Readings:
Jeremiah 20:10-13; Romans 5:12-15; Matthew 10:26-33
Do
Not Be Afraid.
1.
In
today’s Gospel from Matthew 10, Jesus addressed his apostles and told them not
to be afraid. The chapter begins with: “Then he summoned his twelve
disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to
cure every disease and illness.” Jesus commissioned and sent them out
as missionaries to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Missionary work can be intimidating indeed. It can instill fear in the hearts
of missionaries. Jesus warned his apostles that they would be persecuted,
rejected, and betrayed by family members. “A disciple is not above the
teacher” (10:24). He told them not to be afraid but put their trust in
God, who takes care of even the sparrows, and knows the number of the hair on their
heads. He asked them, “Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet
not one of them falls to the ground without your father’s knowledge. Even the
hairs of your head are counted. So, do not be afraid; you are worth more than
many sparrows.” They should only be afraid of God. Earthly elements and
human beings may kill us, but have no power over our souls. Therefore, we
should only be afraid of being separated from God and being unfaithful to God
through sin. We should approach God with awe, respect, and reverence. Because “There
is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” (1 John 4:18).
2.
Being
a Christian does not prevent us from encountering difficulties. Christ made no
such assumptions. He said rather: “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in
the midst of wolves; so, be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But beware
of people, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their
synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a
witness before them and the pagans.” (Matt. 10:16-18). The first
reading presents us with Jeremiah, who experienced hardships in his preaching
ministry. He was rejected, persecuted, and made a laughingstock by those he
loved and cared for. Jeremiah warned God’s people that they could avoid the destruction
that was on its way if they lived according to God’s laws. Jeremiah’s listeners
ignored his warning and plotted to kill him instead. Jeremiah was intimidated
and persecuted to the point that he wanted to stop preaching altogether. In the
verse before our reading today, he said, “I say to myself; I will not
mention him, I will speak in his name no more. But then it becomes like fire
burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in, I
cannot endure it.” (Jer. 20:9). Yet Jeremiah was vindicated and
rejoiced: “Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord! For he has delivered the
life of the needy from the hands of evildoers.”
3.
Preachers
encounter difficulties because people do not want to be told what to do. “And
this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred
darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked
things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works
might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that
his works may be clearly seen as done in God.” (John 3:19-21). This is
why we gossip: because we are cowards. Bad things are done in the cover of
darkness. Heinous crimes are committed in the dark. Those who abuse their wives
or children, gamblers or drunkards, drug barons, addicts or prostitutes,
embezzlers and cheats, do not want people to know their secrets. They prefer
deeds of darkness to light. If preachers talk about their way of life, they
become targets earmarked for destruction, like Jeremiah in today’s reading.
4.
Therefore,
St. Paul tells us in the second reading, “If by the transgression of the
one the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of
the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow for the many.” Jesus has redeemed
us with his precious blood and has given us the power to conquer our fears,
even the fear of death. He says, “Behold, I have given you the power to
tread upon serpents and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy, and
nothing will harm you.” (Lk. 10:19). Therefore, we should not be afraid!
Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP
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