating, but if you make the heart your primary focus, God will work however He needs to.
References
Matthew 10:24
Luke 6:40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.
John 13:16 Truly, truly, I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
John 15:20 Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well.
Matthew 10:25
2 Kings 1:2 Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers and instructed them: “Go inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this injury.”
Matthew 9:34 But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that He drives out demons.”
Matthew 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “Only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, does this man drive out demons.”
Matthew 12:27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.
Mark 3:22 And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons He drives out demons.”
Luke 11:15 but some of them said, “It is by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons, that He drives out demons.”
Matthew 10:26
Proverbs 10:9 He who walks in integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out.
Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.
Mark 4:22 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light.
Luke 8:17 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be made known and brought to light.
Luke 12:2 There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known.
1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.
Luke 11:18 If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? After all, you say that I drive out demons by Beelzebul.
Matthew 10:27
Isaiah 22:1 This is the burden against the Valley of Vision: What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the rooftops,
Matthew 24:17 Let no one on the housetop come down to retrieve anything from his house.
Luke 12:3 What you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops.
Acts 5:20 “Go, stand in the temple courts and tell the people the full message of this new life.”
Matthew 10:28
Job 37:24 Therefore, men fear Him, for He is not partial to the wise in heart.”
Matthew 5:22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.
Luke 12:5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear the One who, after you have been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!
Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
James 4:12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
Matthew 10:29
Matthew 5:26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns–and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Mark 12:42 Then one poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amounted to a small fraction of a denarius.
Luke 12:6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.
Matthew 10:30
1 Samuel 14:45 But the people said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die–he who accomplished such a great deliverance for Israel? Never! As surely as the LORD lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for with God’s help he has accomplished this today.” So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die.
2 Samuel 14:11 “Please,” she replied, “may the king invoke the LORD your God to prevent the avenger of blood from increasing the devastation, so that my son may not be destroyed!” “As surely as the LORD lives,” he vowed, “not a hair of your son’s head will fall to the ground.”
1 Kings 1:52 And Solomon replied, “If he is a man of character, not a single hair of his will fall to the ground. But if evil is found in him, he will die.”
Luke 12:7 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Luke 21:18 Yet not even a hair of your head will perish.
Acts 27:34 So for your own preservation, I urge you to eat something, because not a single hair of your head will be lost.”
Matthew 10:31
Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns–and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Matthew 12:12 How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
Matthew 10:32
Luke 12:8 I tell you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will also confess him before the angels of God.
Luke 15:10 In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.”
Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Revelation 3:5 Like them, he who overcomes will be dressed in white. And I will never blot out his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and His angels.
Matthew 10:33
Isaiah 59:13 rebelling and denying the LORD, turning away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering lies from the heart.
Mark 8:38 If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
Luke 9:26 If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
Luke 12:9 But whoever denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
2 Timothy 2:12 if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us;
Matthew 10:34
Luke 12:51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division.
Revelation 6:4 Then another horse went forth. It was bright red, and its rider was granted permission to take away peace from the earth and to make men slay one another. And he was given a great sword.
Matthew 10:35
Micah 7:6 For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies are the members of his own household.
Matthew 10:21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death.
Luke 12:53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Matthew 10:36
1 Samuel 17:28 Now when David’s oldest brother Eliab heard him speaking to the men, his anger burned against David. “Why have you come down here?” he asked. “And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and wickedness of heart–you have come down to see the battle!”
Isaiah 19:2 “So I will incite Egyptian against Egyptian; brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.
Micah 7:6 For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies are the members of his own household.
Matthew 10:21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death.
Matthew 10:37
Deuteronomy 33:9 He said of his father and mother, ‘I do not consider them.’ He disregarded his brothers and did not know his own sons, for he kept Your word and maintained Your covenant.
1 Samuel 2:29 Why then do you kick at My sacrifice and offering that I have prescribed for My dwelling place? You have honored your sons more than Me by fattening yourselves with the best of all the offerings of My people Israel.’
Zechariah 13:3 And if anyone still prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will say to him, ‘You shall not remain alive, because you have spoken falsely in the name of the LORD.’ When he prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will pierce him through.
Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters–yes, even his own life–he cannot be My disciple.
Matthew 10:38
Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.
Mark 8:34 Then Jesus called the crowd to Him along with His disciples, and He told them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.
Luke 9:23 Then Jesus said to all of them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
Luke 14:27 And whoever does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.
Matthew 10:39
Matthew 16:25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Mark 8:35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and for the gospel will save it.
Luke 9:24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
Luke 17:33 Whoever tries to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it.
John 12:25 Whoever loves his life will lose it, but whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
Matthew 10:40
1 Kings 18:4 for when Jezebel had slaughtered the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty men per cave, providing them with food and water.)
Matthew 18:5 And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me.
Mark 9:37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes not only Me, but the One who sent Me.”
Luke 9:48 And He said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes the One who sent Me. For whoever is the least among all of you, he is the greatest.”
Luke 10:16 Whoever listens to you listens to Me; whoever rejects you rejects Me; and whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”
John 12:44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in Me does not believe in Me alone, but in the One who sent Me.
John 13:20 Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever receives the one I send receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives the One who sent Me.”
Matthew 10:41
2 Kings 4:10 Please let us make a small room upstairs and put in it a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp for him. Then when he comes to us, he can stay there.”
Matthew 7:8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
Matthew 25:44 And they too will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’
Matthew 25:45 Then the King will answer, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’
Matthew 10:42
2 Kings 4:10 Please let us make a small room upstairs and put in it a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp for him. Then when he comes to us, he can stay there.”
Proverbs 19:17 Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will repay the lender.
Ecclesiastes 11:1 Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.
Matthew 25:40 And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’
Mark 9:41 Indeed, if anyone gives you even a cup of water because you bear the name of Christ, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.
Hebrews 6:10 For God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown for His name as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so.
Commentary
Matthew 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.” 25 And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27 If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. 30 He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters. 31 “Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
On The Path 