Do Not Fear
Matthew 10:24-31
Have you felt afraid to tell someone about your faith in Christ? Do you shrink back in fear when you should proclaim the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ? If you are like me, you have probably had times when you felt you ought to tell someone about Jesus and yet you kept silent because of fear.
What are we afraid of? More often than not, we fail to share the message of Christ because we’re afraid of what people will think or say about us. We’re afraid that they might be offended, or they might react toward us with anger. Christians in some places may face fears of suffering persecution or even death.
In Matthew 10, Jesus gives instructions to His disciples as He sends them out to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom to the lost sheep of Israel. As we saw last time, beginning in Matthew 10:16, Jesus warned His followers about the opposition and hostility they will face as they proclaim the kingdom in Christ. He warned them, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves… ” (Matt. 10:16). He tells them to ” beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you” (Matt. 10:17). He tells them, “. . . You will be hated by all for My name’s sake” (Matt. 10:22). He says, “If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!” (Matt. 10:25). Jesus says they will be opposed and persecuted. Persecution is meant to cause fear. It is meant to intimidate. It is meant to keep people from doing what the persecutors don’t want you to do.
Like those first disciples, we, too, have been called to be Christ’s representatives in this world. We, too, have been commissioned to preach the gospel of the kingdom—to make disciples of all the nations. And like those first disciples, we will face opposition and hostility which may cause us to be afraid. So, we need the message that Jesus gives to His disciples in Matthew 10.
Three times in our passage, Jesus commands His disciples not to be afraid. In Matthew 10:26, He says, “Therefore do not fear them . . .” In Matthew 10:28, He says, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” And in Matthew 10:31, He says, “Do not fear therefore . . .” The encouraging word Jesus gives us is, “Do not fear.”
And this passage encourages us that we can share the message of the gospel without fear when we remember the things Jesus teaches us in it. Jesus gives four reasons to not be afraid or hesitate when proclaiming the gospel message.[1] All four of these have to do with God, His nature, His providence, and His plans.
The first reason Jesus says for us to not be afraid is …
1. God Makes You Like Christ (Matt. 10:24-25)
Jesus says in Matthew 10:26, “Therefore do not fear them . . .” The conjunction “therefore” looks back to what Jesus just said in Matthew 10:24-25. There, He stated the principle, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master” (Matt. 10:24). Jesus gave an illustration about the natural order of things. Who is more important, the disciple or the teacher? Who is more important, the slave or the master? Obviously, it is the teacher and master who are above the disciple and servant.
Then He said, “It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master …” (Matt. 10:25). We expect the experience of the teacher to be reflected in the student. God isn’t asking any more from you than this. All God wants is what? For you to be like Christ. The purpose of our life as disciples of Christ is to learn and become like our teacher and master. When people meet us, they should be able to tell to whom we belong.[2]
But then, notice how Jesus applies this principle. He says, “… If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of the household!” (Matt. 10:25). If they call Jesus names, then we should expect them to call His followers names also.
“Beelzebub” or “Beelzebul” (NASB) is a reference to a Canaanite deity (2 Kings 1:2) which came to be how the Jews referred to Satan or the ruler of the demons (Matt. 12:24). It was a vulgar insult and it was thrown at Jesus more than once (Matthew 9:34; 12:24, 27). Jesus is saying that, if they call Him names like this, even to the point of insulting Him and calling Him an instrument of the devil, how much more certain will it be that they will insult us? Jesus is the “master of the house” and we are servants in His household. He is Lord and we belong to Him. In other words, if they would do this to Jesus, and He is far more important than us, what makes you think they won’t do it to us? Even more, if God would allow them to do it to His Son, what makes you think God won’t allow it in our lives?[3]
On the night that Jesus was betrayed, He told His disciples, “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me” (John 15:18-21).
We will be slandered and persecuted because that’s what they did to our Master. Jesus explains that the more we share in His likeness, the more we should expect to share in His sufferings. What an honor it would be if we were so much like Jesus that the world treated us like it did Him! What a great honor it is to be insulted and mistreated for our connection to Jesus! In the Beatitudes, Jesus said, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven …” (Matt. 5:11-12). We are blessed because when we patiently suffer for the name of Christ, God is making us more like Christ. In Acts 5, when the Sanhedrin had beaten, threatened, and commanded the apostles not to speak in the name of Jesus (Acts 5:40), they rejoiced “that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41). Peter later wrote in his first epistle:
“… But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Pet. 2:20-23).
Jesus says “Do not fear” when people insult us and revile us for the sake of Christ. Through it all, God is making us more like His Son. And that is our ultimate goal. This life is not about our comfort or prosperity. It’s not about popularity or pleasure. It’s all about Christ. It’s all about His kingdom. It’s all about God conforming us to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29) for His glory. Therefore, do not fear.
