Matthew 10:31

Saturday, 7 June 2025

 

Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Matthew 10:31

 

“Therefore, not you should fear, many sparrows you excel – you!” (CG).

 

In the previous verse, Jesus noted that the very hairs of one’s head are numbered. Next, He says to the apostles, “Therefore, not you should fear.” These words take the reader back to verse 28, where Jesus said, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.”

 

If God so minutely knows the number of hairs on one’s head, and if a person is proclaiming the words of Christ, then that person, who is known in such minute detail, is being carefully considered as he proclaims his message. There will be caring for and tending for that person. Jesus explains this next, saying, “many sparrows you excel – you!”

 

One can see the emphatic nature of His words. God is aware of the falling of a single sparrow. God is aware of the number of hairs on the head of man. Therefore, God is aware of the threats against those who proclaim His word. If one of them falls to the ground because of the proclamation of His words, it will not have been in vain. God will remember him and raise him according to His promises.

 

The emphatic nature of the word “you” is telling His apostles that because of their trust in Jesus and their continued proclamation of the gospel, the matter is so. This cannot mean that it is a universal statement applying to all men.

 

The very people who would oppose them have already been seen to have a fate worse than Sodom and Gomorrah (verse 10:15). Therefore, the words now are not inclusive of those who stand opposed to the gospel, but they would logically include those who received them and accepted their words.

 

In other words, the state of man is one that is at enmity with God. It is the acceptance of the gospel that changes that state. God would have all come to a saving knowledge of the gospel, changing their default position and bringing them back to Himself. But those who reject the gospel remain separated from Him.

 

Worse, however, is the fact that they voluntarily did so. When one rejects the higher revelation, their condemnation must therefore be greater.

 

Understanding this, we see that the words of this verse can only apply to those who belong to God because of the gospel, not humanity in general.

 

Life application: One of the great problems found in churches with a social gospel is that the focus is on the “love” side of God, without any consideration for His just and righteous character. Without leading someone to Christ, all the feeding ministries on the planet are worthless.

 

It is pointless to feed someone into hell. It is ridiculous to tend to a marginalized community, taking care of their needs and being close friends with them, if you are not going to share with them the only news that can restore them to God.

 

However, this is what social gospel ministries do. Those conducting them think they are gaining God’s favor for doing good stuff for others, even if they don’t have a heart for the Lord. Those they minister to will die apart from God without the gospel. In the end, everyone connected to such a “giving” ministry will wind up in hell unless Jesus is in the equation.

 

It is better to be a person on the side of the street handing out tracts with the saving message of Jesus than it is to be catering to sinners in a feeding ministry without telling them of the consequences of their sin and their need for Jesus to cleanse them.

 

Keep things in the proper perspective. Any deed done in faith will receive its reward, no matter how small. Any deed not done in faith will receive no reward, no matter how great and expansive it is.

 

Lord God, may our faith in You and love for You stir in us the de