Hi everyone. Welcome back again.
To daily gospel exegesis. We're continuing in the gospel
of Matthew today. A really fascinating gospel are
very Jewish one. And we're looking at Matthew
chapter 10, verses 17 to 22. So I will start by reading the
text and then we'll have a go at looking at what the text might
mean on the literal level. Jesus instructed.
The 12 as follows, beware of men, they will hand you over to
sanhedrin's and Scourge you in their synagogues.
You'll be dragged before, Governors and Kings, for my sake
to Bear witness before them and the pagans.
But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to speak, or
what to say, what you are to say will be given to you when the
time comes because it is not you, who will be speaking.
The spirit of your father will be speaking in.
You brother will betray brother to death and the father.
His child children will rise against their parents and have
them put to death. You'll be hated by all men on
account of my name, but the man who stands firm to the end will
be saved. So Jesus says these words in the
context of a long speech that he's giving his 12 Apostles.
So the audience is the 12 apostles.
Not all Christians are not even all disciples actually, it's
just his 12 Apostles because there's about to send them out
on a special mission. Now, part of this speech is,
he's giving them instructions about how they should go into
the towns that they're about to go into around Israel, but he
also gives them some warnings about difficulties.
They're going to face a little bit later down the road, when
Jesus is gone and they're continuing their preaching, all
around the world. So there's a bit of both mixed
in here. So the immediate Omission that
they're about to go on and their future missions as well.
Verse 17, beware of men, they will hand you over to send
hedron's and Scourge you in their synagogues.
Now we know that that did happen in the book of Acts, so a lot of
what we're about to hear happen in the book of Acts so Jewish
councils or sanhedrin's, their job was to maintain public
order. Usually each town would have
some sort of Jewish Council and if people would making causing a
disturbance in their town, the Jewish council could impose
punishments. The Jewish leaders, if you look
at the book of Acts, they were not impressed when the apostles
went around preaching, in the name of Jesus.
And so many of the apostles were punished by the Jewish councils
as a result. So Jesus first he says
sanhedrin's the do the Jewish leaders will punish you and now
Verse 18. He says you'll be dragged before
Governors and Kings for my sake. So a bit later in the book of
Acts, they you, the apostles begin to be persecuted by the
Romans, as well. And Jesus goes on to say that
all of that has to happen to the apostles as part of their
preaching, in order to Bear witness before them.
And the pagans and pagans is just another word for Gentiles.
So Jesus says, all of this is going to happen, but you must do
it. You must be brought before their
councils and kings in order to preach the kingdom of God even
to the Gentiles. And that would be very
surprising for the apostles to here, because they probably
thought the kingdom of God was mostly going to be for the Jews.
But here Jesus says, one day you're going to end up or for
Pagan rulers as well. Verse 19, when they hand you
over, do not worry about how to speak, or what to say, what you
are to say will be given to you when the time comes.
Now this is a verse that's often misquoted and mishandled.
This is not advice for all Christians.
Jesus is not teaching for all Christians when they're in a
difficult situation. Don't prepare words or don't
prepare your sermon or something because the holy spirit will
give you the words. No, this is not a command for
all Christians. It's for the Twelve Apostles in
the coming years and particularly the apostolic age,
which had a unique set of circumstances.
When the Holy Spirit was doing some unique things, Jesus says
that, for those 12 Apostles, they will have the special
guidance of the holy spirit in those situations.
And you see that when you look at the book of Acts, they do
these Grand Majestic speeches when they're brought before the
leaders. Verse 20, the spirit of your
father will be speaking in you. So this is a promise to the
apostles, he's giving them hope and comfort amidst.
All the bad news is just given them.
He says, but the holy spirit will help you.
So it's something that they can look forward to.
This is one of the few mentions of the Holy Spirit In The Gospel
of Matthew, but it's a real prophecy.
Jesus says, the spirit is coming.
And we know that in this time of cover dental transition.
So in the book of Acts basically the Holy Spirit was very active
and it gave the apostles words to say which amazed the rulers,
notice the degree of suffering. The Jesus warns, his Apostles
that they're going to experience is really quite specific about
telling the apostles what's going to happen to them.
