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Jesus encouraged people to be loyal

Read Matthew 10:26–42

Jesus encouraged people to be loyal always. They can show this in their words and in their actions.

Jesus gave reasons for disciples to be loyal. He asked that they obey him completely.

Jesus accepted reality. He knew that birds die. He knew that his disciples could die too (verse 28). So Jesus’ disciples might suffer. They might even die. But Jesus showed them a way to deal with hard things. This would help to remove fear. This was most important. Otherwise, fear could make them not accept Jesus. Then, he must refuse to accept them.

Here, Jesus said 6 things to encourage them and us. It should help them and us to be loyal.

  • God knows everything now. One day, nothing will be secret (verse 26). All will know who are God’s children. So, Jesus’ disciples must not be afraid. They must speak boldly about Jesus (verse 27). (Note: In ancient Israel, people would announce things for everyone to hear. They would do this from the roof of a house.)
  • When he speaks boldly, a disciple’s life could be in danger. (Read verse 28.) Jesus does not pretend about this. A disciple may suffer and die when he is on earth. But something would be worse than this. That would be to suffer God’s punishment in hell.

Everyone has a body and a soul. (Note: The soul includes the spirit.) Together, the body, soul and spirit make the real person. This is what the Bible teaches. When a person dies, the two parts separate. But they will unite again. This will happen at the end of the world (the present age). So, death of the body is not final. It is not the worst thing that could happen. The worst thing is to have God’s punishment.

  • Nothing can happen unless God allows it. (Read verse 29. Compare Romans 8:28–29.) In ancient Israel, small birds were very cheap. (Read Luke 12:26.) But, God cared for them at every moment of their lives. So God would always look after his disciples. They might still suffer. They might still die. But all that happened would bring honour to God. There would be many good things for God’s people too.
  • God gives his very special care and his love to his children. (Read verses 30–31.) God may allow hard times in life. But, he gives his great love too. This may not make things easy. But his love makes it possible to continue in hard times.
  • There are rewards for those who are loyal to Jesus. (Read verses 32–33.) Some people are loyal to Jesus in this life. Then Jesus will be loyal to them in the life that is future.
  • Anything that we do for Jesus will have a reward. It is the same for anything that we do for a disciple of his. It will have a reward too. (Read verses 40–42.) The disciple may be an important person. Or he may not be important at all. We should still welcome him or her. We should be ready to help any disciple of Jesus. There will be a reward for this.

Each disciple of Jesus must be completely sincere. They must obey Jesus. And they must be completely loyal to him. To Jesus, there are two sorts of people. First, there are those who are his disciples. Second, there are those who are not his disciples. Nothing else is possible.

Questions

  • Consider each part of this section. How should I apply each lesson to my own life?
  • Think about your church. Is there a famous disciple in it? Is there an unknown disciple? Is their value in the church the same? If it is not, what could the members of the church do about it? Think about practical examples.
  • Think about Christians whom non-Christians opposed. Yet, these Christians did not deny their love for Jesus. They continued to follow him. What effect did these Christians have?