JUN & JEAN URIARTE
Mt 10:26
In his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis states, “In virtue of their baptism, all the members of the people of God have become missionary disciples.” Jesus’ missionary discourse in chapter 10 of the Gospel of Matthew clearly expresses that discipleship involves mission. Here Jesus sends his disciples on a mission, warns them of coming persecutions, and encourages them to have courage in the face of such persecutions. As missionary disciples, they are expected to encounter hardships and sufferings which engender fear.
In his missionary discourse, Jesus tells his disciples what to expect as they go out into the world to preach the gospel. He tells them that they “will scourge you in their synagogues” (v. 17), they “will be led before governors and kings” (v. 18), family members will turn against them (v. 21), they “will be hated because of my name” (v. 22), and they “will persecute you” (v. 23) and be treated worse than Jesus (v. 24-25). Naturally, the disciples must have felt a measure of fear, knowing that these things await them.
In Mt 10:26-33, Jesus tells his disciples three times, “Do not be afraid” (verses 26, 28, 31): Therefore, do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you heard whispered, proclaim in the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet none of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.
It is evident that Jesus’ disciples fear what awaits them in their mission. For this reason, Jesus repeatedly tells them not to fear. But each time Jesus points out a cause for fear, he also points out a way to remove fear. The cause for fear comes from other people, a fear of harm they can do to you. To remove fear, we should focus on God and what he can do to and for us. Complete dependence on God gives us courage and removes our fear.
To better understand Mt 10:26-33, we must look at this pericope as having four parts: v. 26-27; v. 28; v. 29-31; and 32-33. The first three parts contain admonitions to “not be afraid,” while the fourth part tells the disciples of the possible consequences of their actions.
In verses 26-27, the two sentences that follow Jesus’ admonition, “Therefore do not be afraid of them,” seem out of context. But what Jesus is saying here is that the “concealed” and “secret” coming of the kingdom of God must be proclaimed by the disciples, and fear must not prevent them from doing so. The coming of God’s kingdom, which Jesus had told them in secret (in the darkness), the disciples must now proclaim courageously (in the light) and openly (in the housetops).
In verse 28, Jesus tells the disciples not to fear men (those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul) but fear only the Lord (the one who can destroy both body and soul in Gehenna). This verse does not teach the destruction of the souls of the dammed but points out that God alone is sovereign over body and soul. Here Jesus encourages the disciples and allays the fears that could make them abandon their mission. Jesus assures them that their persecutors could destroy the body but never the soul. The coming of God’s kingdom is inevitable, and fear must not prevent them from proclaiming it.
In verses 29-31, Jesus assures his disciples that God cares for them. If God cares for the sparrows, the cheapest edible birds at that time, how much more will God care for his people, who are much more valuable than even many sparrows. And if even the death (falls to the ground) of an insignificant sparrow occurs under God’s providential care, then God’s hand of providence and heart of love certainly extends to the sufferings and death of missionary disciples.
Discipleship and mission always involve difficulties and suffering. We remember when we held the first Christian Life Program (CLP) in Vientiane, Laos. Being a predominantly Buddhist country with a communist government, the practice of Christianity was highly regulated. We read about priests being arrested and jailed for preaching outside church premises, for merely visiting homes, or for giving out Bibles, rosaries, and other religious materials. Fortunately, the Philippine ambassador was a friend, and she allowed us to hold the first CLP inside the Philippine Embassy. We brought Bibles and CLP materials in boxes with labels and logos of the United Nations (I was then a UN senior official) and wore shirts with UN logos. We were fearful. But we trusted fully in Jesus’ words.
When we were appointed Couples for Christ (CFC) Country Coordinator for Indonesia some years ago, we had to travel to Indonesia to conduct one-on-one interviews with potential National Council of CFC Indonesia members. We left behind our 24-year-old special child, Joel, who had just checked out of the Philippine Heart Center after recovering from illness. After a week of intense activities and successfully appointing the new members of the National Council, we were at the Jakarta airport waiting to board our flight to Brunei Darussalam when our housemaid called, informing us that Joel was having difficulty breathing. We told her to call an ambulance. She did, but the ambulance never arrived, and Joel died. We suffered from Joel’s death in our absence but more so from the thought that if we had not been on a mission, we could have driven him to the Heart Center and perhaps saved his life.
But verses 32-33 give us great consolation. Here Jesus assures us that if we remain faithful to our mission and courageous in proclaiming the gospel, he will acknowledge us before the Father in heaven. The gift of being in the eternal presence of the Father will be based on our faithfulness to Jesus during the hardships and difficulties in our mission. Indeed, the change from “your Father” in v. 29 to “my Father” in v. 32 implies that our becoming children of the Father comes from our personal relationship with Jesus, who cares for us greatly. Thus, there is no reason to be afraid.
As to the death of our son, Joel, this was Jean’s sharing while we were on a CFC mission:
“Looking back, we realize that the Lord has His plans for our lives. It may not be what we want, what we plan, what we pray for. The Lord says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor My ways your ways.” We only have to accept what He allows to happen to us.
Our work in CFC is urgent. Evangelization is our supreme duty. When we serve Him, we know that it will not be easy. What happens to us and to our families as we serve Him is the Lord’s way of strengthening us and preparing us for the work that He wants us to do. As leaders, we should be strong and steadfast so that whatever happens as we serve Him will not distract us and cause us to lose focus on the work that we are doing for Him.”
*Letters of Aquila and Priscilla, Volume 20 Issue 6, Reflections of Jun and Jean Uriarte, June 2023