Sermon Notes
Introduction
When the Lord Jesus Christ commanded His disciples to make disciples of all nations, they understood what he meant. They understood because the Lord taught them what it meant to be His disciple. The common usage of the word “disciple,” mathetes in Greek (μαθητής), is a learner, follower, apprentice, and adherent. In those days, learned men, teachers, would set their terms and conditions for those who wanted to become their disciples. Christ also set His terms and standards clearly: to be His disciple is to put Him first, above family and above self. That devotion will divide households and bring conflict where Christ is not adhered to. The genuine disciple of Christ will be despised and rejected, but to those who receive the disciple, God will reward.
1. Division
The Lord is not denying that He gives peace with God to those who follow Him; He is warning that His arrival will bring division like a sword. People must choose either to follow Him or go against Him. When some in the family submit to Christ, and others reject Him, expect the closest relationships to be divided.
Matthew 10:34-36: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.”
2. Standard
The Lord set His terms and conditions. He should be above the family, meaning, above all; no one can compare to Him. The Lord Jesus is not abolishing family affection, but He is forbidding any commitment equal to or higher than Him. Christ expects His disciples to commit to Him more than to self and to any government. The cross is a symbol of what Rome does to those who defy it.
Matthew 10:37-38: Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
3. Rewards
Even if the disciples experience rejection in their own homes, the Lord comforts them. He gives an allusion to the prophets of Old that whoever receives a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward and the same for a righteous person. The Lord states that those who receive the disciples will be rewarded because they are also receiving the Son and the Father.
Matthew 10:40-42: “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
Application
- Let us become disciples of Christ, loving Him above all relationships and above the self. Then let us expect division and rejection when we enjoin others to become His disciples. Yet our hearts must remain true, for it is the Lord who gives us life, even if we lose it.
- Our love for Christ must exceed our love for our closest relationships. Our commitment to Him should be higher than any government. Otherwise, we are not worthy of Him. We will believe and obey His word rather than people, governments, or the self.
- Let us welcome fellow disciples in Christ. Let us also bless fellow disciples in Christ. If we do so, we receive the Father and Son, and they bless us with the Spirit, life, and bounties that we do not know yet.
Study Guide
- What can we expect if we become a genuine disciple? (Mt 10:34-36)
- What clear terms and standards did Christ establish to be worthy of Him? (Mt 10:37-39)
- Explain Christ’s allusion to receiving the prophets. How does that relate to receiving a disciple? (Mt 10:40-42).