There’s a lot in this passage. And honestly, it’s not exactly comforting material. It doesn’t seem Jesus is here to give a hug for now.
For instance, Jesus says not to be afraid, but then lists all the reasons you might be.
Jesus promises the reward of welcome, but also the certainty of rejection.
Jesus declares himself the Prince of Peace, then says he’s not bringing peace, but a sword.
It’s disorienting. But maybe that’s the point?
Following Jesus doesn’t wrap life in a bow. It slices through our assumptions, our loyalties, even our relationships. That bit about division between parents and children? That’s not a threat—it’s a reality check. Sometimes the way of Jesus is so radically different that even the people closest to us might not understand.
And then there’s this: Those who don’t pick up their cross and follow me aren’t worthy of me.
We live in a world desperate to preserve life—comfort, success, safety, reputation. But Jesus insists that we only truly find life by losing it. Not in the self-annihilation sense, but in surrender. In prioritizing the kingdom over self-preservation.
It’s uncomfortable. But there’s grace in here, too.
Jesus says, You are worth more than many sparrows. God sees. God knows. The cross we bear is not carried alone.
And then—this gentle, grounding word: Anyone who receives you receives me. Even a simple gesture—a cup of cold water to someone on the road—matters in the kingdom of God.
So to re-cap: We are people who live divided yet sent. Afraid yet unafraid. Losing life yet finding it. Rejected yet received.
Maybe that’s just what it means to follow the Lamb.
Matthew 10:26-42
“Therefore, don’t be afraid of those people because nothing is hidden that won’t be revealed, and nothing secret that won’t be brought out into the open. What I say to you in the darkness, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, announce from the rooftops. Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but can’t kill the soul. Instead, be afraid of the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Aren’t two sparrows sold for a small coin? But not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father knowing about it already. Even the hairs of your head are all counted. Don’t be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.
“Therefore, everyone who acknowledges me before people, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven. But everyone who denies me before people, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
“Don’t think that I’ve come to bring peace to the earth. I haven’t come to bring peace but a sword. I’ve come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. People’s enemies are members of their own households.
“Those who love father or mother more than me aren’t worthy of me. Those who love son or daughter more than me aren’t worthy of me. Those who don’t pick up their crosses and follow me aren’t worthy of me. Those who find their lives will lose them, and those who lose their lives because of me will find them.
“Those who receive you are also receiving me, and those who receive me are receiving the one who sent me. Those who receive a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. Those who receive a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. I assure you that everybody who gives even a cup of cold water to these little ones because they are my disciples will certainly be rewarded.”
Psalm 56:3-4
When I’m afraid, I put my trust in you.
I praise God’s word—I trust God; I’m not afraid.
What can mere flesh do to me?
Prayer
God,
Thank you for a new day. Thank you for singing sparrows, which are a simple yet powerful reminder that you see me. These little birds, hardly noticed by a busy humanity, complete with beating hearts, digesting stomachs, and fertilizer-producing bowels, are all over my yard. It’s weird to me that you know of each one. In fact, it’s hard for me to believe. But I will choose to anyway.
…and you see and know me.
So help me, God: Let me not think any more or any less of myself than I should. Help me to produce like that of the sparrow, all along enjoying the fruit of the world, singing a song as I go.
By your Spirit & in Christ,
Amen.
I’ve felt the sword Jesus speaks of. Not in violence, but in the quiet division that comes when you choose to love like Him in ways that make people uncomfortable.
I’ve been called to reflect His love through acceptance. And honestly, it’s cost me. People don’t always understand that it’s because of my faith that I choose to sit with those others avoid. That I trust Jesus to show up through my actions, not just my words.
The rejection isn’t theoretical, it’s real. It’s in the silence from churches, the closed doors from ministries, the way people look past me because I don’t fit their mold. And yet, I still believe. I still carry the cross. I still follow.
Because I know He sees. I know I’m worth more than many sparrows. And I know that even if no one else receives me, He does.
Thank you for this. It reminded me that the discomfort doesn’t mean I’m off track, it might mean I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
A challenging passage, for sure.