~ Jesus said: “Do not fear those
who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to
destroy both soul and body in hell." -Matthew 10:28
What's
the most difficult thing you've ever done? Many difficult tasks look pretty
daunting before we even get started. It
doesn't make it easier if someone tells us in advance, "What you're about
to do is really, really hard!"
But
that's the position the 12 apostles of Jesus were in. The Lord was sending Peter, James, John, and
the rest on a mission to preach His good news in all the cities and towns of
the region. The He told them to expect lots of trouble. "You're like sheep
in the middle of wolves," He said. "People will even hate you just
because you're mentioning My name."
Yet
He also told them not to fear those who reacted that way because the worst they
could do was to kill the body. Now, that is indeed pretty terrible! Over the
years, many followers of Jesus have paid that price, starting with 11 of those
apostles and continuing until now in various parts of the world.
Why
not fear such people? Our verse has the
answer: It's because they have less power than God, and they cannot kill the
soul. Only God is able to judge both
soul and body in hell. That's not to say
God's followers are in danger of hell's fire!
On the contrary, God shows tender, fatherly care towards those who follow
Him. Jesus' point was simply that those
who hate His message are not the ultimate authority; God is.
This
verse helps emphasize the Bible view that we are more than just our bodies. Our
souls and spirits—the real essence of us—outlive our bodies and are worth
nurturing. As Jesus points out here, God
even cares about the sparrows, and to Him we are more valuable than many
sparrows!
Therefore,
when forced to choose between doing what people say and doing what God says,
the right path is obvious.
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