But also he balances that with telling them the degree of Glory
that they're going to have and the influence they going to
have. In spreading the kingdom of God,
Jesus places. A lot of emphasis on the
ministry of the Apostles, we often miss that because we
sometimes group ourselves, as though Jesus is talking to all
Christians in some of these speeches, a lot of the gospels,
he's talking to the 12 apostles and the instructions, he gives
our for the apostolic age only that might make us a bit
uncomfortable but that does appear to be the case that a lot
of what Jesus says at least is directed at the apostles for
their particular. Ministry early on but certainly
not everything. Jesus says, if it's under that
category for example, The Sermon on the Mount is probably
directed at all Christians. First 21, brother will betray
brother to death now, it gets even more serious.
So, Jesus he says that after, he's gone.
Well, rather, let's look at it this way.
We know that after Jesus was gone some members of a family
would become Christians. But others, wouldn't?
They would stay as Jews. And as a result, the Christians
were often persecuted by family members and the family members
would hand over the Christian family, member to the
authorities. Sounds brutal.
But that's really what happened because they considered becoming
a Christian as treason against God.
And Jesus says, brother will betray brother to death.
So he's prophesying that some of his Apostles would be killed for
their faith and history tells us.
We can't be certain, but it appears that many of the
apostles were martyred for their faith.
And certainly many other disciples were, as well often
because they were handed over by their family members.
Verse 22. You will be hated by all men on
account of my name. So, that's a summary statement
of Everything. Jesus has just said, he said,
the Jews are going to hate you. The Romans are going to hate
you. Even your own families are going
to hate you. Boss.
The man who stands firm will be saved.
Again, this is for the Apostle. So Jesus says to the apostles
that if they keep the faith and they do not deny Jesus, in the
apostolic age, despite persecution, They will receive
eternal life. Towards the end of this speech,
Jesus is going to revisit this theme of eternal life.
He's going to say he who acknowledges me before, others.
I will acknowledge before my father, but he who denies me
before others? I will deny before my father.
So the teaching of Jesus here is that the apostles need to
maintain the faith and not give up on it.
No matter even if they're at the point of death, they have to
keep the faith. That's how they will inherit
eternal life. So it's a big responsibility on
the apostles. So, that's the end of our
verse-by-verse exegesis today, but this speech is taken from a
much longer speech in Matthew chapter 10.
And we've really only scratched the surface here today.
So, if you want to hear that longer speech and a breakdown
verse by verse of that have a look through the podcast
archives, for week, 14 of ordinary time.
That's when we go through this speech in more detail.
Let's look at a few quick paragraphs of the catechism
paragraph 7 to 8. This is an interesting
reference. Jesus alludes to the spirit in
speaking to, Nicodemus, to the Samaritan woman and to those who
take part in the Feast of, Tabernacles to his disciples, he
speaks openly of the spirit in connection with prayer.
And with the witness, they will have to bear.
Paragraph 16, one in the necessity of Faith.
Now, it gets quite serious believing in Jesus Christ.
And in the one who sent him for our Salvation is necessary for
obtaining. That salvation, since without
faith, it is impossible to, please God and to attain to The
Fellowship of his sons, therefore, without faith.
No one has ever attained justification nor will anyone
obtain eternal life, but he who endures to the end?
Now, in context that phrase, he who endures to the end, that is
about the apostles needing to endure persecution and not give
up the faith, but the Catholic Church says that applies to all
believers as well. If we want to achieve salvation,
we cannot give up on the faith. We must endure to the end of our
life. Paragraph 1821.
This is about hope we can therefore hope in the glory of
Heaven, promised by God to those who love him and do, his will in
every circumstance, each one of us should hope with the grace of
God to persevere to the end and to obtain the joy of Heaven as
God's Eternal reward for the good works accomplished with the
grace of Christ. So, we'll finish there for
today. I hope you learn something new.
You always do to intend to learn something new when you dive into
the text of Matthew's gospel, because it's so rich.
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