The holy spirit speaks through men

THE HOLY SPIRIT SPEAKS THROUGH MEN
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Matthew 10:20 20for it will not be you speaking,
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through
you.
Matthew 10:17-20-17-20 The Message (MSG)
“Don’t be naive. Some people will impugn your motives, others will
smear your reputation—just because you believe in me. Don’t be upset
when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it,
they’ve done you—and me—a favor, given you a platform for preaching
the kingdom news! And don’t worry about what you’ll say or how you’ll
say it. The right words will be there; the Spirit of your Father will
supply the words."
Morning Musing: Matthew 10:19-20
August 8, 2018
“When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or
what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that
hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father
speaking through you.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
This is a really encouraging verse, but an often misunderstood one.
Jesus is promising to have our back when we put ourselves on the line
for His sake and find ourselves in the hot seat because of it. He is not
telling us that we can be lazy when it comes to preparing for the

possibility that we might find ourselves there.
The thing is, we don’t know when or if we’ll ever find ourselves in the
hot seat because of our faith. But, we cannot take Jesus’ assurance that
God will give us the words to say as license to not bother to prepare.
Too often over the years some folks have taken this as reason to not
learn about the faith, to not study theology. Their argument has been
that doing so would be unfaithful to what Jesus says here and display of
a lack of trust in the Spirit’s ability and willingness to give us the words
to say in a situation such as this.
This is exactly the wrong approach to Jesus’ words here. Jesus is talking
about situations in which we find ourselves hauled before some cultural
or political authority and suddenly having to make a defense of our faith
without getting any kind of a chance to prepare. In this situation, He
will miraculously feed us the words we need to say. For all the rest of the
time, we have to learn the old fashioned way. Let’s get to
it.https://thenexusdotblog.wordpress.com/2018/08/08/morning-musing-
matthew-1019-20/
‘I Am Sending You Out as Sheep in the Midst of Wolves’
The Cost and Blessing of Being a Christian Missionary
Resource by John Piper
Scripture: Matthew 10:16–31 Topic: Persecution
When Jesus had finished his great saving work, and had laid down his
life to save millions and millions of people who would believe in him,

and had risen from the dead, he gave this final mandate to his disciples
in Matthew 28:18–20:
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe
all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to
the end of the age.
That mandate — to go and make disciples of all the peoples of the world
— is as valid today as the promise that supports it: “Behold, I am with
you always, to the end of the age.” If the promise is valid today, then the
mandate is valid today. And the promise is valid because it’s good, Jesus
said, “to the end of the age.” So until Jesus returns the promise holds
that he will be with us. And that promise is the basis of the mandate,
and so the mandate holds today. Jesus is commanding us —
commanding Bethlehem — “Go make disciples of all nations.”
The Apostle Paul’s Ambition: Frontier Missions
The apostle Paul is the most prominent missionary in the New
Testament. He gave his life in obedience to Jesus’s mandate. He said in
Romans 15:20–21:
I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has
already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it
is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those
who have never heard will understand.”
This is the difference between and local evangelist and a frontier
missionary. Paul said to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:5, “Do the work of an
evangelist.” That means: As the pastor of a local church in a place
where the gospel as already taken root, keep on winning people to Jesus.
They may know about Christianity and live near lots of Christians there
in Ephesus, but keep on evangelizing them. Tell them the gospel. Show
them love. Keep on trying to win them. That’s local evangelism. And all

