Full Transcript

Welcome to Share the Word. As I listened to today’s lesson from Margie Bissado, I couldn’t help but feel that with everything happening in this world today, this lesson is as relevant for us as it was when Jesus gave these instructions to the apostles. We’ve been called to the Great Commission. The question to keep in mind is, does what Margie talked about resonate and have relevance in your life? Margie. Thank you, Pastor Tony.

Warning, Matthew 10 is kind of hard and kind of scary. Why? Well, the big idea is based on verse 10:16, where Jesus told his disciples, I’m sending you out like sheep among the wolves. Remembering that Matthew is a Jewish author writing to Jewish readers about their Jewish Messiah, his Hebrew audience would have been very familiar with the sheep and wolves analogy. In that time and in that culture, most Israelis would have been aware of the damage a wolf pack could inflict upon vulnerable sheep. Besides shepherding being quite common in ancient Israel, the Old Testament is full of sheep illustrations, stories, and word pictures.

So this description might have struck fear into the disciples’ sheepish souls. In that era, the sacrificing of sheep was central to the Hebrew religious ceremony as a propitiation for their sins. These sacrifices do not continue today, as the temple was destroyed approximately 70 AD. However, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is still an important holiday to the modern Jew. It’s a time to commemorate the Passover, when God delivered the Israeli slaves from bondage in Egypt. At that time, the Lord had instructed them to mark their door frames with lamb’s blood so that the angel of death would pass over their home.

Also, sheep held immense importance to the Jewish economy, providing wool, milk, and of course meat. The size of one’s flock was a measure of one’s wealth. Many prominent biblical figures, including Abel, Abraham, Jacob, and Job, owned sheep. King David, as a child, protected the family’s sheep with a slingshot, staff, and rod against lions and bears and wolves, oh my. Furthermore, sheep symbolically represented the people of Israel, highlighting their relationship with God as their divine shepherd. One of the most famous psalms in the Old Testament, the 23rd, was written by the shepherd David.

He says, The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures, leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. And even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no wolves—I mean evil—for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Most likely, the ancient Hebrew would have known that stats on wolves, of which we modern folks are basically ignorant. For example, did you know that there are really only two universally recognized species of wolf? The gray wolf and the red wolf, with subspecies on each continent. Wolves typically have a lifespan of six to seven years. Wolves live in family packs led by a breeding pair to maintain order and to facilitate hunting. They are known to travel up to 20 miles in a day in search of prey.

Apparently, wolves can go up to two weeks without eating, but when they do, they can consume up to 22 pounds of food at once. A wolf’s howl can send a chill up the spine of even the most courageous. Howling is the wolf’s primary way of communicating. It serves to rally the pack to attack or to warn them of danger, but they also communicate through body language and scent marking. They are a fierce and wily adversary. Sheep, on the other hand, are fairly domestic, docile, and dependent on shepherds.

Sheep can recognize human voices and faces for multiple years and have social and emotional skills which enable them to distinguish between known and unknown people or animals. Ewes typically give birth to one or two lambs in a lifetime, each with a different acoustic signature promoting bonding between them. Sheep communicate with bleats and scents from their glands, both near their eyes and their hooves. Though sheep have a 360-degree field of vision to help them spot predators, they are basically defenseless against them. The point is that Matthew’s Jewish audience would have instantly understood the significance of Jesus’s proclamation, I am sending you out like sheep among the wolves. Contemporary shepherd Nomad Dimitri writes, The problem with the wolf is that he will wreak havoc on the flock and the economy.

Instead of just helping himself to one of these little sheep, which would be plenty of meat for a whole pack for a whole week, the wolves kill about 40 of the sheep in one attack, taking little bites out of them in some kind of a blood orgy. Sheep are understandably terrified of wolves. A ewe might become so scared that she will stop producing milk for her lamb. Many sheep will actually drop dead of fear when they catch the scent of a wolf. Basically, a single wolf attack could kill up to 60 sheep. Therefore, the wolves are actually destroying a whole flock, not just picking off one sheep at a time.

Are you frightened yet? Well, I am. And this is how King Jesus is sending out his beloved followers, like sheep among the wolves. And who are these sheep exactly? Well, we are told in verses 1 through 4, Jesus called his 12 disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. The names of the 12 apostles: first, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew.