Secondly, we should not fear because …
2. God Will Reveal the Truth (Matt. 10:26-27).
Notice what Jesus says about the hostile people of this world. “Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known” (Matt. 10:26).
This was a teaching that Jesus often repeated in different settings (cf. Luke 12:2; Mark 4:22). What does Jesus mean when He uses it in this context?
Jesus had just warned that if they call Him names, they will surely call His followers names as well. But we’re not to fear when they do because “there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known” (Matt. 10:26). We are not to fear what men may say about us when we share the gospel with them. God will see to it that the truth we declare and our true character are one day made known.
Even in our comparatively free and open society, those who boldly proclaim the truth of the gospel and the whole counsel of God in the holy scriptures are often maligned and openly criticized. The plots of evil people, who actively oppose the spread of the message of Christ, are portrayed as virtuous and tolerant in the eyes of the world. When we take a biblical stance on creation, or marriage, or homosexuality, or abortion, or sin in general, many in our so-called “tolerant” society become enraged and hatefully intolerant of us for our biblical views. But this shouldn’t stop us from faithfully proclaiming the gospel of Christ because the truth will one day be revealed.
The day will come when all the secrets of men’s hearts will be revealed. Nothing will be “hidden that will not be known.” Judgment day is also vindication day for truth. The Bible teaches that the truth will one day be made known. The apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God” (1 Corinthians 4:5).
Jesus used this same teaching on another occasion, He was warning His disciples about the Pharisees, and He told them, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops” (Luke 12:1-3). No one can hide anything from the Judge of all the earth. And He will see to it that the truth of God and the true character of every man and woman will be known.
Jesus says this to give us courage in the face of opposition. He is telling us that, no matter how hard the evil people of this world may attempt to do so, the message of the gospel cannot and will not ultimately be covered over or hidden. Another time that Jesus used this teaching was when He was explaining the meaning of some of His parables, He said, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?” And then He went on to say, “For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light” (Mark 4:22; see also Luke 8:16-17). No amount of persecution or opposition will ever successfully silence it. Everything hidden will be revealed. God’s truth will be proclaimed. Men’s evil deeds will be exposed, justice will prevail, and God’s servants will be vindicated.[4]
This is why Jesus then goes on to say, “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops” (Matt. 10:27). Jesus commanded His disciples to speak forth with boldness and confidence what cannot be covered and hid by men. At this point in the disciples’ experience, Christ had kept a lid on their unveiling the details of His Messianic mission. For one thing, they did not fully understand it themselves as they would after the resurrection. But the time will come for them to hold back nothing, “speak in the light… preach on the housetops.”
What Jesus, as it were, tells us in the dark night hours (when few people are around) we are to speak in the light (when people are awake). What He, as it were, whispers in our ear (which is what is implied by the fact that it is spoken into only one ear) we are to proclaim openly where everyone can hear it. We have no secrets to hide. Everything Jesus taught us we are to proclaim.
Let’s always remember that it is impossible for any man, or even a whole world of men, to stop the gospel truth that Jesus commanded us to preach. This is why Jesus tells us “Do not fear.”
The third reason we are not to fear is . . .
3. God Has Greater Authority Than Man (Matt. 10:28).
Jesus goes on to say, “And to not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (Matt. 10:28a). The very worst thing that men can do is kill your body. They cannot touch your soul. The most Satan can do is kill your body for even he cannot touch your soul if you are in Christ.
Now the fact is that, unless the Lord Jesus returns for us in our lifetime, all of our bodies are destined to die. We can be certain of this. The Bible says, “. . . it is appointed for man to die once” (Hebrews 9:27). So, the very worst thing that men can do to us, in opposition to the message we have been commanded to preach, is to kill our body. But we were all going to die anyway. And even then, that only sends us into the presence of Christ, which is more glorious and is what we most desire. As Paul said, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).
The fear of man is a self-preserving, cowardly kind of fear of those who can never bring eternal harm to us. Jesus commands us not to fear them.
But this doesn’t mean that we should be without fear. Jesus goes on to say, “But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28b). Jesus is talking about the fear of God, which is a healthy, reverential, realistic response of awe and obedience to the majesty and authority of God.
Only God is able “to destroy both body and soul” in the place of eternal judgment. The Bible teaches that there is more than one death people may face. There is the first death, physical death, that we all experience. Then there is the second death, eternal and spiritual death, that is for the lost. John gives us a picture of this in Revelation 20 where he writes,
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. (Rev. 20:11-15).
So, Jesus teaches, “But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28b). And this isn’t meant to make believers afraid of eternal judgment as much as it is meant to make us NOT afraid of man. It’s meant to teach us that as great as human authority may be, God’s authority is always infinitely greater. We may be dragged before councils or delivered over to governors and kings, but they only have limited authority. God has ultimate authority. We are to not fear man but fear God instead. And it’s the fear of God that makes it possible for us to be unafraid of men. The man who fears God has nothing else to fear.
