Stay Steadfast in Jesus! (Matthew 10:16-42)

[Stephan Choe]

April 24, 2026

Key Verses 32-33: “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.”

When we believe in Jesus Christ, we are under God's rule. Therefore, we experience much good. However, Jesus does not offer us a path strewn with roses but rather both blessedness and difficulties.

Today, Jesus tells us about the difficulties that may befall us, such as conflicts, persecution, or death. He wants to encourage us to become victors of faith despite such difficulties. Therefore, let us address these difficulties today.

May God help us to become victors despite the difficulties.

1. Fearless Confession Despite Persecution (16-33)

Jesus sends his disciples out into the world. At the sending-out ceremony, Jesus says to them:

“Look, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” (16)

Jesus doesn't shy away from telling us what difficulties await us if we follow him. He offers us no path of comfort, but a path of persecution and possibly death. That's why he teaches us how to behave in the midst of persecution.

He names three types of persecution for which we should be prepared:

First: Persecution by the State

Jesus says in verse 17, “Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to judgment.”

The word “judgment” here refers to state courts. Throughout history, Christians have often been persecuted by the state. Even today, Christians in many countries are persecuted by state authorities such as the police or secret services.

In North Korea, numerous Christians are imprisoned in concentration camps simply because they are Christians. In Saudi Arabia, there are special religious police. They punish citizens who believe in Jesus Christ or attend a Christian church. In Germany, there is seemingly no state persecution. However, there are various state prohibitions. For example, it is not permitted to hang a cross in a public building such as a school or to proselytize publicly, even though Christians officially comprised approximately 50% of the total population in 2025 (Catholic 23.7%, Protestant 21.5%, free churches approximately 1%, and Orthodox 3.7%).

Second: Persecution by Other Religions

Jesus says that Christians are flogged in synagogues. Synagogues are churches of Judaism. Christians have experienced persecution by other religions in the past and continue to do so today.

3.2 million Christians in Armenia and Syria were killed by Muslim Turkey in the first half of the 20th century.

Currently, Christians are most persecuted in Islamic countries.

Do you know how many Christians die as martyrs each year? According to Thomas Schirrmacher, the founder of the Martin Bucer Seminary, more than 50 Christians die as martyrs every day. The papal missionary organization Aid to the Church in Need even cites 130,000–170,000 martyrs per year.

We should be aware of the situation. If we spread the Gospel in the world, we must be prepared for persecution or martyrdom.

Third: Persecution by Family Members

Jesus says in verse 21:

“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his son; and children will rebel against their parents and help put them to death.”

Persecution by one's own family members can be the worst. When someone from a different faith family, especially a Muslim family, becomes a Christian, they often face severe persecution from their own family members.

Sometimes honor killings occur in Muslim families. Such things have even happened in Germany.

In North Korea, there have been cases where a son reported his own mother or father to the police.

The power of darkness tries to prevent the spread of the gospel through state power, religious authority, or family members. But we need not be afraid of persecution, because Jesus says, “Therefore do not be afraid of them” (26).

Why do we not need to be afraid of persecution?

Because God's love is stronger than death.

In Iran, for example, it is forbidden to own a Bible. But many Iranians want to have one. As a result, more than 1 million Iranians have become Christians. In Saudi Arabia, Filipino girls work as maids and teach young children Christian songs so that the children learn about the Gospel.

When persecution is present, we should not view it only negatively. Rather, we should see it as an opportunity to spread the Gospel (18).

Let's consider the example of China. There, Christians were severely persecuted after the Communists came to power in 1948. Even today, there is direct and indirect persecution. Nevertheless, the Gospel is actively spread by fearless Christians, so that in 2010, according to the KCMA (Korean-China Mission Association), the number of Christians in China was 103.5 million (including 21 million Catholics). No one can hinder God's work of salvation.

We should listen to the voice of Jesus in verse 28, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

He continues, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (29-31).