of us should be a part of it.
But this is not what we mean by frontier missions. Frontier missions is
what Paul did: “I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where
Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s
foundation.” Frontier missions is crossing a culture to plant the church
where the gospel has not already taken root. This is the mandate that is
still valid for us today. The job is not done. And the word of our risen
king Jesus is binding on us today as much as when he first gave it.
Unreached People Groups
This is why we speak of unreached people groups. The most helpful
website I know of for understanding and researching the unreached
peoples of the world is the Joshua Project. It lists a total of 15,965
people groups in the world. Of these, 6,434 are still unreached, defining
unreached as a “people group among which there is no indigenous
community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and
resources to evangelize this people group” — which means, in their
definition, fewer than two percent evangelical Christian.
So Jesus gave the mandate to us to make disciples of all these groups,
and Paul modeled what frontier missions looks like, making it his
ambition to proclaim the gospel where the church was not already
planted. And today the mandate holds (“Make disciples of all nations”),
and the promise holds (“I will be with you to the end of the age”), and
the stakes are eternal: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life;
whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God
remains on him” (John 3:36).
Who Will Go?
So the question is, “Who will go? Who will proclaim the gospel of Jesus
Christ where the church is not yet planted and flourishing? Should I

go?” I ask myself this at least once a year. And I mean it seriously. I am
willing to go. I think every follower of Jesus is bound by the cords of
love and obedience to say, “I am willing to follow you wherever you lead
me.” Every believer in Jesus should say, “Here am I, send me, if that is
your will.”
“God uses the preaching of his word to awaken a compelling calling to
missions.”
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It is not the Lord’s will that all of his followers be frontier missionaries.
But some he calls. How he does it is a wonderful and mysterious thing.
No one can explain how the work of God in your life rises to the level of
a compelling call to missions. This is the work of the Holy Spirit, and it
is marvelous and unfathomable in our eyes. But this we know, from
Scripture and from church history and experience, that one of the
instruments God uses to awaken a compelling calling to missions is the
preaching of the word of God. And specifically the preaching of
passages of Scripture that describe the mandate and its costs and
blessings. So that is what I want to do in the time we have left.
The Coming of the Son of Man to Judge Israel
In Matthew 10:16–33, Jesus is telling his disciples what it will cost to
bear faithful witness and make disciples in the coming years and what
blessings they can count on to sustain them. The text relates directly to
the next forty years after he departs, but it is true in principle for the
rest of the age. He says in verse 23, “When they persecute you in one
town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone
through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” I don’t

understand the “coming of the Son of Man” in this verse as the second
coming of Christ. If it were, this text would be false.
Just like the New Testament speaks of the coming of the kingdom of
God in several stages and manifestations, it also helps to think of the
coming of the Son of Man in several stages and manifestations. He came
to earth the first time and died; he came as the risen Christ from the
dead; he came in judgment in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 by
the Romans armies; he has come in power from time to time in Great
Awakenings. And he will come in visible bodily form at the end of the
age.
So I take Matthew 10:23 to refer probably to the coming in judgment in
AD 70. “When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly,
I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel
before the Son of Man comes to judge the Israel” — which happened in
a decisive way forty years later.
A Fearless Witness in the Face of Danger
But the fact that these verses refer directly to the work of spreading the
gospel to unreached people between AD 30 and 70 does not mean they
are irrelevant for us. What Jesus says about the cost and the blessings of
the missionary mandate in these verses is true today. And his main point
is crystal clear: be a fearless witness in the face of danger. My prayer, as
I draw your attention to it, is that the Holy Spirit would use it, awaken,
or confirm his calling on your life.
Six Costs of Frontier Missions
This text powerfully speaks for itself. So let me, without too much
comment, focus our attention on six costs and ten blessings of being on
the frontline of frontier missions. These difficulties are the kind of thing
we may expect today even if in God’s forbearance we may be spared

some of them. First the costs.
1. The cost of being arrested by authorities.
Verses 16–18: “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of
wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for
they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and
you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear
witness before them and the Gentiles.”
2. The cost of family betrayal.
Verse 21: “Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his
child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to
death.” This is almost unbelievable: fathers and children will so be so
opposed to the Christian faith, they will want each other dead rather
than believing.
3. The cost of being hated by all.
Verse 22: “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake.” Be careful that
you don’t elevate friendship evangelism to the point where this text
makes evangelism impossible. You will be hated by all does not mean:
you can’t do evangelism.
4. The cost of being persecuted and driven out of town.
Verse 23: “When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next.”
5. The cost of being maligned.
Verse 25b: “If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how

