If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,
how much more those of his household!
Jesus was the most loving and compassionate human to ever live, and yet they called him Beelzebul, that is was his power by which he had power over demons (see Matthew 12:27). This Jesus whom they accused was the same whose heart was moved with pity for the crowds, who performed healings, who fed the hungry crowds with miraculous bread. This was the same Jesus who would welcome anyone who would come to him, regardless of whether the world consider them a sinner or a Pharisee in regard to the law. Who would push back against such a presence, or criticize such a person? It would only make sense if, although Jesus was so good, he was not safe or comfortable. He was not content with the status quo in society or in the hearts of individuals. His teaching was on some level difficult to receive because it did not shy away from reference to the sin that was a reality in the hearts of those who heard him. He himself could only be accepted by his hearers over and against their instincts of selfishness and pride with which everyone struggled to some degree. He was therefore polarizing and divisive. He did not shrink from it, saying "I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled!" and asking "Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division" (see Luke 12:49 and 12:51). He was not content to mince words and would not accept a merely lukewarm response (see Revelation 3:16). This was precisely because he refused to allow sin to retain any foothold by which it could oppress his followers, which in turn was because of the real risk that such sin entailed.
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.
Jesus called his disciples to become like him. That meant that they must be ready to share the same message and face the same opposition. It was not as though they were "above" their teacher and therefore exempt and permitted a life of uninterrupted ease. Neither, then are we. We too must be ready to speak what we first hear in the confines of our discipleship in our public response as evangelists.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
Jesus knew that his disciples would be tempted by their fear to remain silent, or to only proclaim a partial message with which to flatter those who heard them and generate in them warm feelings and comfort. Therefore he instructed them to care more about eternal consequences than those which were only temporary. Only by doing so, by making fear of the Lord more important to them than the fear of men, only then could they be effective evangelists of the whole Gospel message. However much the world might malign and misunderstand the good intentions of disciples it would ultimately be only temporary, leading toward the time when all truth will be revealed.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
In the call to evangelize there could be the risk that we would only see ourselves as functional cogs, that our own thriving is irrelevant as long as we do what we ought to do. But this isn't what Jesus taught. Rather, he explained that it was precisely because of his love for each individual disciple that he wanted to see his deepest potential unleashed.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one 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.
Sparrows were meant to fly. Disciples were meant to soar on the wings of love, especially by sharing the Gospel. Sparrows would eventually fall to the ground. Disciples would eventually face the cross, and finally, their own deaths. But the Father's compassion and love for them operated at an even deeper level, a level which even death could not disrupt. This is true of us as well. When we realize how completely we are known and loved, how it is a loving God who has allowed even the difficulties we face, and when we respond to that knowledge with trust, it is then that we can have peace. It is then that we will become not merely effective but powerful in proclaiming the word.
He touched my mouth with it and said,
“See, now that this has touched your lips,
your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.”
We too need our thoughts, words, and actions purified by the fire of the Holy Spirit so that we can speak the message without fear. Before Isaiah had this experience he was afraid. But after it the fear of God made him bold and eager to serve. His excitement was evidence of finding his place in the story God was telling. And it can be so for us.
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
“Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”
“Here I am,” I said; “send me!”
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