Setting It Right
Do not fear what cannot kill your soul.
“A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household! “So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. “Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. - Matthew 10:24-33
There is a lot going on in this short excerpt from Matthew's Gospel.
Jesus is teaching his disciples to be like him, but he warns them that they will be called evil by the one who is evil. They will be challenged as Jesus was challenged, because they are true to him.
Everything we encounter in this world, we encounter with God's help, for God does not forget us or abandon us. But Jesus warns us not to deny him, or he will deny us before God.
So, I wonder. Did Judas deny Jesus?
We know he handed Jesus over to the authorities, but he didn't deny who Jesus was, did he?
It makes me think that perhaps even Judas was acknowledged by Jesus before the Father.
It is something to think about, since we all make mistakes. We all do and say things we regret later.
Even Judas regretted his actions, but he never gave himself a chance to reconcile and come back to God.
So, the good news here, I think, is that we can and will be redeemed, so long as we don't abandon God completely.
For if we do, we had better find a way to come home again and set it right.
More to come...