Jesus' Truth in Laboring Act

Matthew 10:5-11:1

About one year has passed since Jesus started his ministry. During that time he gave the four fishermen the invitation to follow him. Later he gave the same invitation to our favorite tax collector and disciple, Matthew. These five and probably the other future members of the twelve disciples spent part of that first year travelling with Jesus, listening to his sermons and seeing his miracles. And once Jesus saved them and their fishing boat from sinking in a violent storm.

Since we started Matthew most our attention has been on the proof that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah. And also on how successful Jesus had been in his first year of ministry.  Today we are going to shift our focus to include a momentous occasion for the twelve disciples.

In today’s scripture Jesus takes this loose band of followers and organizes them in a more official capacity as official apostles. They must have been pumped. They must have felt so honored, so fortunate to get to associate with this super star. They were the Messiah’s A-Team.

  Matthew 10:5-11:1. 

  5 These twelve men were sent out by Jesus with the following instructions: “Do not go to any Gentile territory or any Samaritan towns. 6 Instead, you are to go to the lost sheep of the people of Israel. 7 Go and preach, ‘The Kingdom of heaven is near!’ 8 Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, heal those who suffer from dreaded skin diseases, and drive out demons. You have received without paying, so give without being paid. 9 Do not carry any gold, silver, or copper money in your pockets; 10 do not carry a beggar’s bag for the trip or an extra shirt or shoes or a walking stick. Workers should be given what they need. 

11 “When you come to a town or village, go in and look for someone who is willing to welcome you, and stay with him until you leave that place. 12 When you go into a house, say, ‘Peace be with you.’ 13 If the people in that house welcome you, let your greeting of peace remain; but if they do not welcome you, then take back your greeting. 14 And if some home or town will not welcome you or listen to you, then leave that place and shake the dust off your feet. 15 I assure you that on the Judgment Day God will show more mercy to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah than to the people of that town!

  Jesus sent them with instructions. He told them where to go and what to do. Their audience was supposed to be Jewish and they were to preach the same message they’d been hearing Jesus preach: the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. They were probably supposed to pass on as much of the Sermon on the Mount as possible.

In addition, they were supposed to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers and cast out demons. That would be exciting. To have that kind of power would be a feeling my dad calls exhilarating and transporting. This would be more exciting than Donald Trump choosing you to be his personal apprentice or suddenly having Brees or Manning ask you to suit up for the Super Bowl. What the disciples were feeling was more heart pounding than getting the secret recipe for Coca-Cola.

Their mission would be exciting. They were going to be treated like VIPs but also if anyone gave them grief, Jesus had their backs.  Up until now these guys had been at the bottom of the social pecking order. They were nobodies at the mercy of Rome and their religious leaders. But that had all changed. They were now officially disciples of Jesus Christ, the one and only Messiah.

When Jesus said their enemies would go down like Sodom and Gomorrah, I think pandemonium broke out: shouting and dancing and high fives. 

  16 “Listen! I am sending you out just like sheep to a pack of wolves. (That got their attention.) You must be as cautious as snakes and as gentle as doves. 

  17 Watch out, for there will be those who will arrest you and take you to court, and they will whip you in the synagogues. 18 For my sake you will be brought to trial before rulers and kings, to tell the Good News to them and to the Gentiles. (Some of them must have started looking for an exit so Jesus raised his voice a bit and continued.) 19 When they bring you to trial, do not worry about what you are going to say or how you will say it; when the time comes, you will be given what you will say. 20 For the words you will speak will not be yours; they will come from the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. (Then just as they start to relax, Jesus says:)

  21 “People will hand over their own brothers to be put to death, and fathers will do the same to their children; children will turn against their parents and have them put to death. 22 Everyone will hate you because of me. But whoever holds out to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, run away to another one. I assure you that you will not finish your work in all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 

24 “No pupil is greater than his teacher; no slave is greater than his master. 25 So a pupil should be satisfied to become like his teacher, and a slave like his master. If the head of the family is called Beelzebul, the members of the family will be called even worse names! 
    In 1968, The Truth in Lending Act was passed to protect consumers taking out loans. The act forced lenders to explain terminology and fully disclose all the costs of the loan. They even had to reveal the total amount that would actually be paid over the term of the loan.

Jesus had a Truth in Laboring Act. After giving the disciples their instructions, he gave them a full disclosure of the possible costs involved with being a laborer in the God’s harvest field.

If he hadn’t laid it out, the disciples wouldn’t have known all the costs. Until he spoke they didn’t even have an inkling that they were signing on to be hated or killed or persecuted or even called bad names. The euphoria had left them and a growing panic was gripping them.

But evidently no one bolted. They had to have taken some time to process what Jesus had just said. They would have had to wrestle with their fears. Name calling they could probably deal with but what about persecution. Would they have the fortitude to endure that? And what would their families do if they actually got ki-ki-killed?

Someone may have asked, “Who are these people that are going to persecute us and what exactly are they going to do.” 