much more will they malign those of his household.” Jesus died in our
place so that we might escape the wrath of God, not the wrath of man.
He was called to suffer for the sake of propitiation; we are called to
suffer for the sake of propagation.
6. The cost of being killed.
Verse 28: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the
soul.” So they can kill the body. And sometimes they do. Don’t ever
elevate safety in missions to the point where you assume that if one of
our missionaries is killed we have made a mistake. Jesus said plainly in
Luke 21:16, “Some of you they will put to death.”
“Jesus died in our place so that we might escape the wrath of God, not
the wrath of man.”
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For two thousand years, thousands of missionaries — unnamed people
of whom the world is not worthy — have counted this cost and put their
lives at risk to reach the lost with the only message of salvation in the
world. And the reason they could do this is because the blessings so
outweigh the costs.
Ten Blessings of Frontier Missions
May the Lord make these ten blessings that I am about to name
overcome all your fears and give you a passion to know him like this.
1. The blessing of being sent by Christ.

Verse 16: “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves,
so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” “I am sending you out.”
It is deeply satisfying thing to be sent by the living Christ into his work.
2. The blessing of being given words by the Spirit of God.
Verses 19–20: “When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you
are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given
to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your
Father speaking through you.” What a wonderful thing it is to sense the
presence and power of the Spirit in your life, giving you the words you
need.
3. The blessing of experiencing God’s fatherly care.
Verse 20b: “For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father
speaking through you.” Jesus makes explicit that the one caring for you
is your Father in heaven. You may have to leave father and mother to be
a missionary. But you will always have a Father who cares for you.
4. The blessing of salvation at the end of it all.
Verse 22b: “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” When all
the costs have been paid, we will have the great end of salvation. We will
be raised from the dead with no sorrow or pain or sin, and we will see
Christ and enter in to his joy and hear the words, in spite of all our
imperfections, “Well done.”
5. The blessing of knowing the Son of Man is coming in judgment and
mercy.

Verse 23b: “You will not have gone through all the towns of Israel
before the Son of Man comes.” This was a great encouragement to those
persecuted disciples. Jesus comes at just the right time in historical
judgments and deliverances, and he will come at the last day and
vindicate all his people.
6. The blessing of belonging to Jesus’ household.
Verse 25b: “If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how
much more will they malign those of his household.” Whatever rejection
we may experience, Jesus wants us to be sure we are ever aware: This
rejection is a sign that you are mine. You are part of my household.
7. The blessing of knowing that the truth will triumph.
Verse 26: “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not
be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.” Nothing is hidden that
will not be known. For a season in this world, people will mock your
proclamation of the truth. They will say, “What is truth!” But know
this, and hold fast to this blessing: The truth will be known. Your
proclamation will be vindicated. “Nothing is covered that will not be
revealed, or hidden that will not be known.” Count on it. What is
scoffed at now will be written across the sky someday. And one minute
of that vindication before all your enemies will make every act of patient
endurance worthwhile.
8. The blessing of having an immortal soul.
“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” The soul
of the Christian is indestructible. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever
hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does
not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24).
We have already passed from death to life. Henry Martyn, the

