24
"A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the
master; 25 it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and
the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the
house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his
household! 26 "So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered
up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not
become known. 27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light;
and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. 28 Do not
fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear
him who 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 apart from your Father. 30 And even the hairs of your head are
all counted. 31 So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many
sparrows. 32 "Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before
others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; 33 but
whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in
heaven. 34 "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the
earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have
come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her
mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and one's
foes will be members of one's own household. 37 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; 38 and whoever does not
take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Those who
find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my
sake will find it.
it
is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like
the master.
- Today's passage from Matthew's Gospel could be used for a whole season of sermons. Each sentence is worth a sermon in itself. On days like this, I hardly know where to start. I'm drawn to the verses that tell us that we are more valuable to our God than any number of sparrows. As far as buying two sparrows for a penny, I wonder where Jesus shops. We may return to that.
- The verse about how it is sufficient for the disciple to be like the teacher is a good one. It reminds us that we as disciples of Jesus Christ are to take him as our model. It also reminds us that we will be treated as he was treated; we can expect opposition and even persecution. We can expect that our witness to the Good News will often fall on deaf ears... just as it did for Jesus. And we remember again that whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
- Discipleship in this world has a cost and we don't always know what that cost will be. We might imagine stories of persecution and bloody martyrdom, but do we imagine isolation? Do we imagine that people around us will think we're weird? Do we imagine having less money because of our discipleship support of congregations and ministries? What would this do to our families? Do we imagine our own disappointment when those we love dearly do not follow the same path we have found ourselves called to follow?
- So is the cost worth it? That's a question each one of us can only answer for ourselves. We might also ask if Jesus had such opposition as has just been mentioned. The Gospels provide the answer to that question. Jesus family wanted to take him home because they thought his behaviour to be out of line. Peter, one of Jesus' closest friends, tried to talk him out of all the talk of the cross. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus pleaded to be relieved of the burden of what was to come. So if we have such questions and experiences, we are in the best of company, for it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master.
- All this talk of opposition from within and without is tiring. Where is the discussion of how good disciples will have it and the great rewards that will come their way? That discussion is not to be found in this passage. Still there is comfort here. Remember the sparrows? Two for a penny at No Frills, right? These little birds were part of the diet of the poor in Jesus time and we can all imagine how much meat would be on those little bones. In the great scheme of things, these little birds, whether on the wing on on the plate, were pretty insignificant. We all know what sparrows look like and how many of them there are around. Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
- Our call to discipleship is a grace, a grace we might not have chosen on our own, but a grace that has chosen us. It is a costly grace, not a cheap grace of a discipleship that does not include the cross. The cross is always at the centre for A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master...
- Still this call to discipleship is a special one, a graced one, and a serious one. We are to proclaim the Kingdom of God and speak the Good News of Jesus, but there is more than that. As Jesus tells us: it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. Jesus is our teacher, our master, our model, our Lord and our saviour. In an even more profound way, we are to be “little Christs.” This week, I found a short prayer or reflection that speaks to this. It comes from a Spanish saint, Teresa of Ávila and it sums up Christian discipleship in a wonderful way.
- Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
—
Teresa
of Ávila
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