Instead of being afraid, we should boldly profess our faith, for Jesus says to us, “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will also disown before my Father in heaven” (32-33).

2. Remaining Steadfast Despite Divisions (34-39)

The second difficulty for us Christians is divisions or conflicts because of our faith. Our Christian faith has its own characteristics. For example, we believe in the one God and his only Savior, Jesus Christ. Therefore, we cannot accept that there are multiple gods or that there is another path to salvation. But we should not force others to convert to Christianity with the sword, for the Apostle Paul says in Romans 12:18, “If it is possible for you, live at peace with everyone.”

We should not engage in unnecessary conflict with people of other faiths. Rather, we should treat them peacefully and win them for Jesus through love and truth.

However, there are situations in which we are attacked by others because of our faith. We should remain steadfast in faith and love. We should act as credible messengers of Christ through our words and our lives.

Although we would treat people of other faiths with love and gentleness, some people attack us. Therefore, a rift or conflict with them is sometimes unavoidable. Our adversaries are often our own family members or friends.

That is why Jesus says in verse 36, “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.”

The divisions caused by such conflicts are very painful for everyone. But we should know that we are often faced with a choice: either for Jesus or against him.

What does Jesus teach us in such a situation?

We should remain steadfast in Jesus Christ despite the conflicts or persecutions. Jesus says, “Therefore, whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will also disown before my Father in heaven” (32-33).

Through conflicts or persecutions, we are faced with a decision: we must choose either earthly advantages or Jesus Christ.

When John Bunyan (1628-1688), the English author of the book "The Pilgrim's Journey," was active, laypeople were forbidden to preach. Because he preached as a layperson, he spent a total of 12.5 years in prison. While imprisoned, he grieved deeply for his wife and children. He pondered what would become of them if he did not support them. Despite such inner turmoil, he remained faithful to Christ and, during his second imprisonment, wrote "The Pilgrim's Journey" for his children. In his book, he recounts his heartache and his decision. God has blessed his faithfulness so much that his book is the second most read in English-speaking countries after the Bible, encouraging countless Christians to remain steadfast in their faith despite the challenges they face.

Jesus encourages us: "Whoever clings to their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it" (39).

We should remember that our earthly life is not everything. After our earthly life, there is hell and heaven. Therefore, it is truly wise to remain faithful to Jesus Christ despite the difficulties. Each of us should ask ourselves whether we are acting wisely or not.

3. Jesus' Encouragement of All Disciples (40-42)

When persecution or divisions are present, we might not have a heart for the Lord. But Jesus says to us, "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes him who sent me" (40).

Jesus encourages us to welcome his messengers. He says that welcoming his disciples is the same as welcoming him. We might think that Jesus' messengers only refer to "great" disciples like apostles or prominent preachers. But Jesus says to us, "Truly I tell you, if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple of Jesus, he will by no means go unrewarded."

In the church of Christ, there are seemingly great disciples, such as apostles or preachers, and seemingly lesser disciples, such as those who serve others with drinking water.

But in Jesus' eyes, there is no difference between "big" tasks and "small" tasks. There is only one difference: whether someone faithfully fulfills their task or neglects it. Jesus assures us that all who faithfully fulfill their tasks will receive divine reward.

Here, Jesus encourages us to faithfully serve the Lord despite various difficulties we encounter in our responsibilities. It is easy for us to waste our energy in difficult times and not serve the Lord at all. This is the devil's intention. Despite the confusing situation, we should trust the Lord and faithfully carry out our small tasks. God will surely bless our faithfulness.

Confess Jesus!

Jesus does not offer us a path strewn with roses for discipleship, but rather a path of stone. We should not be surprised when we encounter difficulties because of following Christ. Instead, we should refer to God's Word in Romans 1:16. Recall from verses 8:28, 38-39: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose… For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Therefore, despite the difficulties, we should renew our faith in Jesus Christ and confess him, for Jesus said in verse 32:

“Therefore, whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will also disown before my Father in heaven.” Amen!