missionary to Persia, said that he was immortal until his work on earth
was done. True. And he would have also agreed that in the fuller sense:
you are immortal after your work on earth is done. That is Jesus’s point
here.
9. The blessing of having a sovereign Father.
Verse 29: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them
will fall to the ground apart from your Father.” Jesus mentions the fall
of a sparrow to the ground because nothing seemed more insignificant
than that. Yet God, your Father, oversees that and governs that. So you
may always know that your Father, who loves you as his precious child,
oversees and governs every detail of your life.
10. The blessing of being valued by God.
Verse 31: “Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many
sparrows.” God does not despise his children. He values his children.
For two reasons: One is that in union with Jesus Christ all of his
perfection is imputed to us. The other is that by the Spirit, we are being
changed from one degree of glory to the next, and God loves the
sanctifying work of his own hands. He delights in what we are
becoming.
“God does not despise his children. He values his children.”
God’s Call to Frontier Missions
How does God call people to give their lives in missions? He does it,
along with other influences, by the mysterious and wonderful
awakening of fear-conquering desire for the work through the
preaching of his word. He does it by helping us count the costs so there
is no romantic naiveté about missions. And he does it by filling us with a

longing to know these blessings to the full.
For many of you, God has been doing this for some time now. And this
message is a seal to what has already been done. For others of you, this
message has awakened a new sense of calling. And you really believe
God is stirring you to go. May the Lord confirm his work in your life.
END OF STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
Matthew 10:16-23 – How to Deal with Persecution
A sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ the Redeemer Church, Manhattan,
KS, 19 February 2012
Translation
10:16 Look, I myself am commissioning you like sheep in the midst of
wolves;
therefore be as smart as the snakes and as untainted as the doves.
10:17 Keep away from certain men,
for they will deliver y’all over to courts, and they will whip y’all
in their synagogues,
10:18 also y’all will be brought before governors and even kings for my
sake to be a witness to them and to the nations.
10:19 Now, whenever they deliver y’all over, don’t start getting
distracted over how or what you might speak, for it shall be given to you
in that hour what you may speak.
10:20 For it’s not you who are the speakers, but rather the Spirit of your
Father who does the speaking through you.
10:21 Even so, brother will deliver brother over to death, and a father
[will do the same to his] child, and children will rise up against parents

and put them to death,
10:22 and it will continue to be that you are hated by all on account of
my name, but the one who has persevered into the end, this one will be
saved.
10:23 So, whenever they hunt y’all down in this city, flee into the other4,
for really, I tell you, you definitely won’t finish the [circuit of] cities of
Israel until whenever the Son of Man comes.
Review
· In this Chapter (10), Jesus is briefing His 12 disciples before
sending them out in pairs to publiccize the kingdom of heaven among
the Jews - not only with words but also with actions of healing. So far
He has told them
1) What their mission is (vs. 5-8)
2) What to pack (vs. 9-10), and
3) How to handle logistics (vs. 11-12)
· and He has begun to prepare them to handle rejection (vs. 13-15)
1) Take comfort in God’s sovereign control
2) Disassociate from those who reject you and God’s message, and
3) Live like God’s word is really as serious a matter as God says it is.
· Now, Jesus continues in the next 8 verses to advise them of the
dangers and the difficulties that they will face and gives them three
more instructions on the strategy of dealing with rejection. All three of
these instructions can apply to us as Christians today, whether or not
the persecution we experience is very severe. These three things are:
1) Avoid trouble in the first place by being smart and staying clean
(vs. 16-17)
2) If you do get into trouble, stay focused on your gospel mission and

don’t get distracted from your devotion to Jesus. (vs. 18-20)
3) Endure whatever persecution you must face while also taking the
opportunity to re-locate. (vs. 21-23)
I. Avoid trouble (vs. 16-17)
10:16 Ιδου᾿ εγωαποστελλω υμας ως προβατα εν μεσωλυκων· γινεσθε ο νὖ
φρονιμοι ως οι φεις καιὄ ακεραιοι ως αιπεριστεραι
Look, I myself am commissioning you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
therefore be as smart as the snakes and as untainted as the doves.
· λυκων Jesus has already mentioned these “wolves” in 7:15 when
He said “Beware/stay away from the false prophets which come in
sheep’s clothing, but inside are sheep-snatching wolves.”
· So we must be…φρονιμοι – wiseKJV,ESV/ shrewdNAS,NIV/
smart/ cunning/ waryWycl/ intelligent… prudentThay/ discreet…
cautiousStrong
This is the word used to describe the serpent that Satan used to tempt
Eve in Gen. 3:1, so Jesus’ saying “wise as serpents” seems to be an
allusion to this very thing, even though the words “snakes” is plural
here.
It’s also the word Jesus used to describe the man who built his house
upon the rock in Matt. 7:24 – his wisdom – his smarts were
demonstrated in anchoring his life to God’s word rather than in the
shifting sands of human ideas.
This battle of the minds between the word of God and the ideas of men
is further underscored by the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:3, where
he says: “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his
craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity
of devotion to Christ.”
· We are pitted against the cunning of Satan and of men, so we need
to be on our toes mentally to match wits. Christians can’t afford to be

