What Did We Get Ourselves Into? Following Christ's Commission

Matthew sets the Twelve on the brink of a mission they did not fully foresee, and the question under their breath sounds like, what did we get ourselves into. Jesus does not sugarcoat it. The charge sends them as sheep among wolves, and the name-calling he receives, Beelzebul, will land on them too. The path with the Master promises healing and miracles, yet it also brings disrespect, danger, and likely persecution. The mission will not wait for perfect understanding, and the net dropped on the shoreline has already set events in motion.

Jesus steadies their nerves with a triple word, do not fear. The first reason reaches like water bursting from a dam, what was hidden will be made known, and what is whispered will be proclaimed from the housetops. The second reason sorts fear rightly, people can torment bodies but cannot touch souls, so awe belongs to God who holds both. The third reason looks at sparrows in the market, the cheapest gift the poor could still afford, and argues from lesser to greater, if the Father tracks the fall of small birds, how much more are beloved image-bearers kept, numbered down to the hairs on their heads.

The gospel then presses public allegiance. Confession before people draws confession from Christ before the Father, and denial bears its own weight. Frederick Buechner’s blunt line puts wheels on it, to preach the kingdom and to heal belong together, and to do either in his name is ministry, not to do them is a bad joke. Matthew keeps showing a fork in the road, those who say yes and follow, and those who say no, like the rich young ruler. Even Peter’s collapse in the courtyard only underlines the stakes, silence costs, yet grace still restores a mouth to witness.

Jesus’s claim then runs through the house like a live wire. The gospel does not idolize family cohesion, it reorders loves, and sometimes it divides. Old wine cannot sit comfortably in a new wineskin, so loyalty to God rises above the strongest earthly ties, and reputation gives way to obedience. The question returns in ordinary church life, at the font and the table, in Sunday school rooms and choir lofts, what did they get themselves into. Alan Boesak names the tug toward compromise, but the chosen shall be known by their choices. The call does not ask for chameleons, it calls for daily, mustard-seed faith that moves mountains and refuses to blend into the wallpaper of fear.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Fear yields to unstoppable revelation The kingdom will not stay bottled up, so fear of backlash shrinks next to the certainty that truth will break out. Courage grows when the future is already leaking into the present, like water through a cracked dam. The mouth that speaks what Jesus has whispered simply joins what God is already making public. [30:17]
• 2. Bodies can be harmed, souls kept Suffering can reach the skin, but it cannot reach the self kept in God. Real fear belongs to the One who holds both body and soul in wisdom and justice. Resilient witness grows from that untouchable center, where imprisonment cannot enter and death cannot rule. [30:33]
• 3. The Father counts sparrows and hairs Providence is not abstract, it is particular and numbered. If the market’s smallest birds live under the Father’s eye, the disciple’s life is not an afterthought. Security in that care frees risky obedience, since belovedness is settled before consequences arrive. [32:18]
• 4. Allegiance to Jesus outranks family loyalty The gospel sometimes slices through the tightest bonds because it remakes the whole order of love. This is not contempt for family, it is clarity about first love. When Jesus stands first, households may strain, yet truth and mercy take their proper place. [36:17]
• 5. The chosen are known by choices Discipleship resists camouflage, since faith must take shape in time, cost, and public confession. Daily obedience beats tidy arguments that dull the edge of the call. Mustard-seed trust steps out, not because it is easy, but because Jesus is worthy. [40:56]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [21:47] - A Household of Thirteen and a Question
• [25:55] - Nets Dropped, Uncertain Road
• [26:39] - Sent as Sheep Among Wolves
• [27:00] - No Pep Talk, Real Persecution
• [29:54] - Three Times: Do Not Fear
• [30:17] - What Was Hidden Revealed
• [30:33] - Body vs Soul: True Fear
• [31:20] - Shawshank and Inner Freedom
• [32:18] - Sparrows and Counted Hairs
• [33:12] - Confess Him, Stakes Are Eternal
• [34:32] - Yes and No in Matthew
• [36:17] - Gospel Over Family Loyalty
• [37:49] - Modern Vows, Everyday Ministries
• [39:51] - Daily Choice, Not Chameleon

Bible Reading
Matthew 10:26-39 (ESV)
26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And 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. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. 34 Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 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. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

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Observation Questions

1. What three reasons does Jesus give for not fearing persecution or danger? (Include references to hidden truths, body/soul distinction, and sparrows/hairs.)
2. How does Jesus contrast earthly family loyalty with allegiance to Him in verses 34-37?
3. The sermon mentions that "denial bears its own weight" and gives Peter’s denial as an example. What consequence does Jesus attach to denying Him publicly? [35:23]

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Interpretation Questions

1. Why might Jesus use the imagery of sparrows and numbered hairs to address fear? How does this connect to the disciples’ mission?
2. Jesus says the gospel "reorders loves" rather than destroying family bonds. How does this distinction change how we view conflicts between faith and family? [36:50]
3. The sermon states, "Silence costs, yet grace still restores a mouth to witness." How does Peter’s denial and restoration illustrate both the danger of silence and the hope of grace? [35:23]

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Application Questions

1. Jesus says, "What I tell you in the dark, say in the light." Where in your life do you feel hesitant to speak about your faith openly? What practical step could you take this week to "proclaim" truth in one of those areas?
2. The sermon argues that "security in [God’s] care frees risky obedience." What fear (failure, rejection, physical harm) most holds you back from taking a step of faith? How might trusting God’s specific care for you change your response? [32:18]
3. When have you experienced tension between loyalty to family/friends and loyalty to Christ? How did you navigate it, and what would you do differently now?
4. The sermon says discipleship requires "daily, mustard-seed faith that refuses to blend into the wallpaper of fear." What small, daily choice could you make to resist "blending in" at work, school, or home? [40:56]
5. The sermon warns against "the tug toward compromise." What compromises (e.g., silence, half-hearted actions) do you rationalize as "harmless"? How might these dull your witness? [39:14]