A homily for 25 June 2023
The Collect
O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving-kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Gospel
Matthew 10:24-39
24 A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his lord. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his teacher, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more them of his household! 26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. 27 What I tell you in the darkness, speak ye in the light; and what ye hear in the ear, proclaim upon the house-tops. 28 And be not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father: 30 but the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. 32 Every one therefore who shall confess in me before men, in him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven.
34 Think not that I came to send peace on the earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law: 36 and a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. 37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And he that doth not take his cross and follow after me, is not worthy of me. 39 He that found his life shall lose it; and he that lost his life for my sake shall find it.
Commentary on Today’s Gospel Selection
Modern Day Prophets
When you access the Internet and run a search on the word “prophet” you will read that a prophet is a person who speaks God’s truth to others. The English word prophet, comes from the Greek word prophetes, which can mean “one who speaks forth” or “advocate.” Prophets are also called “seers,” because of their spiritual insight or their ability to “see” the future.
In the Bible, prophets often had both a teaching and revelatory role, declaring God’s truth on contemporary issues while also revealing details about the future.
Our scripture for today is sometimes known as the third part of Matthew’s Missionary Discourse. In this segment Jesus tells his disciples how to pick up the cross and follow him. These verses are inspired in part by the actions of the people of Israel who were famous for persecuting prophets or anyone who spoke the word of God, when those words were critical of what the Hebrew people wanted to do. However these words of Christ also bear an ominous warning to his followers of this modern era.
When you read the words of the ancient prophets of Israel, you see the prophets warning the people of Israel to repent and change their ways, abandon the popular culture and return to a lifestyle as defined by the covenant God had established with the Hebrew people. Every time they failed to abide by the terms of this agreement, God punished them by allowing them to be conquered in battle and the survivors enslaved by foreign powers.
Now you might ask, how is this talk regarding the persecution of ancient prophets and God’s punishments of the Hebrew people relative to Christ’s discourse on cross-bearing?
In the first two verses, 24 and 25, Jesus said; “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his teacher, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more them of his household!” The Principle that a student should not expect better treatment than his teacher is self evident, but Christ uses this principle to illustrate the fact that if they persecuted him, even calling him the devil, then his followers should expect the same opposition.
Just as the early church was persecuted, the contemporary church faces ever increasing degrees of prosecution. While here in the Western world, individual Christians are not murdered on a grand scale as they are in other parts of the world, however Christians in the West are in fact being targeted for harassment and even jail time for being a modern day prophet or a person who speaks God’s truth to others.
Christians have been arrested for simply praying silently or quietly, in protest of the abortion clinic just across the street. Christians have been arrested and tried as criminals for simply and peacefully speaking God’s truth in regards to same sex attraction and the madness of the transgender craze. All across America people have been fired from their jobs because they exercised their first amendment right of freedom of speech and rightfully proclaimed all acts, common to GLBT, to be sinful.
Jesus knew that just as it would happen to him and his followers comprising the early church, it would happen to us today. He said; “Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in the darkness, speak ye in the light; and what ye hear in the ear, proclaim upon the house-tops. And be not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
The principalities and powers of the world that Paul spoke of, love the dark, they seek to hide the truth. But Jesus tells us not to fear them because no matter how hard they try, the truth will always come out. He told them to boldly proclaim from the housetops what had been given to them quietly. In the same respect when we hear that small inner voice whispering in our ears, we need to boldly proclaim that which is from the Lord.
Jesus tells us not to fear Satan and his minions who can kill the body but not the soul. However he warns that we should respect the power of he who can not only kill the body but the soul as well, that entity being God the Father.
Jesus uses in verses 29-32 an analogy of God’s knowledge of all things including when a sparrow falls from the air, then he asks rhetorically if we are not more valuable to the Holy Father than a simple bird.
Finally he gives the greatest reason why we should prophesy or speak the truth of God to the world, and not fear Satan and the powers and principalities. Jesus promises that who ever speaks the truth of God and Christs promise of salvation, he will defend them on that final judgment day when we stand before God.
The warning that Jesus gave his disciples, that they would be persecuted just as he was, not only applies to us today as individuals, but the warning applies to our nation as well.
When you look at the series of historical events that culminated in the founding of the United States, it is hard to believe that it was not part of God’s plan.
For the first time in human history a Christian nation was founded, one ruled by the people and not by a tyrannical monarchy.
The culture of the founding fathers was overwhelmingly a Christian one, and each of them came from Christian families and went to church on most Sundays. Even those who some scholars characterize as secular Deists, none the less believed in the Judaeo-Christian God of the Holy Bible. Many of the founding principles and judicial law were based upon biblical principles and laws. There are literally mountains of evidence to confirm the belief that America was founded as a Christian Nation.
The United States became that proverbial bright and shining city on the hill top, the standard for other countries to emulate.
But just as the Hebrew people—those that the bible asserts are God’s chosen—turned away from God, and were warned by the prophets of the consequences they would suffer if they did not repent, and indeed did suffer God’s retribution for their actions; what makes us think that we are immune from the same treatment? With each passing decade, we turn further from the path delineated by God, normalizing all things God’s Holy Word clearly characterizes as abominations in the eyes of God..
Jesus said; “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his teacher, and the servant as his lord.”
Jesus told his disciples and us by extension, to preach the Gospel, to give witness of him. He also said to keep his Fathers Holy Word, and he inferred that if we did all this things he spoke of, we would have nothing to fear from the powers and principalities of the world, Satan and his minions. But he did say we should fear he who can kill body and soul, God.
It is time to stop fearing cancel culture, we must be as prophets of old always speaking God’s truth. We may lose a job for witnessing for Christ, but God will provide.
It would be better to speak the truth, to proclaim what is right, than to see our country vanquished by our enemies or each of us to languish in hell for eternity, for not speaking God’s truth.
On that note I ask you, are you a modern day prophet, a person who speaks God’s truth to all others?
Benediction
God grant the living, grace; to the departed, rest, to the Nation, peace and concord; to us and all your servants the promise of everlasting life, light to guide us on our way, courage to support us, and your blessing to unite us in service to you our God and this Country. Amen.
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