Loyalty Tested • Matthew 10:16-20, 26-34
By Carl M. White
Much of life is built upon promises. When buying a house you sign a promissory note.
The family is built upon the foundation of the marital vow, promises made at the altar before God and witnesses. Being loyal is the trait of being faithful, unwaveringly committed to keeping your promises. In a nationalization ceremony, a person from another country pledges their loyalty and fidelity to the Constitution of the United States. In life, loyalty is often tested. This is true in the life of a follower of Christ.
Jesus sent his twelve disciples out on a mission. He gives them the authority to cast out unclean spirits and to heal (10:1). He also advises them on where to go, what to take, who to engage with, and how to respond to certain situations (10:5-15). He was attempting to prepare them for what was ahead, for he knew that their loyalty to Him would be tested. In the same way, Jesus seeks to prepare us. In our focal passages we see the kind of qualities we need to remain loyal to the Gospel.
In 10:16, Jesus uses a comparison. They would be as sheep in the midst of wolves. The sheep/wolf relationship is the classic predator/prey dynamic. Without the help of the shepherd or a watch dog, sheep are easy prey. Our adversary, the devil, is described in 1 Peter 1:5 as a roaring lion, a predator, “seeking someone to devour.” It is a good thing that the Lord is our shepherd, as Psalm 23 declares.
We are like sheep, but we are not like sheep in every respect. Jesus tells His disciples, His sheep, to be as wary as a serpent while remaining as innocent as a dove. In other words, we must develop the skills and abilities within us for facing the wolves.
You cannot read this passage without being impressed with how totally honest Jesus is about the perils of following Him. He is sending them out toward danger. Their mettle would be tested. Your mettle will be tested as you follow Christ!
The word translated wary in the NASB is translated shrewd in the NIV and the CSB, and as wise in the ESV. I heard someone define wisdom as the ability to see how to get things done. A wise person sees a path forward. This involves training, experience, and innate ability.
The word translated innocent in the NASB and the NIV means without mixed motivations, literally, no evil intent. Those on mission for the Lord need to check their motivations. Even the immigrant who takes the naturalization pledges says, “…I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.” In other words, with pure intent.
The simple truth is, to follow Christ in the world of Jesus and in today’s world is perilous. It requires wisdom and pure intent.
In the second focal passage, Jesus speaks of birds and hair. These two illustrations are given in the context of the real danger to be faced. There are things to be feared, but nothing will remain hidden. There is darkness, but what the disciple does is to be done in the light. What God whispers in your ear in the quiet of your prayer closet, shout it from the mountain top. Do not fear, for your God will protect you.
After all, if a sparrow never falls without God taking note, and if every hair on your head is numbered, He remains ever aware of you. How can you be sure of that? You are so valuable to God that He sent His Son to the cross to pay the penalty for your sins. Realize your value to God, fear and respect God, and you have the best antidote to the fear of man.
Loyalty to the Gospel, along with wisdom and purity of commitment, will carry you through your journey. Thus, do not fear those who would oppose the Gospel of Christ.
The third focal passage states a Gospel certainty. If you confess with your mouth Jesus Lord, He will confess you before the Father in heaven. Christian history has shown that those who confess their faith in Christ before others leave a witness that echoes into eternity. The courage of the believer is founded on the fact that, no matter what happens, once you confess Him as Lord you cannot drift beyond the boundary of His love.
Proclamation of the truth of the Gospel has, in history, resulted in the sword. But loyalty to Gospel will rise above all things.
White is a member of Pineview Church, Clinton.
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