Consider the Sparrows (Part 1)

Scripture — Matthew 10:26-31 (NRSV)

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 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 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.

Devotion

Fear is a strange bird. It plagues us with hauntings of threat, uncertainty, and doubt; a germ in the mind and spirit that grow into all types of symptoms of frailty. It does not take much imagination to consider the CEO, the public service or safety worker, the stay-at-home dad, or the phlebotomist’s work that is underpinned with notions of:

• There is not enough for everyone; what happens if you do not get any?
• They are a threat, aren’t they?
• You must protect only your own?
• Can you really do this? What happens if you fail?

This concern for lack in the 1st century was not unfounded. They did not have the first-world amenities of manufacturing and technology. Bottled water was a task. Clothing would have to be made. Buffets wouldn’t exist for another 15 centuries; microwaves even longer.

In typical Jesus fashion, Jesus took his disciples from one level of dependence to another. He called them to go out to be and to spread the message of the kingdom so they could anticipate trouble (Matt 10:16-25). In addition to the pressure of everyday life, he elevated the potential of trouble by adding unwelcoming courtrooms, synagogues, boardrooms, and breakrooms to the plate.

Trouble is adept at finding darkness. The antithesis of darkness is courage. Author Joe Rigney calls courage “the willingness to risk comfort, safety, and even life for the sake of what is good, true, and beautiful.” Jesus encouraged his disciples to have courage instead of fear. And courageous people will act in certain ways.

When they do not fear they can speak up. They are free to share, because whatever antagonism they might receive from others won’t stand up in God’s courtroom. Courage enables the disciple to do and say what leads toward the good, true, and beautiful.

Secondly, disciples can risk safety because they have straightened up; because the Word reminds them that losses are relative. If they destroy your body, there is no one who can get to the soul save God. If they destroy your reputation there is One who can restore it and it is God’s grace that enables reputation in the first place. If they destroy your resources, in God’s kingdom there is always enough.

Fear only casts shadows. And shadows shift and distort what is true. But courage looks for the good, true, and beautiful. Courage resolves to see the things that are hoped for and cherishes the evidence of things that are not yet seen. Courage centered in Christ reframes a perspective from “there is not enough” to “what can be?” It looks up instead of looking with fear.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Laborers Deserve Their Food (Matthew 10).