Matthew 10:24-39
“The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master.25 It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul,how much more the members of his household!
26 “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the Onewho can destroy both soul and body in hell.29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.[a]30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others,I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.35 For I have come to turn
“‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’[b]
37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
Let us pray,
May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of all of our hearts, be pleasing and acceptable to you, our rock and our redeemer…
This morning’s Scripture reading Jesus continues to teach his disciples what it means to follow him. Jesus is brutally honest. Faithful proclamation and practice of the gospel will put the disciples in conflict with the world And even with members of our own families.
When Jesus says, ‘For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law,’ Jesus illustrates one area of our lives where we might feel the cost of discipleship. Here Jesus isn’t calling for a simple rejection of family but a reordering. If we want to follow Jesus, then that has to be our priority. And when we take time away from our families to follow Jesus, that will naturally cause conflict.
As if family drama wasn’t bad enough, Jesus tells us that’s not even the worst of it. Jesus says, ‘whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.’ Take up their cross and follow me’ means that Jesus expects his disciples to participate in his suffering. Jesus names their suffering to free them from fear of experiencing it.
I’ve always appreciated how realistic Jesus is about the threats his disciples will face. Somewhere along the line of Christian history, we’ve misunderstood suffering. We understand it as a sign that we’re doing something wrong. Or that our faith isn’t strong enough. But what Jesus is saying here is that suffering for the sake of the gospel is a sign that we’re doing something right. And if we name the cost of discipleship we won’t fear it or allow it to hinder our witness.
So what does it look like to name the cost of discipleship? To name the cost of taking up our crosses and following Jesus. As I was preparing this sermon I was also (finally) organizing some of my pictures from my Central American trip. I found this picture (point to Powerpoint slide) of Monsignor Oscar Romero. I took this picture in El Salvador when we visited his home and chapel.
Romero was a Salvadoran Priest during the Salvadoran Civil War (1979-1992). Romero served a parish in San Salvador- a poor city being ripped apart by gang violence, civil war, and corruption. During the civil war, the military was targeting civilians to terrorize the opposition. In his final sermon given the day before he died, Fr. Romero called for soldiers to disobey orders to kill civilians. He preached, “In the name of God, in the name of this suffering people whose cries rise to the heavens more loudly each day, I implore you, I beg you, I order you in the name of God to stop the repression.” The next day Romero was shot by an assassin as he celebrated mass in a hospital chaplain. Those responsible were never brought to justice.
I share this story not to scare you, but to show you just one example of discipleship leading to the cross. When men choose to stand up for what is right instead of what is easy they often meet the same fate Jesus did. We should not be surprised by this, Jesus says. For if those sent are to reflect the life of the sender. The mission itself will be crucifixion. In other words, if we want to follow Jesus, we have to be prepared to share in all parts of Jesus’ story- the exaltation and the humiliation.
Not all of us are going to be called to martyrdom. But we are all called to participate fully in the life of discipleship- at whatever cost that means for each one of us. My reflection question for us all this week is to reflect on what it means for me to take up my cross and follow Jesus.
As I reflected on this question, here are a few ideas I came up with.
Taking up my cross means speaking out against injustice. I can do this from the pulpit. But I can also do this at family gatherings. When my great uncle makes a racist joke. Instead of staying quiet to keep the peace, I can say, no, that’s not funny, that makes me uncomfortable, please stop.
Taking up my cross means wearing a mask in public. Even though it’s hot. Even though the mask makes it harder to breathe. A mask is one way that I can love my neighbors during a global pandemic. I can also keep my distance from individuals and businesses that do not think it’s important to do their part in keeping everyone safe and healthy.
Taking up my cross means continuing to work with my coach to modify my diet. It means eating more vegetables and less ice cream. It means figuring out how to do this without making everyone around me miserable. Nutrition is a big part of my overall health. And, in the midst of a global pandemic, I need to do my part to stay healthy. So that I can be helpful in whatever our new normal will look like.
Now as I make these changes in my life, I can already feel the pushback. My great-uncle will tell me to quite being a sensitive liberal millennial, he was only joking. My mother is going to tell me that she wears a mask all day at work, she isn’t wearing one for a quick trip to the gas station. My sister will tell me that going out for ice cream this weekend won’t kill me. And I have to be okay with this. I have to be okay with the criticism and the conflict and the name calling that will come my way when I make unpopular decisions. This is the cost of discipleship.
I imagine that a few of you are wondering why we do this? Why do we follow Jesus if it only brings suffering and pain? I think we do this because suffering and pain is a part of the human story. Jesus became man and dwells among us to stand in solidarity with human pain and suffering.
Also, we believe that Jesus will return. And when he does return, we hope to recognize him. Discipleship trains us to recognize Jesus when he returns, and he shows us his hands and his feet. Because we will be familiar with his wounds because they will match our own.
Thanks be to God,
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.