³⁷ Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Matthew 10:37

This week as we continue our series on discipleship we will examine Matthew 10:16-39 with particular emphasis on 10:34-49. As we have noted repeatedly, at the heart of discipleship is a relationship. In light of that, we should not be surprised to find Jesus teaching His disciples that their relationship with Him will have ramifications for their other relationships, specifically those within their own families.

Jesus begins in 10:16-24 by warning the disciples that persecution will come to them because, as His disciples, they have been called to be His witnesses. He then explains to them that their identity as His disciples will be the reason for the persecution that they will eventually experience (10:24-25). In spite of this, He encourages them not to be afraid because God cares deeply for them and they will be vindicated in the end (10:26-33).

Although the reality of suffering persecution for the sake of Christ is not a pleasant thought, it becomes exceedingly more difficult when we consider how following Jesus can result in conflict with those whom we love the most. It is for this reason that Jesus redefines for the disciples the purpose of His coming (10:34). Conflict rather than peace will result from His mission, because sinners will push back against both His claims about them (they must repent!) as well as those about Himself (He is Lord!). In order to illustrate this point, Jesus quotes from Micah 7:6, emphasizing that the truth of God’s Word often sets against each other those who would otherwise be close. In light of this, He teaches that anyone who would choose peace in their family relationship over their love for Christ was not worthy of Him (10:37). This is because to follow Christ involves death to self (10:38) and a willingness to lay down one’s own life in order to take up the life that Christ provides for His disciples (10:39).

Scripture affirms the goodness of the family as a gift of God’s common grace. And yet, we cannot prioritize those relationships above our faithfulness to Jesus. Embracing our identity as followers of Jesus helps us to rightly prioritize the various relationships that we have in life. It allows us to truly love those members of our family who may not necessarily share our faith and values by reminding us of the importance of bearing witness to Christ before them both in word and in deed. Laying our lives down to follow Jesus is how we can truly love the Lord our God as well as our families.

Join with us this Sunday as we come together as those who would be His disciples in order that we might be reminded of these things.

Soli Deo Gloria.

-Thomas