Matthew 10:5a, 21-33

            {Prayer}

            Expectations … we all have them. Any new endeavor comes with a whole host of expectations. A high school graduate going off to college prepares to leave with a mash-up of hope and excitement but also a sense of nervousness. Some people change jobs mid-career because they are eager to experience that new company’s reported positive environment that they have heard so much about. You begin a new TV series after hearing the rave reviews from everyone that you know. Changes that we take on are shaped significantly by definite, but maybe not always fully examined, expectations. Probably one of the biggest expectations which most people have is that the grass is going to be greener on the other side of the fence.

            The thing is, in many cases, expectations are not realistic. Sometimes we expect things to be much better than what they could be. When things don’t reach our expectations, we can’t help but feel disappointed, as if we have been severely let down. Depending on the circumstances, we may even begin to question ourselves. On the flip side of this, there are those times when we’re doubtful and our expectations are set way too low and we find ourselves pleasantly surprised in a good way.

            Here in Matthew 10, Jesus is giving His disciples instructions for what they are about to do. Jesus is preparing the disciples by spelling out what is that they should expect as they follow Him.

            Seeing what they have seen with Jesus, their expectations are probably pretty high. Seeing Jesus’ miraculous work in the previous chapters, seeing Jesus heal a man with leprosy, seeing Jesus heal many other people, including Peter’s mother-in-law, experiencing Jesus calming the horrific storm when they thought their boat was going to fall apart and they were going to die, seeing Jesus heal a paralytic man, seeing Jesus taking on the religious elite, seeing Jesus raise a girl from the dead and healing the blind and mute … these disciples had to be on cloud nine. Witnessing and experiencing this, serving Jesus is going to be awesome! The reign of God was coming to earth and it was promising to have a glorious and peaceful future for everyone.

            But like a crash test dummy car hitting a wall at 35 mph, the wonderful expectations building within the disciples comes to a screeching halt when Jesus says to them, “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me” (Matthew 10:21-22). “Wait! What? What did Jesus just say?” Not really sure this the kind of verse you want to put on the invitation to a new member class, huh?

            But you know, for us, on this side of the writing of the Scriptures, Jesus saying this shouldn’t be a surprise to us. We hopefully know the gist of the story and how it goes. Jesus comes to call God’s people back to Himself. Jesus comes to bring healing and hope. Jesus comes to reveal God in truth. And what happens because of this? One may expect for the people to like Jesus, to want to keep Him around so they can continue follow Him and have Him do miraculous things so that they can have a happily ever after ending. But instead, led by the religious elite, the people kill Jesus.

            Now if this happened to a sinless and perfect man who came to serve and save others … then it should be no surprise that those who follow Jesus will also suffer. Back on His sermon on the Mount, five chapter earlier, Jesus said, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me” (5:11). Here again, Jesus says, “All men will hate you because of me” (10:22). Jesus didn’t tell the disciples to go around looking for trouble. It’s coming to them because of Him. And the same applies to us. Jesus doesn’t tell us to go around looking for trouble. The thing is, when any disciple, past, present, or future follows Jesus … they should expect to follow Him all the way to the cross, they should expect to experience some sort of hardship or persecution.

            And while we should expect some sort hardship, that of course is not the only thing we should expect. As followers of Jesus, as disciples of Christ, we should also expect to be saved. Jesus says to the disciples and us, “All men will hate you because of me, … but … but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (10:22). He who stands firm in their faith, he who believes in Jesus will be saved.

            Paul puts it this way in Romans 10, “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (10:9). There’s no guarantee it’s going to be easy. Look at Jeremiah from our first reading. He is known as the suffering prophet for speaking God’s Word to groups of people who didn’t want to hear it. Paul in our second reading says, “But {God} said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:9-10). There’s no guarantee that following Jesus is going to be easy.

            Some believe that being a Christian, being a disciple of Jesus is a walk in a park. They believe that it’s going to be like walking around the botanical gardens in St. Louis where it is nothing but wonderful smelling flowers and butterflies fluttering around. No, being a Christian, a disciple of Jesus is a walk in the park, but it’s more like Jurassic Park where the plants and animals are out to get you.

            Jesus said, “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22). Hebrews 12 tells us, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (12:1-2). Like Jesus, who endured to the point of death, we endure suffering and times of hardship as we faithfully follow Him. It may not be like a T-Rex wanting to eat you, it may be more like Paul’s thorn in his flesh that is constantly there. This endurance though, this perseverance in following Jesus, it leads through death into the glorious resurrection. The resurrection where Jesus has promised to acknowledge before His Father all who acknowledged Him.

            Even with hearing about the fact that people will hate the disciples and want to devour them, that people will turn over family members to death, we don’t read of any one of the disciples backing down. No one is like, “Nope, I can’t do this!” or “Nope, I’m done! Sorry!” They all stick around. The will literally endure to the end because they also know that their suffering will come to end. Knowing that, knowing the suffering will come to an end goes a long way toward helping someone endure.

            Jesus again said, “So do not be afraid of them” (10:26). The expectation of the resurrection and salvation for those who endure enables the disciples to follow Jesus without any fear. They trust His word. Jesus was sending His disciples out to serve others. Jesus sends you and me out to do the very same thing. And like the disciples, we don’t need to fear attacks or abuse, even if they may come. We don’t need to fear shame or rejection, even if they lie there in our path.

            Jesus tells the disciples how when two tiny sparrows fall to the ground, the Father knows about it. God knows you so well that He knows the number of hairs on your head. Jesus says, “Don’t be afraid: you are worth more than many sparrows” (10:31). Courage in our service of God comes from the certainty that Jesus values His disciples, He values you. You are definitely worth more than many sparrows as Jesus came so save and redeem you. Jesus came to forgive you, to give you the promise of a life where there is no more hatred, no more death, no more suffering. Jesus came to lay down His life for you for you are Jesus’ friend.

            The thing to remember is that Jesus says that “he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (10:22). You don’t have to expect Jesus to walk along with you, to stay with you, because He has already promised to do that. Knowing, believing that Jesus is with you, go, remember the words of the Lord at the end of Psalm 91, “I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation” (15-16). Amen.

            The peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, now and forever. Amen.