Matthew 10:38

Matthew 10:38

Jesus said in Matthew 10:38-39, "And he that takes not his cross, and follows after me, is not worthy of me. He that finds his life shall lose it: and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it." The meaning of this last verse encompasses one of the great paradoxes of life. God has given us a free will. When we use our free will to go after what we want, independently of what God may want, then we will lose. On the other hand, when we surrender what we want and seek after God’s will, it appears to us that we will lose because we are giving up what we want; but it turns out that we gain.

God probably made things like this for a couple of reasons. The first reason is perhaps the most obvious because it is exactly what Jesus did when He went to the cross to die for our sins. Jesus prayed, "Not my will, but thine be done." In every plan, in every hope, and in every prayer that we make; it should always be based upon the condition that we are asking for God’s will, and not our own will to be done.

This whole idea of seeking God’s will instead of your will is an idea in direct contrast to what motivates most humans on the earth. Most people do what they do for their own glory and for the fulfillment of their own selfish ambitions. It must be very pleasing to God when He finds a few humans who are willing to say after the example of their Savior, "Not my will but thine be done."

Jesus said, "He that finds his life shall lose it, and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it." Another reason that things are like this is because God knows better than we do. When we analyze a situation and make a decision, we do not know what the final consequences will be. God does know, and that is why His will is always better than our will. He knows the end from the beginning and He wants the best for us. The glitter and glamour that the world offers will never ultimately satisfy the human soul. To selfishly seek fame, or power, or possessions is to lose the true meaning of life. We can read the news headlines almost every day and find examples of people who actually acquired what so many seek after: fame, power, and wealth. But having acquired these things, it turns out to be the seed of their own destruction.

This idea of dying to one’s self and seeking God’s will is central to receiving salvation, and is also a central idea to the Christian life. No one ever became saved and received the forgiveness of sins unless they came to Jesus with both the desire for forgiveness, and the purpose of following Him and doing His will. To come to God through Christ involves dying to one’s self. You actually give up your life, and you put it into the hands of God. It is your intention to do what He wants you to do. In a very real sense, you die to yourself and you become alive towards God. It is a new life. The old person that you were before you knew Christ is dead. The selfishness and self-centeredness that ruled your thoughts is gone, at least at the time that you get saved.

God knows that He has given us new life in Christ, and He has made an accounting that the old person that we once were, is the same as dead. That old selfish and sinful person will never be dragged before the judgment of God to be condemned for his sins, because that person is dead. A new life began when that person met Jesus. This entire concept of being dead in Christ and having a new life in Jesus is dealt with in much detail by Paul in Romans chapters 6 and 7. In talking about spiritual baptism Paul said in Romans 6:4, "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

If we are in God because of faith in Christ, then we will no longer be held guilty for our past sins, because the sinful human part is accounted by God as having already died. Therefore, there is no one to punish. This is truly a wonderful salvation that God gives to those who believe. This salvation gives each believer freedom from guilt or any fear of punishment. Dead to sin, and alive to God: this is central to the meaning of salvation, but is also meant to be a characteristic of the entire life of the believer. Romans 6:11-12 says, "Likewise reckon you also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof." Dead people are not full of selfishness. They do not get angry. They are not lustful. Dying to self is not only essential in becoming saved and following the Lord, it is also important in avoiding temptation.

In Matthew 10:40 Jesus said, "He that receives you receives me, and he that receives me receives him that sent me." Earlier in this chapter Jesus warned the disciples that there would be those who would reject them because of their belief and witness about Jesus. The rejection and persecution will eventually be worth it because of the rewards that the disciples would receive for being witnesses for Him. There may be those who will reject Christ, but there may also be those who receive Him. The messenger will be treated in the same way that the Sender would have been treated had the Sender come Himself. It is not you that is being received or rejected; it is the spirit of Christ that is in you.

Jesus has rewards in store for those who publicly and verbally spread His message, and He also has rewards in store for those who help and assist such messengers. He said in Matthew 10:41-42, "He that receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward." God meant for Christian work to be based upon teamwork. The individual will never be able to achieve what the team can achieve. Few people are capable of going it alone. We are social creatures. Encouragement and moral support can do a lot to add to the effectiveness of someone. We are each given at least one gift by the Holy Spirit. The exercise of your gift will result in the spiritual improvement of others, which will result in the furtherance of the witness of Christ in the world. Not the least of the gifts is the gift of encouragement or exhortation. If you encourage someone in doing right, at the judgment they will be rewarded; but you will also be rewarded for what they have done. It will be accounted as a team effort. Even the smallest acts of kindness will not go unnoticed by God. Each act will receive its reward as part of the work of God.

