A Mission through the Grave—Matthew 10:16-23

For Christians, it matters a lot what period of history we live in. Jesus Christ has died for us, risen from the grave, and sent us on a mission to teach the world about him. That defines the life we live.

This passage (Matthew 10:16-23) is about a different time. Jesus hadn't died, he hadn't risen, and he hadn't sent his disciples to tell the world about those things, which hadn't happened. But he was still sending them out on a mission, and it was a tough one.

If we were soldiers, and our captain told us that he was sending us on a mission that would save countless lives, we would be excited. But if he added that we ourselves would die in the process, we would be sobered, to say the least. And if he then told us not to worry, because we would come back safe, I suppose we would just be confused.

But those are the details of the mission Jesus sends his disciples on in this passage. It's a mission to save souls. It's a mission that likely leads to death. But it's a mission that leads through the grave to everlasting life.

And we can learn a lot from this mission, because our own mission shares all these traits.

What can prepare us for such a mission? Two things, I think. The first is hope: if we really believe, as Jesus says, that he who endures to the end will be saved, then we will be filled with hope. The second is gratitude: if we really believe that Jesus gave his life for us, we'll be motivated to give our lives for others.

And that's the main thing I want you to take away: Jesus Christ gave his life for the lost, and those who love him will follow in his steps.

To break it down, there are four characteristics we need for the mission before us. We need to be, like the 12 disciples, (1) wise among wolves, (2) fearless before kings, (3) faithful in the face of death, and (4) at work until the coming of the Son of Man.

Wise among Wolves

"Behold," says Jesus, "I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Yes, Jesus asks us to be sheep, serpents, and doves at the same time. Not easy.

But the point is that Jesus is sending us out to people who may hurt us. We need to be on guard for that possibility, like serpents. And we need to not retaliate or do things that deserve punishment -- we need to be like doves.

At least, the 12 disciples did. But do we? Should Christians today expect to face danger and suffering like the 12? The Bible says, yes. In 2 Timothy 3:12, Paul says, "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." And Peter says, "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trail when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed" (1 Peter 4:12-13).

Now, why would Jesus, the good Shepherd, send his people out as sheep in the midst of wolves? It's a fair question. To understand, we have to see that Jesus first did what he now calls us to do. He became the sacrificial lamb to die for the sins of his people at the hands of unjust men, because he loved us when we were lost. And now he calls us to put ourselves in danger for others, too: to love the lost as he loved the lost. Yes, it's a difficult calling. But it's also a high and beautiful calling -- to become like our Savior.

Fearless before Kings

The disciples were to be wise among wolves, and also to be fearless before kings. "Beware of men," says Jesus, "for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my name's sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles." Usually, if someone tells me to beware of a danger, I assume that the point is to help me escape that danger. But Jesus doesn't really suggest that his disciples, by keeping alert to the danger, will be able to escape trouble from the people around them. It isn't even clear that this persecution is entirely undesirable. In fact, persecution builds a platform for preaching the gospel. Being arrested will give the apostles a wider audience, the opportunity to bear witness to Christ before governors and kings, people they might never have had access to before.

This is something for us to think about when we suffer for our faith. Instead of becoming bitter or vengeful when someone insults me for what I believe, I should ask, "Does this persecution open up new opportunities for the gospel?" If the room falls silent when someone mocks me for believing the Bible, is that an opportunity for me to share the hope of Christ? If I'm ever a defendant in court, will my goal be to escape punishment, or to exalt the name of Jesus? Usually, defendants get to say something for themselves. Ironically, the captives have a captive audience. We can use that for the greater good.

Jesus tells his disciples not to worry in that moment: "When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you." Now, we should ask, is this promise for us, or just for the Apostles? The Apostles were certainly given certain gifts of the Spirit which we haven't been. So it's reasonable to say that Jesus is talking about a special gift of speaking revelation direct from God. But there are enough similarities between us and the Apostles that we can be encouraged by this too. We have the same Spirit, and we have access to God's word, including portions that would be written by the Apostles themselves. Sometimes we may want to think ahead of time about how we are to defend our faith, but, given the spiritual resources we possess, we shouldn't worry either, even if we haven't prepared.

Faithful in the Face of Death

What Jesus says next, though, is even harder than being fearless before kings. I think that many of us would rather be condemned by a king than by our own loved ones. But Jesus says, "Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake."

What, we may ask, is the point of being wise as serpents and being wary of men, if we are going to be put to death anyway? (None of the 12 actually were put to death on this mission, so Jesus isn't saying every Christian will die a violent death. But at least a few of the 12 were put to death for their faith in the end.) I think the point is not to help us escape persecution, but to help us not to put our faith in people who may betray us. I think of a friend back in North Carolina who greatly respected his youth pastor. But this youth pastor was caught with a prostitute during a police raid of a crack house. And this deeply undermined my friend's faith. Now, this is a worst-case scenario, and you should normally be able to trust your youth pastor. But you should never put your ultimate trust in any man. Be wise as a serpent. Beware of men -- they may betray you. Put your ultimate trust in Christ alone. He has never betrayed his people. He never will.

Some of you may be on a different train of thought. You may be thinking, "Nate, I've never been persecuted. I'm open about my faith, and no one seems to mind." I can think of four things to do in this circumstance. (1) Give thanks to God for providing peace and safety. (2) Check yourself -- are you avoiding persecution by avoiding some aspect of your Christian calling? (3) Make good use of the time. Many of our brothers and sisters can't openly proclaim the gospel without getting locked up. We can, so let's do it. (4) Be willing and ready even to rejoice when persecution comes.

At Work Until the Coming of the Son of Man

And how long will we be called to face danger? The last part of the passage gives us a hint. "When they persecute you in one town," Jesus says, "flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes."

So what does Matthew mean by the coming of the Son of Man? I think that it's easy to be confused by this passage. As Christians in our day and age, when we hear about the coming of the Son of Man, we naturally think of his future return to earth. But remember, Jesus hadn't left the earth at this point, so his disciples were not waiting for his return. A few other passages will help us understand what Jesus means when he says "before the Son of Man comes." One is Daniel 7:13-14, which reads, "I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed."

Notice that in this passage, the Son of Man is not coming to people on earth. He is coming to God in heaven. That is almost certainly what Jesus is talking about here, and it makes much better sense of things. The disciples would not make it to all the towns of Israel before Jesus would come before God to receive authority from him. And that is just what we find happening at the end of the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus says, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." And then he sent his disciples out beyond the towns of Israel: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations."

For the mission of the 12 in Matthew 10, the point was that they should pursue their mission urgently, because they would not finish their work before Christ's coming (into power and authority) would radically expand that mission. For us, the point is similar, and I expect Matthew had this in mind when he wrote these words for us: We must pursue our mission urgently, because there will be evangelistic work to do up until the day that Christ returns to judge the world.

To conclude, I want to ask, why was Jesus given such power and authority? What gave him, the Son of Man, the right to come before God and become the king of all? The answer is found in many passages:

Isaiah 53:12: Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Hebrews 2:9: But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Philippians 2:8-9: And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name."

In other words, the Son of Man came into his all-reaching and everlasting kingdom, because he died for me, and for sinners like me.

If he suffered for you, will you suffer for others?

If God rewarded him for enduring to the end, then he will reward you, if you endure.

Pastor Nate Jeffries