60 Second Jesus

Preach on the Housetops

In Matthew 10:27 Jesus explained what He meant when He said not to fear those who insult us for our faith. “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.” In some parts of the world Christians are severely persecuted. Even in free countries Christians can be threatened by politics, harassed by a corrupt boss or criticized by others for their beliefs. Even church leaders can coerce people into violating their conscience. Jesus told his first disciples to do just the opposite of what bullies want, by shouting their faith from the rooftops for all to hear.

Do not Fear Insults

In Matthew 10:26 Jesus had spoken of Christians being slandered like He was. He was called Beelzebul (meaning lord of dung). Have we been bullied into silence? Jesus encouraged us, “Therefore do not fear them.” When people insult us are we tempted to take matters into our own hands and get revenge? What about anonymous deeds done in the dark? Let’s remember, “do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19; Deuteronomy 32:35) Let’s also remember, “there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.”

Insults as Compliments

In Matthew 10:24-25, Jesus coached his first students, saying “If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub [more accurately Beelzebul], how much more will they call those of his household!” Have we ever been insulted for our faith? Do we let disrespect make us angry? Jesus said that for the Christian an insult can actually be a compliment. Next time that we are insulted, let’s analyze why. Was it because we are a Christian? Hateful put-downs can be a litmus test of genuine Christianity in our lives. If so, take the slander as a wonderful compliment. Receive such verbal abuse as unwitting praise. Use it to be encouraged.

Who is Lost?

Who is lost in our community? Just look around. Who does not go to church? Who has an unkempt lawn and no friends? Who has loads of money but no true friends? Who is an addict? Who is depressed and suicidal? Who is a foreigner far from home and feeling abandoned and unwanted? Who believes that life is all about the materialistic gods of this world? Who has ruined their lives and their family because of sexual immorality? Who drives through town like they have murder on their hearts? Who is deceived into thinking that theft is an appropriate way to live? The lost are everywhere and they are our assignment.

Mission Trip

Unlike the Great Commission, the disciples’ short-term missionary trip in Matthew 10:5-8 was only “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” We read in Romans 1:16, “the Jew first and also for the Greek.” Some commentators suggest, they were not yet spiritually mature enough to look beyond their national borders. How were “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” lost? Were they not being led “in the paths of righteousness” (Psalm 23)? Was it because “Their [national and religious] shepherds have led them astray” (Jeremiah 50:6)? Had they “gone astray like a lost sheep” (Psalm 119:176)? Have our modern day shepherds been misleading us?

Twelve Disciples

Why were there 12 disciples? Does it remind us of the 12 Patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 gates through which we may enter New Jerusalem in Revelation 21. He called them apostles. Apostle means an envoy or “one who is sent.” In Matthew 10:1-4, “He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.” By doing so, Jesus gave them a little of the power that He revealed during His earthly ministry. As the 12 Patriarchs were the Fathers of Israel, so these men were to be the Fathers of the Church.

Bountiful Harvest

In Matthew 9:37-38 Jesus used a familiar metaphor for the Great Commission of a harvest, using that now famous line, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” A bumper crop and a scarcity of field workers is familiar to farmers. Jesus encourages us to pray the Lord would “send out laborers into His harvest.” The sense is rather forceful in this context, meaning “to drive out” workers into the fields, or to “thrust out, force them out, as from urgent necessity.”1 Jesus calls us to a compelling mission. Perhaps one of the major problems of the Church is that we don’t see this as so important.

1Vincent's Word Studies. Marvin Richardson Vincent. 1886

Shepherdless Sheep

In Matthew 9:35-36 Jesus saw a crowd and was “moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” One common word for a church leader is pastor, meaning a shepherd. In Old Testament Israel, the ideal national leader was pictured as a shepherd who feeds and cares for his sheep. When shepherds do not feed and care for the sheep, they become “ἐσκυλμένοι καὶ ἐρριμμένοι” (Nestle Greek), “harassed and helpless” (NIV), “distressed and dispirited” (NASB), “weary and scattered” (NKJV). Jesus saw people burdened by their shepherds with vain traditions and doctrines, weighed down in ignorance, neglected and scattered abroad without care and attention.

NIV Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

What Unites Christians

Is there common ground that unites all Christians worldwide? The logia, the sayings of Christ are the thing upon which Christians agree. Christians are divided over many lesser issues, doctrines and human traditions. Yet, Jesus commanded that his disciples teach what? He charged them with teaching what he taught them. That is what unites us. Whether we are Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant, we believe in what Christ taught. So, Jesus seems to be teaching us a priority in the Bible, the words He taught those disciples. When we focus on what Jesus taught, other issues seem to fade into the background. We actually find common ground that wonderfully unites us all.

Teach What

In Matthew 28:20 Jesus gave His disciples the educational curriculum that He expected them to teach. True Christians have always followed this advice down through the ages. Jesus said they should be, “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” Some try to extend this to the Old Testament and church traditions. Those things have some relevance, but the main thing is the main thing. Jesus specifically said that I have taught YOU. All healthy mainstream churches preach the whole Bible, but their focus is on the Gospels, where most of Jesus’ teachings are located. Healthy preaching covers the Bible and includes a Gospel lesson every week.