ditzes who are intellectually lazy, and we can’t afford to be naively
ignorant of the issues either. There’s a dragon out there that wants to
eat you for breakfast!
The wisdom it takes to counteract our enemy is to stay focused on Jesus
and His word like the wise man who built his house on the rock.
And we do not need to be afraid of the cunning of our enemy, because
Jesus said He has given us, “authority to tread on serpents… and over
all the power of the enemy...” Lk 10:19 NAS
One way to exercise wisdom is to be evasive when people are
antagonistic: Jesus says in v.17:
10:17 Προσεχετε δεαποτων ανθρωπων· παραδωσουσι γαρ υμας εις
συνεδρια καιεν ταις συναγωγαις αυτων μαστιγωσουσιν υμας·
Beware ofKJV/Watch out for/Be on your guard againstNIV/Keep away
from certain men, for they will deliver y’all over to courts, and they will
whip y’all in their synagogues,
· When we studied Matt. 7:15, I explained why I think this
command, Προσεχετε δεαπο– literally “keep close away” would be best
translated, “Keep away from,” and I used the illustration of playing
cards “close to your chest” so that your opponents can’t see what’s in
your hand and beat you.
This Present tense imperative commands continuous vigilance.
o “The men” to watch out for are apparently Jews, since they are
connected to the Sanhedrin (translated “councils” or “courts”) and to
synagogues. They are the “wolves” among which Jesus said He was
sending His disciples.
· WHY? Because they will bring you up on charges in their
religious assemblies and take it out on you with their whips.
These Jews would only be obeying the Bible as they understood it, for in

Deut. 25:1-3 it says,
“…if there should be a dispute between men... they should come forward
to judgment … if the unrighteous should be worthy of stripes, …lay him
down before the judges, and they shall scourge him before them
according to his iniquity… forty stripes in number… not… more….
(Brenton)
Jesus Himself was thus treated: He was betrayed, delivered over to the
Sanhedrin court, scourged, and crucified. If they treated Him that way,
we can expect that some of us will be treated that way as well.
· ILLUSTRATION: When the Apostle Paul went to Ephesus, the
idol-makers started getting nervous about loosing business because so
many people were turning from idols to follow Jesus through Paul’s
preaching, so the idol-makers union called a town meeting. Now, what’s
going through Paul’s head? “Check it out! The entire population of
Ephesus is gathered together in the theater at this very moment, talking
about religion! There couldn’t be a more perfect opportunity to preach
the gospel!! Let’s go!!! Thankfully the new Christians talked some sense
into Paul’s head. The crowd in the theater was completely irrational;
they had been chanting “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians” for two
hours, and they would have just as soon fed Paul to the lions as listen to
him. That was the time to be smart as a snake and avoid trouble.
· But there’s another thing that is just as important as smarts to
staying out of trouble, and that is being as innocent as a dove:
περιστεραι– Doves were one of the main animals sacrificed to God in
the Old Testament. With their all-white plumage they symbolized purity
and sinlessness, and with their gentle, harmless disposition, they
symbolized humility and meekness before God.
When these harmless, innocent doves were killed at the altar as a
sacrifice for sin, it pictured the horrifying reality that either we would
have to suffer and die for our sins, or else a perfectly innocent substitute

