Matthew the apostle shared how Jesus told His disciples, “ Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be you therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Jesus continued, “But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues. And you shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what you shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what you shall speak. For it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaks in you. And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. And you shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endures to the end shall be saved. But when they persecute you in this city, flee into another: for verily I say unto you, You shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord”, and in chapter ten and verse twenty-five of his book, Matthew shared how Jesus tells his disciples what will happen, “if they have called the master of the house Beelzebub” where we read:
It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
The verse reads, “It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord.” Matthew began with the words, “it is enough” which means “it is satisfactory or sufficient” “for the disciples” or “for the learner, student, pupil or attendant” “that he be” or “that the disciple exist” “as his master” which refers to “in a manner like unto and similar to the disciple's teacher or instructor”, “and the servant” or “and the slave, bondman or one who gives himself up to another's will whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men” “as his lord” which means “person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding and master”. Matthew shared how Jesus declared it to be “satisfactory and sufficient” for “students” to be like their “instructors” and “bondmen” to be as their “master”.
The verse continues, “If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?” Matthew added the word, “if” which means “whether and when” “they have called” or “people have named, uttered, declared and saluted” “the master of the house” or “the goodman, householder and head of the family” “Beelzebub” which means “lord of the house or the dung-god” and refers to “a name of Satan, the prince of evil spirits ”, “how much more” or “to what greater degree, farther, more willingly, readily and sooner” “shall they call them” which means “will people name, utter, declare and salute the people, family or disciples living within the master's house” “of his household” which refers to “belonging to the master's relatives or ones belonging to his house”? Matthew shared how Jesus questioned His disciples whether they knew how much greater degree people would judge them as “from Satan” if they did the same to Him.
When we think through Matthew's words in this verse, we discover how Jesus was not ignorant concerning the judgment of other people toward Him and those who follow Him. Religious rulers declared Jesus to have performed His miracles by “Satan's power” rather than God's, and if they judged Him in this manner, how much more so would they judge His disciples? God loves people, and He knows there will be some who will not only be judged incorrectly for their faith and trust in His Son Jesus, but they will also suffer as He did for their faith in God. Sharing the “gospel” comes with a price, and since it cost Jesus humiliation, persecution, mocking, torture and eventual death on the cross, how much more will those who follow Him be subject to similar things?
Next time Matthew shares how Jesus told His disciples, “fear them not therefore”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
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Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
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