As we continue through Chapter 10, Jesus pivots to some encouraging words as he prepares His disciples for their first outreach mission. While these encouragements take on a general theme of “Do Not Fear”, Jesus is saying a few distinct things. He wants them to be assured that they will have success in their mission, and that the entire Gospel will be made known to all. He wants them to understand that men cannot hurt their souls, even though they can (and will) hurt their bodies. He illustrates that God is who sustains and values them. And finally, he ensures they know that their faith (and ours) is expected to be a public faith. (If any of us were arrested today, and charged with the ‘crime of following Jesus’, would the case be dismissed for lack of evidence?) For us, all of these principles continue to apply, some 2000 years later.
