Bigger and bolder still

On Monday, we considered faith big and bold – big enough to ask the moon from God, bold enough to defy the scorn of unbelief that often surrounds us. Today’s gospel (Matthew 10: 16-23) drives home the second of these messages, as Jesus bids his disciples to wake up and smell the persecution.

The most striking of His words here are: beware of men. It is not a message we hear very much these days; in fact, we tend to hear the opposite. Ordered to be afraid of being too inward looking, we risk losing our identity through excessive attempts at bridge building. We should build bridges of course, but we should not cast pearls before swine – Jesus said that too! While Jesus’ words are not a counsel of hostility, they are especially an encouragement not to succumb to idealism and naivety. Fellowship with others is important, but not if it unsights us. Cordiality is a sign of our charity but if we dream that serpents are harmless, we will show ourselves only to be as cunning as a dove…

Yet another theme in this dark passage, however, is that we cannot endure persecution or carry our appointed crosses without going on a journey towards self-detachment. If we are betrayed by our brothers, if our children rise against us, if we are hated by all men on account of Christ, how will we bear it otherwise? We talk about detachment, but we might see this matter also in terms of treasures. For where our heart is, there will be our treasure also. And where is our treasure? Where are we invested?

If we are invested in God, then these persecutions may indeed be endured – by His grace and power. Yet insofar as we have secret, unconscious, or even natural investments in all our other relations, then a time may come when we will have to struggle against the forces they exert upon our God-aspiring hearts. It is not that God does not want us to enjoy such relations; but it is that God will have no strange gods before Himself. And sometimes, it is only in a moment of persecution and trial that we find out what our real priorities are. Where do our horizons truly lie – on the edge of eternity or firmly in this world? We do not truly love others unless we are loving them in God and in the way God intends. 

For the wisdom we need to navigate our way among men, for the courage we need to endure the struggles of the age, we must rely only on Him who delivers us out of all our troubles. But the man who stands firm to the end will be saved.