would have to suffer and die for our sins. That’s what Jesus did. …
But Jesus also calls us to walk in innocence ακεραιοι – This is a
compound of
§ the Greek word for “mixed/mingled/poured out of its original
container”
§ together with the negative prefix “not,”
§ thus the English versions translate this word using negative
suffixes like harm-lessKJV/spot-less/guile-lessVinc or negative prefixes
like in-nocentNAS,NIV/un-adulteratedATR/un-tainted.
It’s only found two other places in the Bible:
§ Romans 16:19 “…be knowledgeable in what is good, and be
untainted in what is bad.”
§ Philippians 2:14-16 “Do all things without grumbling or
argument; so that you may become blameless and unadulterated
children of God, unblemished in the midst of a crooked and twisted
generation, in which you appear as stars in the world, holding fast the
word of life…
· This word “innocent” continues in the theme of what true smarts
are – that is, sticking to Jesus and His word rather than human ideas. It
warns us not to try to mix a little bit of worldliness in with our
Christianity.
We should not tolerate any bits of sin in our affections that would taint
an otherwise pure life. Our enemies – be their demonic or humanistic
will have a heyday with those inconsistencies.
o The Apostle Peter warned later than when persecution comes, your
accusers had better not find skeletons in your closet: “If you are reviled
for the name of Christ… make sure that none of you suffers as a
murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler…” (1 Peter
4:14-16[1] NASB)

· The point in verses 16-17, then, is to be discrete in how you share
your faith. “It’s a jungle out there,” Jesus is saying in effect, “there are
some real dangers, so use your head, keep clean, and stay out of
trouble.” However, it’s not always possible to stay out of trouble, as we
see in the life of Jesus. So what do you do when you get in hot water over
your faith?
II. Stay focused (vs. 18-20)
10:18 καιεπιηγεμονας δεκαιβασιλεις αχθησεσθε νεκεν εἕ μουεις
μαρτυριον αυτοις καιτοις θνεσιν.ἔ
Also y’all will be brought before governors and even kings for my sake
to be a witness to them and to the nations.
This wording could be taken one of two ways:
Persecutors will dragESV you in front of pagan rulers, and you will be a
martyr
the Greek word for witness/testimony is martyrion, from which we get
the English word “martyr.”
This kind of thing did happen. Every one of the disciples was martyred
for his faith, except for John, and that wasn’t because they didn’t try –
God just kept the boiling oil from killing him!
On the other hand, the way this is worded, Jesus could be saying that
God will sovereignly act to spread the gospel to the nations. It could just
as accurately be translated, “For my sake, I will cause you to be led
before governors and kings to be a witness to them and to the nations.”
Both can actually be the case simultaneously. Men may hate you and try
to get you in front of the big guns to shoot at you, but God may be
working through this to get you to be His messenger to the big guns and
bring salvation to more people than you ever thought you could!
o Jesus went first and modeled how to do it as He was brought up on
charges before Gov. Pilate.

o John had also preached to King Herod.
o Later, the Apostle James would be brought before King Herod
Agrippa… and be put to death by the sword. (Acts 12:2)
o Paul got to present the gospel to governors Felix and Festus, to
King Herod Agrippa II (Acts 25-26), and eventually to emperor Nero!
o According to historians who wrote after the time of the Bible, the
other apostles and their disciples also got to testify to kings and
governors of other countries throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa, but I
don’t have time to tell all those stories now.
· I think that Jesus is reminding His disciples to stay focused on the
big picture.
o If you get thrown into jail or accused in court, don’t be fooled into
thinking your life circumstance is the focus of history. It’s not. The glory
of God is the focus of history, and your life is meant to contribute to that
main story.
o Jesus is reminding the apostles that they are being sent on a
mission that is bigger than themselves; not only are they to preach the
kingdom of God among the Jews, but their message about these
blessings from God is intended by God to reach all the nations in time,
just as God promised Abraham in Genesis 12:3.
o Furthermore, Jesus had already promised that they would be
persecuted in this process: Matt. 5:10-12 Blessed are those who have
been persecuted for the sake of [ νεκεν] righteousness, because theἕ
kingdom of heaven is theirs. Y’all are being blessed whenever liars
reproach and persecute you and speak every evil against you for my
sake [ νεκεν]. Keep rejoicing and leaping for joy, because your rewardἕ
is bountiful in heaven, for they persecuted the prophets before you in
the same way. (cf. 10:39)
o The point is to live “for the sake of” Jesus, and if you are
persecuted, be persecuted “for the sake of” His righteousness – His

