Deeper Reflection
After Jesus called the twelve disciples, He sent them out to the surrounding towns and villages to proclaim the Kingdom of God (Matt 10:1-7). Verses 24 to 33 contain part of Jesus’ instructions to His disciples as He warned them of persecution by opponents of the Gospel. The word “fear”⁷ (four times; vv.26, 28, 31) is commonly used in the New Testament to cover a large range of contexts,⁸ from fearing physical danger⁹ and social ramifications,¹⁰ to feeling awe, reverence and respect for God.¹¹ Just as Jesus was persecuted, so will His disciples be persecuted as they began to proclaim the Kingdom (vv.24-25). They therefore needed to have the right kind of fear.Jesus did not sugarcoat the costs of discipleship, nor sidestep discussion on the implications of following Him. Instead, Jesus taught His disciples and heightened their vision of God and His Kingdom. First, we should fear the Lord because He has the power to completely destroy and punish all sinners (v.28). Second, we should fear the Lord because we are so precious to Him that nothing in our lives escapes His loving attention and care (vv.29-31). Third, we should fear the Lord because all people must acknowledge Jesus for entry into God’s Kingdom; if we deny Jesus before men, He will deny us before the Father (vv.32-33).In our life, God should be the One we ultimately fear because He is truly great and truly good. We are to direct all our awe, reverence and respect towards God who alone is worthy, and to keep pointing unbelievers to Jesus, the only way to the Father (Jn 14:6).

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⁶ 1 Corinthians 9:22 ⁷ Greek phobeo ⁸ Mangum, Douglas, Derek R. Brown, Rachel Klippenstein, and Rebekah Hurst, eds. Lexham Theological Wordbook. Lexham Bible Reference Series. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014 ⁹ E.g. Matthew 14:30 ¹⁰ E.g. Matthew 1:20. ¹¹ E.g. Mark 4:41; Luke 18:2, 4