Now, how do we apply this? Placing the fear of God over the fear of man means that we always view God’s authority as greater. And should human authority ever command us to disobey God or keep silent about our Savior, we must remember that we are under a greater authority. We must, in that case, disobey human authority and boldly proclaim Jesus Christ in obedience to the Great Commission.
There is a wonderful illustration of this for us in the Book of Acts. The Jewish leaders sought to silence the preaching of the apostles – who were convincing everyone that Jesus was alive. The message of the resurrected Christ was spreading all over Jerusalem, and many people were being saved. So, the Jewish leaders met together to decide what to do:
“But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.” So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things that we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:17-20).
What can you do with someone who has that much conviction? The leaders could do nothing. All they ended up doing was to threaten the apostles further and let them go.
As the apostles kept on preaching, the high priest rose up and put them in prison, planning to bring them to trial the next morning. But in the middle of the night, an angel came and released them and told them, “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life” (Acts 5:20). And so, in the morning, when the high priest sent to the prison to fetch them to stand trial before the council, he found instead that they were out preaching in the temple again! So, again, he had them brought before the council and said, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!” (Acts 5:28).
Then Luke records that Peter and the other apostles said,
We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him. (Acts 5:29-32).
There was no fear of man in those words. They had respect for God-appointed authority but no fear of men! The reason they had no fear of men was because they feared God first.
A proper fear of God displaces an improper fear of man. We will never be hindered by the fear of men so long as we first fear God. We will speak out boldly in obedience to Christ’s command because His authority is greater.
Finally, we should not fear because . . .
4. God Values You More (Matt. 10:29-31).
Notice how Jesus teaches us this. He says, “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?” (Matt. 10:29a). When Luke records the words of our Lord, he has Jesus saying, “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?” In other words, you can get two for one copper coin, or five for two copper coins! Sparrows are so cheap, they’ll even throw in an extra if you buy more!
But look at what Jesus then tells us! He says that even though these sparrows are so cheap and seemingly unimportant that you can get one thrown in for free, “. . . not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will” (Matt. 10:29b).
In the original language, Jesus puts this in a marvelous way. The word “will” is not in the original, so it literally says, “Not one of them falls to the ground without your Father.” That could mean that none of the little birds fall to the ground apart from the Father’s will; or apart from His knowledge; or apart from His divine permission; or apart from His attentiveness; or apart from His presence—or perhaps all the above! None of them fall to the ground without the Father! That’s how much His attention is focused on these little seemingly insignificant sparrows.
Jesus drives home the point in Matthew 10:31, “Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” If our heavenly Father cares about the sparrows; how much more does He care about what happens to you and me? How much more valuable and precious are we to Him than they are?
Jesus gives another picture of how much our Father cares for us in Matthew 10:30. He says, “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” God knows the number of hairs on your head! He knows how many you had before you got into the shower this morning, and He knows how many you had when you got out. And if God keeps track of even the most insignificant details of your life, then, surely, He is tracking the big things too. God tracks the sparrows in the field and the hairs on your head. So don’t be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows. Nothing happens apart from your Father’s will. God knows you intimately, and God will take care of you. There is nothing that can happen to you that will ever be outside of His constant care and supervision for you. You are unspeakably precious to Him, and He will never allow anything to fall upon you that doesn’t pass His divine approval first.
In Luke 21:16–17, when Jesus is describing how dreadful it’s going to be in the last day, he says, “You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.” Then He says, “But not a hair of your head shall be lost.” (Luke 21:18). Even if they kill you, not a hair of your head will perish. If you get a hold of that truth, you will become a bold, fearless, witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The mission Jesus gives His disciples to proclaim the kingdom of God is difficult. It is dangerous. It will lead to persecution and death. The world will hate you for it. But God values you. He cares for you. Your Father loves you. This is how Paul puts it in Romans 8,
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:
“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor power, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:35-39).
Like the twelve, we are under a commission to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ in our world. And we need not fear what men may say or do because: we are being made like His Son; we have a message to proclaim that the world cannot cover or hide; we are under an authority to proclaim it that is far greater than man’s authority to stop it; and we have a powerful heavenly Father who watches us constantly and lovingly and sovereignly as we go forth to proclaim it. With a God like that, why would we ever fear man?
“Therefore, do not fear them . . .”
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[1] Greg Allen, Gospel Courage, https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2006/011506.htm. I adapted Allen’s outline and drew from some of his points in this sermon.
[2] Scott Harris, Confidence for Disciples – Matthew 10:24-33, https://www.gracebibleny.org/confidence_for_disciples_matthew_10_24_33
[3] Rory Mosley, Straight Talk for Shepherds – part 2 (Matthew 10:24-31), https://fbcspur.org/straight-talk-shepherds-part-2-matthew-1024-31/
[4] Ray Fowler, Warning and Encouragement, https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/warning-and-encouragement/