purposes on this earth, not your own. Stay focused.
o Now, what’s the opposite of staying focused? Getting distracted…
10:19 ταν δεὅ παραδιδωσιν[2] υμας, μημεριμνησητε πως τιἢ λαλησητε·
δοθησεται γαρ υμιν εν εκεινητη ραὥ τιλαλησετε.
Now, whenever they deliver y’all over, don’t start getting distracted over
how or what you might speak, for it shall be given to you in that hour
what you may speak.
· ταν … παραδιδωὅ σιν – whenever they deliver upKJV/hand you
overNAS/arrestNIV/betray/haul you up on charges
o Same word as v.17 “they will deliver you over to courts”
o this could happen more than once, but whenever it does happen,
here’s what NOT to do:
· μημεριμνησητε - don’t start getting distracted/ don’t worry/don’t
be anxiousESV/don’t let your thinkingKJV become consumed with how
or what you’re going to say to defend yourself.
o The root word is merizw, to divide, so the idea is that by thinking
about what to say to defend yourself, you will divide your mind; your
attention will be distracted.
o Sin starts in your thoughts, and so fighting sin must also start in
your thoughts.
o What should our mind be undistractedly preoccupied with
instead? What did Paul and Silas do when they were thrown into prison
for disturbing the peace in Phillipi? They sang hymns! Our mind should
be preoccupied with the honoring of God, the spread of His kingdom,
and the doing of His will.
· This is just a repeat of Jesus’ earlier instruction about worrying in
chapter 6:25-34 “…stop being distracted about your life (What might

you eat? and What might you drink?) and about your body (How might
you clothe yourselves?). Isn’t life about more than food and the body
than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky… study the lilies of the field…
continue seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and
all these things will be added onto you. Therefore don’t start getting
distracted about tomorrow…” Stay focused on the kingdom of God and
His righteousness!
· Note, that this is not an absolute prohibition from thinking at all
about what to say. Jesus didn’t say, “Do not even think about what to
say or how to say it;” instead He uses a word that indicates caring
overmuch, or putting too much thought into a matter, such that that it
becomes a distraction from your devotion to Christ.
· Have you ever been accused of doing something wrong when you
didn’t actually do anything wrong? Remember those feelings of panic
and outrage?
o Satan knows how effective it is to accuse people falsely and get
them distracted by their own fears and self-righteousness. That’s why he
is called “the accuser” in Rev. 12:10. That’s his modus operandi, so be
forewarned; he will try accusing you too!
o The good news is that Jesus also understands our feelings, and that
is why He says, “Don’t worry – don’t be anxious… I’ve got this under
control and I will give you what you need when you need it. I will cause
all things to work together for good (Rom. 8:28), so if you get into a
situation, just keep fulfilling the life mission I’ve given you.”
10:20 ουγαρ υμεις εστε οιλαλουντες, αλλατοΠνευμα τουπατρος υμων το
λαλουν εν υμιν.
For it’s not you who are the speakers, but rather the Spirit of your
Father who does the speaking through you.
· Who is the Word of God (John 1:1)? Is it you?

