Our scripture this week is Matthew 10:24-31.
“The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 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 hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
Matthew 10:24-31
Jesus speaks to our fear of death with the words “do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (v. 28). Most humans fear death as the greatest unknown we face. He teaches that the death of our mortal bodies is not the end of our being, there is more to us than this shell we inhabit on earth – our connection to our Maker.
Jesus came to conquer death and show us that while we will all die at some point, we can rely on God’s love and care through the experience. The apostle Paul reminds us “For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:21-22). This is the hope that Jesus brings us, that death is not the end.
We can now live with the assurance of His promise to prepare a place for us and to return for us (John 14). Death no longer holds power over us and we are called to live boldly, sharing His love with everyone. When we put our trust in Jesus, we put away our fear of death.
Gracious God, help us to know the depth of Your love and grace for us that extends beyond death. May we live securely with Christ’s promise to be together at the end. Amen.