By the way, Peter is always listed first, and we know from earlier verses that this pair is also referred to the sons of John or the sons of Jonah. James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, also called the sons of thunder. Wait, about these sets of brothers, according to Hebrew tradition, brothers are listed in birth order, the eldest before the youngest. So we know that James is older than John and Peter is older than Andrew. Okay, to continue the list with the close friends, Philip and Bartholomew. Who was also called Nathanael.

Thomas referred to the doubter, and Matthew the tax collector, who described himself that way, and who was also called Levi, the son of Alphaeus, who was also called James the Younger, Thaddaeus, also called Judas the son of James, Simon the Zealot, either because he was religiously zealous or because he was a member of the religious revolutionary group who violently opposed the Roman rule over Palestine, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus. He was the only non-Galilean in the group, and you might notice that Judas Iscariot is always listed last. So, are you confused about the multiple names? Remember, Matthew is a Jew writing to the Jews about Jews, and keeping with ancient Eastern custom, the first son was typically named after the father, and the second son is usually named after the mother’s father.

Then, after a baby boy’s circumcision, they were given their second Hebrew name, traditionally to communicate either their heritage or their purpose. Okay, back to the text. Jesus announced their mission: Go to the lost sheep of Israel, and as you go, preach this message: The kingdom of heaven is near. Remember, Matthew’s mission is clear: to convince the Jewish reader that Jesus was the Jewish king who was ushering in his heavenly kingdom. Jesus continued, Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely you give.

Well, so far that’s not a bad gig, right? They get to travel around being mini superheroes in training, like rock stars for Jesus. But then Jesus gave them the confusing and nerve-wracking prophecies concerning the future: rejections, trials, floggings, arrests, and murders. In verses 14 through 16, Jesus directed, When you enter the host home, give it your greeting or blessing. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it. If it is not deserving, let your peace return to you.

If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town, for I am sending you out like sheep among the wolves. Again, Matthew was a Jew writing to the Jews about the Jews and their customs, so they would have understood the expression to shake the dust off your feet, which was a symbolic warning that folks would reject their message. Now, back to the big idea: Jesus sending them out like sheep among the wolves. The first warning that Jesus gave to the disciples was that they would suffer rejection from the Jewish masses, the very people they were being sent out to help. Being rejected is hard, but to hear this message at this point in Jesus’s ministry might have been a little bit surprising to the disciples. Perhaps they’re thinking, Yikes!

Wait, what do you mean the Jewish masses will reject us? We’re bringing the good news that the Messiah King has arrived. We’re healing them, delivering them. Why wouldn’t they want us there? What happened to the glamorous celebrity status, the bright lights that we should receive? Remember, at this point in Jesus’s three-year ministry.

The Jewish masses still loved him. They were actively trying to force Jesus into being their earthly king. They wanted good physical health. They wanted to be free of demon possession. They wanted all the fishes and loaves they could eat. And really, who can blame them?

But that is not why King Jesus came. He had a very specific mission: to usher in his kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, by becoming the Lamb of God to take away the sins of not only the Jewish nation, but of the world. And though Jesus kept warning his disciples that he would be accused, arrested, imprisoned, beaten, and finally killed, or as the prophet Isaiah predicted, he would be oppressed and afflicted like a sheep to the slaughter, the disciples did not want to hear it. They did not like that message. They did not understand it nor accept it until after his resurrection. Historically speaking, that was exactly what happened to King Jesus.

In just a few short chapters, we read that the Jewish masses will reject him. You know, it still happens today. One of the most well-known public evangelists, Billy Graham, faced significant and varied public opposition. He was often criticized regarding his approach to the gospel and his message that King Jesus was the only way to heaven. Many times, his stadium-style preaching drew crowds of protesters who jeered, chanted, and threatened him. Back to Matthew 10.

If that was not scary enough for the disciples, Jesus’ message gets even more intense. For not only will they be rejected by the unknown masses, but by their own families as well. Jesus warned, Do not suppose I have come to bring peace to earth. I do not come to bring peace, but to bring a sword. And then he quoted the prophet Micah, For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.

Oh boy, this sheep and wolves message is getting worse. Of course, Jesus was not advocating for violence, but explaining that just being his follower would cause families to split, to be divided, to be separate, like oil and water. It happened in Jesus’s very own family, and it still happens today. Hardik, an Indian man from New Delhi, raised a Hindu, believed Jesus was just one of many gods or goddesses until nine years ago, when he heard the gospel message, the good news, at a church with an Indian Christian friend. Once he heard of the sacrifice that Jesus made on his behalf, he repented. He accepted Jesus as his Lord and immediately began to follow.

