What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear! Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.
People speak of Jesus as if He was a great moral teacher and the kind of wise and gentle man that ought to be emulated. Of course, in a sense, He was these things, but we should also remember that when Jesus taught, people were offended, people were provoked. Yes, He was kind and gentle and wise, but He spoke Truth -and people who were living self-indulgent lies were (and are) exposed and made uncomfortable by Truth. Jesus understood that this was the case when He was teaching, and He understood that this would always be the case whenever Truth was proclaimed. Yet, He calls His disciples (apprentices) to walk in, model, and proclaim Truth. Boldly. Unashamedly.
Just so we understand clearly -we are not called to proclaim our own version of truth arrogantly. We are not called to condemn the lost (they are already condemned), or to harass the hopeless. We are not called to malign or denigrate or shame those who are already in bondage. Instead, we are called to love them (even when they are hateful), serve them (even when they are unappreciative), and forgive them (even when they continue to harm us), and proclaim boldly whatever the Holy Spirit speaks.
It kind of goes against the grain to speak plainly and boldly when people are getting angry and insulting and rude and threatening. It would be easy to back it down a notch and blend in with the crowd. There is a part of each of us that just wants to be normal and fit in. But the stark reality is that we who follow Jesus are not normal. If we are true to our calling, we can never fit in.
On the one hand, we can avoid much embarrassment and ridicule and pain by being silent and blending in; on the other hand, there are perks to obedience and publicly living the Truth. First, we experience here and now God's sovereign care. We experience His divine provision and love and intimacy. We experience an awareness of God's presence. We experience our worth. And, ultimately, Jesus acknowledges us before Father. How cool is that?
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