 26 “So do not be afraid of people. Whatever is now covered up will be uncovered, and every secret will be made known. 27 What I am telling you in the dark you must repeat in broad daylight, and what you have heard in private you must announce from the housetops. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather be afraid of God, who can destroy both body and soul in hell. 29 For only a penny you can buy two sparrows, yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father’s consent. 30 As for you, even the hairs of your head have all been counted. 31 So do not be afraid; you are worth much more than many sparrows! 

 32 “Those who declare publicly that they belong to me, I will do the same for them before my Father in heaven. 33 But those who reject me publicly, I will reject before my Father in heaven. 

Jesus gave them three reasons not to be afraid.[1] First, the full truth would emerge and they would be vindicated. They weren’t giving their lives to something iffy. Second, if they were to be killed death isn’t final. That’s not our biggest fear. Going against God and going to hell is a much greater fear. And third, Jesus promised God’s continued care for them.

Jesus’ humor: In Sermon on the Mount he had told audience: Look at the birds of the air. Are you not of more value than they (6:26)? Now he looks at his trembling disciples and says: Fear not, you are of more value than many sparrows.
  Still no one bolted. They had new information and they had to have taken more time to process what Jesus had just said. They would have had to wrestle with their thoughts.

  Surely Jesus had missed something. A quick review of Messiah 101 confirmed their own hypothesis. The great prophet Isaiah had said the Messiah will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

And then the clincher: Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end (Isaiah 9:7).

 It seemed contradictory that the Messiah would cause conflicts.  One of them might have even reminded him: But Jesus didn’t you just say we were to give a greeting of peace to the homes where we’ll stay. I think, Jesus, if we bring peace, we’ll get peace.  

  34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the world. No, I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 I came to set sons against their fathers, daughters against their mothers, daughters-in-law against their mothers-in-law; 36 your worst enemies will be the members of your own family.

 Let’s recap. Jesus called them to be laborers in the harvest. He sent them out to do the exact same things he’d been doing: preaching the kingdom and performing miracles to help people resume normal lives.

 Then after he given them this good news, he filled them in on the possibility of severe opposition. He didn’t minimize the risks.  How would we react? How do we react to anything? First, we usually have an emotional reaction. And then we think about it. For example, someone asks you to do something out of your comfort zone. At first you might be too chicken to do it and have a dozen reasons why you shouldn’t. But then you pray about it, realize your excuses aren’t valid and you overcome your fear and do it.

 The disciples were just like us. First, Jesus, talked about their fears and then he talked about their thoughts. They had false expectations about what the Messiah would do and Jesus corrected them.

 I’m not sure if we’re afraid to talk to people about Jesus or if we’re embarrassed. Hard to distinguish between to two sometimes and either one can put us on the sidelines. The reason we might be embarrassed is that the media and over zealous do-gooders have given people who witness bad name. It’s worse than being a hillbilly or a bigot.

In 2010, people probably aren’t going to raise the Messiah’s link to peace as an issue. More than likely they’re going to say one of the following:

· But I thought everybody was going to be saved.

· But I thought every religion had the same god.

· But I thought witnessing was the pastor’s job.

· But I thought we should respect other beliefs.

 Jesus made it pretty clear that what he was sending the disciples out to do was not optional. He’d already thought it through and he wasn’t looking to them for clarification. What he gave them was a serious mission:

· Those who rejected them and their message would have it worse off than Sodom and Gomorrah

· God’s ability to destroy bodies and souls in Hell is a reality.

· Jesus would deny people who denied him.

· People who tried to save their lives would lose them.

When we contemplate the Great Commission we experience powerful emotions and our thinking is often clouded by false expectations. The end result is that we do nothing.

At this point the disciples may have found themselves in the same place we often find ourselves, on the fence.

Here’s what Jesus says to on-the-fence disciples. 
 

Matthew 10:37-42

· 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.

· 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.

  Each disciple had to decide for himself which whoever he would be. It was a big choice they had to make. It was a big choice they would be preaching about. It’s a choice we have to make.

As we review what Jesus said in his Truth in Laboring instructions, we also need to remember that he started with the word, Go! And he ended them with the word, reward. 

Matthew 11:1 When Jesus finished giving these instructions to his twelve disciples, he left that place and went off to teach and preach in the towns near there.

He’s still at it and we must join him. The harvest is ready.

Youth Message

You can get blisters following Jesus!

 I can tell by looking at all of you that you like hard work. If you have to push hard, push hard. If it’s heavy, lift it up. If you have to pull hard, pull hard. If you have to keep doing it over and over, do it over and over.

 Pretty soon it’s going to warm up and it will be time to work in the garden, hoeing a raking. If you do the same action repeatedly you may get some blisters but that won’t stop us will it. We’ll just throw on a Band-Aid or a pair of gloves and keep at it even if it hurts.

 Now here’s a question, I want you to think about. Let’s pretend that your neighbor is Jesus. He lives right next to you. And he has a garden. He stops by one morning after school is out and ask if you’d come help him in his garden. Would you do it? Would you go and dig and hoe and rake?

 Here’s the question? If you were working in Jesus’ garden, would you still get blisters?

 The answer is, “Yes, you would.” Following Jesus doesn’t make our lives easier. It makes them right. Following Jesus, doesn’t protect us from the consequences of being human, but it does give us the promise that Jesus will help us not matter what we face, no matter how hard it is, no matter what bad things happen.