That very day, Hardik left behind all of his idol worships. He enthusiastically went home to share this good news with his family, but they rejected the message. They rejected King Jesus, and they rejected him. They accused him of being deceived and brainwashed. His father said, You get out. You are offending the gods and our ancestors.

So he went to the church, where the pastor told him that Jesus warned his followers this very thing would happen. And then the pastor read the Gospel of Matthew to prove the point. Hardick considers it a blessing to be persecuted and mocked even by his own family. He boldly proclaims Jesus as King on his podcast, saying, I will never regret accepting Jesus, following Jesus, and telling others about Jesus, no matter what. Unfortunately, Hardick’s story is not an isolated incident. Many Indian people recount stepping away from their Hindu or Sikh beliefs, following the truth of King Jesus, only to face painful oppositions from their very own families.

Perhaps you’ve seen this same situation played out in your own life, maybe your own home, where a Christian family member is rebuffed, ostracized, even persecuted for their faith. I’m ashamed to say that my father, my brother, and I did this to my mother shortly after her conversion. It grieves me to think of the pain that she suffered silently because of us, like a sheep among the wolves. Then King Jesus warned his sheep that they would be beaten and imprisoned. Jesus said, Be on your guard against men. They will hand you over to local councils and flog you in their synagogues.

We covered a lot of this in Share the Word while studying the New Testament book of Acts. There we learned Peter, James, and John were almost immediately dragged into the Jewish council, beaten, flogged, and imprisoned, like sheep among the wolves. And it’s still happening today. Wang Yi is a modern-day Chinese pastor. He was a Buddhist human rights lawyer. But he put his faith into Jesus Christ in 2005.

Shortly thereafter, Wang founded the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu. He was arrested in 2018, along with more than a hundred members of his congregation, and sentenced to nine years in prison. Why? For leading an unregistered Christian house church. If that were not enough, King Jesus told his sheep that they would be martyred. Brother will betray brother to death, and father his child.

Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. Again, we know that this happened to the disciples. According to church tradition, ten of the disciples were martyred by being beaten, stoned, clubbed, crucified, or beheaded. And it still happens today. Open Doors Ministry records that there are more than 13 Christians killed each day for their faith. As Pastor Paul mentioned, that’s over 5,000 people each year.

One such martyr is Sarah Fatida Almutari of Saudi Arabia. She grew up in a Muslim family, belonged to a distinguished Bedouin tribe in the province of Qassim. From childhood, she practiced her faith meticulously. She dressed in the traditional black hijab and niqab Sarah fasted every Monday and Thursday. She refused to watch television or listen to secular music. All through high school, she had a strong Islamic teaching.

And at 18, she was allowed to enter the university. While there, Sarah entered a competition put on by the Saudi government. The theme was Islam: Between Fanaticism and Moderation. As Sarah studied for the competition, she found a story of a young man who had converted to Christianity after realizing the errors in the Quran. Initially, Sarah was very angry by this young man’s claims, so she zealously began to investigate the gospel message, reading the verses he mentioned. As she did, Sarah began to see the truth for herself.

She said, I began to weep as the Lord was speaking to my heart. I saw a huge difference between Jesus and Mohammed. In the Bible, God was very near. There were no barriers or fear. I thought Jesus’s story was the greatest in human history. Sarah read the Gospel of Matthew four times in a row and found herself deeply impacted by the Sermon on the Mount.

She said, For the first time, she saw God as good, merciful, and loving. She realized that the Father had sent His Son to die for her. Though she had been warned of the danger of becoming a Christian openly in Saudi Arabia, Sarah accepted Jesus as her Savior King. Shortly thereafter, she chose to be water baptized. In July 2008, her parents and two of her brothers began to suspect that she was a Christ follower. Her eldest brother called Sarah to repent after finding her journal, which revealed her journey from Allah to Jesus.

Sarah refused to denounce Jesus as her Savior King, so her irate brother tortured her and eventually beat her to death. She was only 26 years old, like a sheep among the wolves. Shortly before her death, Sarah penned this poem: May the Lord Jesus guide you, Muslims. May He enlighten your hearts, that you may worship Him, that you may know the way, the truth, and the life. A Muslim writing to the Muslims about the Jewish Messiah, the original sheep among the wolves. Sacrificed not only for the Jew, but for the Hindu and the Sikh, the Buddhist, the Muslim, the world.

This is Share the Word. I’m Margie. Thank you for listening.