Your Worth (Luke 12:6-7)

Luke 12:6-7   6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God's sight.  7 But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

We are of supreme worth to our creator!  No ifs, ands, or buts.  He loves us.

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The other gospels weigh in...

Matthew 10:29-31  29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.  30 And even the hairs of your head are all counted.  31 So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. 

Be on the up and up! (Luke 12:2-3)

Luke 12:2-3   2 Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known.  3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops.  

I had a conflict management teacher who taught that the key to conflict management was all about manipulating people to do what you wanted them to do. And as any good manipulator knows, getting people to keep secrets and form secret alliances is key to wrongful power.  Healthy power has nothing to hide and doesn't even try to.  Jesus was not manipulative nor did he teach his followers to be.

Be on the up and up!  Don't align yourself with people who aren't.

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Other gospels weigh in...

Matthew 10:26-27   26 "So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known.  27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops.  

How to defend yourself (Matt 10:19-25)

In America these verses may seem to have very little applications to our lives.  We may stretch them at times for comfort when we feel we are misunderstood or when our view is not honored.  But whatever persecution we face, it is nothing compared to what goes on in other parts of the world.  And yet, we know that the Holy Spirit is with us always and will always guide us no matter what our situation is...

Matthew 10:19-25   19 When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time;  20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.  21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death;  22 and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.  

Will we - would we - endure?  Pray for those under going persecution: http://www.prisoneralert.com/

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The other gospels weigh in...


Mark 13:11-13  When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.  12 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death;  13 and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 

Luke 21:14-19   ...Make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance;  15 for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.  16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death.  17 You will be hated by all because of my name.  18 But not a hair of your head will perish.  19 By your endurance you will gain your souls. 

Cost of Discipleship (Matt 10:17-18)

The cost of discipleship is this...

17 Beware of , for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues;  


The purpose of enduring is this...


18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. 

Jesus' followers were to expect persecution by both the religious people (in their synagogues) and the secular people (governors and kings).  Following Jesus offends those who claim to be God's children (but aren't), as well as, those who don't make that claim.

If our following Jesus has never been offensive to someone else, then it might be time to think about why.  

Be Wise but Innocent (Matt 10:17-25)

Matthew 10:16-17   16 "See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.  


Luke 10:3   3 Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 

This wolf attack last April in El Pego left 20 sheep dead.

Two things to note.  First, Jesus was sending his own disciples into danger knowing what the wolves were capable of.  And his disciples wouldn't always come back in one piece.  This is sometimes the cost of following Jesus.  Secondly, they were to be wise, but innocent.  This is an incredibly hard balance to maintain.  

I was part of a team of executives who were negotiating a business deal between two companies.  We flew executives from the other company into Atlanta and spent the day with them in the early stages of negotiating the deal.  At the end of the day, we sent them back to the airport in a limo.  Unbeknownst to me, the limo driver that we sent them with was actually one of our employees only dressed as a limo driver.   My boss had placed a mole in the limo as their driver so that he could report back on their conversation as he drove them to the airport.  He was hoping they would discuss the deal so that we could gain an advantage in the negotiations.  Brilliant, but not innocent.  Jesus wants his disciples to be wise AND innocent.  Not manipulative.  Always truthful.  Not seeking their gain at other's expense.   This is a hard balance to maintain especially when the stakes are big and maybe your life or livelihood is on the line.  

Be wise and innocent.  Live with integrity.

Handling Rejection (Matt 10:11-16)

Matthew 10:11-16  Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave.  As you enter the house, greet it.  If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.  If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town.  Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.  


Why did Jesus need to tell the disciples to leave and take their blessings of peace from people who reject them?  It seems logical not to waste your time where you aren't wanted.  It seems logical that it would even be freeing to be able to give up and walk away.  So why does Jesus have to say anything?  I think it is because the opposite is  actually true.

When I have encountered people who reject the way of Christ, I have wanted to keep trying to convince them to embrace Jesus.  Their rejection grieved me, not on a personal "I don't want to be rejected" level, but on an "I love you and don't want to walk away" level - on an "I am broken too, but Jesus is the way to our wholeness... let's seek him together" level.  My heart went out to them in a way that made me understand a little of what makes Christ's heart break for humanity.  I can't help but believe that it wasn't the same for the disciples too.

I think Jesus needed to tell his disciples to leave, because leaving wouldn't be what they wanted to do.  He knew they would fall in love with those who had not found the bread of life and want to feed them - so much so - that his disciples, if not instructed otherwise, would continue to beat their heads against a wall.   So Jesus had to instruct his disciples to leave and go find others to invite into his community.

Some interesting points about these verses...

When you enter into a relationship with those you find, you were to offer them your peace - your shalom or wholeness.  In other words, you tied your well being to their well being.  You entered into a relationship that was meant to become a holy one - one that was to become part of Jesus' community.  When they rejected you, you were to break that tie... no longer would your wholeness be dependent on them.  No longer would your wholeness be extend to them.

Another thing that seems so odd to me is that Christ has tied the acceptance of his disciples to the acceptance of him.  They go hand in hand.  When his disciples are rejected, he is rejected.  You can't accept him - come into his community and at the same time reject others.  It doesn't work that way.  His community is not only about entering into a relationship with God, but also about accepting and loving others - warts and all.

Worst of all, Jesus predicts that these people you leave behind will self-destruct - like Sodom and Gomorrah.  At first I thought Jesus was trying to comfort the disciples by telling them that God would seek revenge on people who treat them poorly.  But I seriously doubt that.  I think Jesus is telling the disciples that the self-destruction of those left behind is a natural result of their rejecting you (and hence, Christ). It is going to happen and it isn't because his disciples didn't stay long enough or try hard enough.  Unfortunately, watching people reject Jesus is a part of the burden Jesus' followers bear.  And their hearts will break just like Jesus' heart breaks.  

Jesus may have had another reason for bringing the story of Sodom and Gomorrah into the conversation.  Remember when Lot left Sodom and Gomorrah?  He and his family were just outside of town when the town exploded into fire.  Remember how Lot's wife looked back at the town and she was turned into a pillar of salt?  I guess we could surmise, that it is ill advised to even look back towards the people you have left - the message being... keep moving forward to the place where God is leading you and start inviting the people who live there into the kingdom.

For me, it is comforting to know that God is a God of second, third, and many other chances.  And that he loves those who reject him even more than I do.  We can always pray that God will send others and that they will not be rejected.

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The other gospels weigh in...

Mark 6:10-11   He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place.  If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them." 

Luke 9:4-5  Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there.  Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them." 

Traveling Light (Matt 10:8-10)

Matthew 10:8-10  You received without payment; give without payment.  9 Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts,  10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. 

Mark 6:8-9  8 He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts;  9 but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. 


Luke 9:3  3 He said to them, "Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money-- not even an extra tunic. 


Why did Jesus want his disciples to travel unencumbered?  I think he wanted them focused on spreading the news of his kingdom - easier to do with no luggage to drag around.  I think he also wanted them to depend on others to care for them - forcing them into relationship with those they needed to be building relationships with.  And it checked the desire to profit from their work by telling them not to accept payment for their work.  These are things we all need to think about...

• Do we have luggage that is keeping us from sharing Jesus' community?
• Are we in relationship with those who need to learn from us?
• Are we willing to depend on others to support us?
• Are we profiting from Jesus' message and power?  
• Are our motives right?