In Matthew 11:1 the Bible says, "And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities." Jesus practiced what He preached. He gave the disciples a lot of instruction about speaking publicly for Him. Some of the best leaders have always been those who are willing to do what they ask their followers to do. This was also the case with Jesus. There is nothing worse than someone who preaches one thing, but then does another. One of the dangers for those who teach or preach God’s Word, is that they may put a great deal of effort into teaching and preaching; but then not put a big enough effort into practicing what they preach. Paul said in First Corinthians 9:27, "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."

Matthew 11:1 says that Jesus did teach and preach in their cities. The word "preach" is an emphasis on the fact that it was a public presentation of information. According to this verse, preaching is like that done by Jesus when it includes teaching. If preaching does not include teaching, there can only be vain and empty words that serve no purpose.

In Mathew 11:2-6 the Bible says, "Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Are you he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again those things which you do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me."

When John the Baptist sent his disciples with this inquiry to Jesus; asking if Jesus were the Messiah, John was given the answer that all generations have been given. To correctly determine who Jesus is, simply look at what He did. There were eyewitnesses to the things that Jesus did. These witnesses left a written account of their testimony. Jesus was a historical figure, whose deeds can be substantiated by the factual evidence of these eyewitness accounts. Sworn, written testimony by eyewitnesses would be valid legal evidence even in our courts of law today. The Apostle John said in John 20:31, "But these are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, you might have life through his name." If you do not believe based upon what the written Word of God says, neither would you believe had you lived 2,000 years ago and been an eyewitness yourself of the life of Jesus.

In Matthew 11:7-10 the Bible says, "And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went you out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went you out for to see? A man clothed in soft clothing? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what went you out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written, Behold I send my messenger before your face, which shall prepare your way before you. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there has not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

According to Jesus, up to the time of Christ there had never been a human being as great as John the Baptist. If you desire to be a better person, then you can learn from John the Baptist. There are three things that Jesus said about John the Baptist that give us clues as to why he was great. First, Jesus said in verse 7 that John was not a reed shaken with the wind. Instead of being a reed shaken with the wind, John the Baptist must have been a person with great resolve. He had tremendous determination and backbone. He refused to compromise on issues where there was a clear-cut difference between right and wrong. He would not be bullied. He would not back down. If you are going to do what is right in this crazy world, you are going to have to acquire a tremendous amount of determination and will.

The second thing that Jesus said about John the Baptist was in verse 8, when He said that John was not dressed in soft clothing like those in king’s houses. Of course, this implies that John’s situation in this world was one of an absence of much material possessions and a lack of power, as humans measure power. John the Baptist obviously had his priorities right. Remember that Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "You cannot serve God and mammon," and "no man can serve two masters." If you are going to live for God in this world with all of its distractions and offers of possessions and power, you must have your priorities right or you will fail spiritually. If the acquiring of possessions becomes your first priority, you will not serve God.

In verse 9 we find the third thing that Jesus said about John the Baptist. Jesus said that John was a prophet and more than a prophet. A prophet is a spokesman for God. The things that God revealed to John, John did not keep to himself. He publicly proclaimed them. John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and said, "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." If you want to be more like John the Baptist, then learn how to be a better witness for Jesus Christ. John 1:7 says about John the Baptist, "The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light..."

Jesus said in verse 11 that as great as John was that the least in the kingdom of heaven was greater than he. This is because anyone who is now in the kingdom of heaven has totally ceased from sin. There are many things that will be wonderful about heaven: no more death, no more disease, no more suffering, no more sorrow, and no more sin. It should be your goal and your desire to do what is right. However, you are still in the flesh, and unless you are quick to confess your sins, you will be quick to go out of fellowship with God because of your sins. It can be very frustrating and disappointing to desire to do what is right, and yet to still fail so often. Paul understood this when he said in Romans 7:24, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" He also said in Romans 7:21, "I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me." How wonderful it will be when those who hunger and thirst after righteousness finally end their journey on earth, and are delivered from the body of this death, and taste the glorious liberty of the children of God.

In Matthew 11:12 Jesus said, "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force." In Matthew Chapter 10 Jesus spent a good deal of time talking about the persecutions that the disciples would suffer. At the beginning of chapter 11 we find that John the Baptist is in prison. Throughout the history of the human race, the enemies of God have often resorted to violence against the people of God. But their efforts are in vain. Good will win over evil, and the kingdom of Christ will triumph over the kingdoms of this world. All of the violent and forceful actions of the ungodly will ultimately prove to be mere vain kicking against the pricks.

In Matthew 11:13 Jesus said, "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John." John was the last of the Old Testament prophets. Jesus brought the New Testament. John was the end of the Old Testament. According to this verse, even the Law ended with John the Baptist. The age of the law, the age of the Old Testament ended with John the Baptist. The age of grace, the age of the New Testament began with Jesus Christ. There is a difference between the emphasis made in the Old Testament and the emphasis made in the New Testament. Make sure you understand the difference between law and grace or you will never correctly understand the Gospel or the Bible. John 1:17 says, "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."

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