Who is the one who reveals knowledge and understanding (Job 12:22);
is it you?
No, it is God, who reveals Himself in words through Jesus.
It is the Holy Spirit who reveals the thoughts and intentions of God (I
Cor 1).
You are just a messenger, a representative of this God who
communicates to mankind.
So whatever happens, the message is not yours to create; is God’s
professional responsibility to give you His message. Your role is to
simply carry God’s words and deliver them when it’s time.
· Scripture teaches us that the Holy Spirit is closely connected to
human speech which is of God: Eph. 5:18-20 “…be filled with the Spirit,
speaking… singing… always giving thanks…” (cf. John 3:34, John 16:13,
Acts 2:4, Acts 4:31, Acts 6:9-10, Acts 16:6)
· It is also clear that one of the ways the Holy Spirit expresses God’s
words to us is through the written Bible: 2 Peter 1:21 “for no prophecy
was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy
Spirit spoke* from God.” (NASB cf. Acts 28:25, 1 Cor. 2:13)
· Parallel passage: Mark 13:11 “When they arrest you and hand
you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say*, but say*
whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak*, but it is
the Holy Spirit.”
· ILLUSTRATION: What if you were in Asia Bibi’s shoes in
Pakistan? This wife and mother of two girls has spent almost three
years in prison on trumped-up charges that she said something bad
about Islam’s prophet Muhammad. She was convicted and sentenced to
death, and she now awaits the ruling on her appeal. To protect her from
other Muslims who have been encouraged to assasinate her, she has
been kept in solitary confinement. She cooks her own food to ensure
that no one tries to poison her. Asia is allowed to walk in the courtyard

every day for a few minutes, but she is always accompanied by guards.
Other prisoners attend religious services in the jail every week, but Asia
is not allowed to attend.
So what does she do in her loneliness? She prays. A prison minister who
visited her recently passed on in a news article some insights into Asia’s
thought life during this time[3]. “I am praying every day,” she said. “…I
know that this is a test of my faith and I know to make gold, it must be
purified; it has to be put in the fire. I am not worried about myself, but I
am worried about the workers who are helping me, which is very
dangerous. I pray for them every day… I know the people from USA are
helping me; I pray for them also. I pray for the people around the world
who are praying for me.” Asia also prays for the families of the two
officials who were assasinated for their support of Asia… She also prays
for the court, the judge, the attorneys and the jail’s staff. She has even
prayed that God will forgive the people who accused her in the first
place...” She also mentioned her gratitude and thankfulness to God
multiple times in the interview. Asia Bibi is a shining modern-day
example of an undistracted, God-preoccupied way to think!
· We’ve seen so far two ways to deal with persecution, one is to
avoid trouble by being wise and living a clean life, and the other is to
remain undistracted if you ever do get persecuted because God is at
work accomplishing His bigger plan through you, and He will make the
words come out right. But what if harm actually comes to you? What if
they schedule Asia Bibi for beheading? What are we to be thinking
about then?
III. Endure or Re-locate (vs. 21-23)
10:21 Παραδωσει δεαδελφος αδελφον εις θανατον καιπατηρ τεκνον, και
επαναστησονται[4] τεκνα επιγονεις καιθανατωσουσιν αυτους·
Even so, brother will deliver brother over to death, and a father [will do
the same to his] child, and children will rise up against parents and put
them to death,

· In this verse, Jesus may be warning them, that even if they do rely
properly upon the Holy Spirit to speak through them, they might still be
sentenced to death and killed. This would not indicate failure on their
part or on the part of God; it is just the sort of thing that the people of
the world will want to do to the people of God, and it is the sort of thing
that God will allow for a time, so we should not get our knickers in a
knot puzzling over why some Christians get killed.
· Death is the fruit of life apart from God, and those who hate
others because of religious differences and try to kill them are bearing
the natural fruit of their sinful life. Hatred and selfishness are so strong
that they can overcome the natural love that should be present between
siblings and between parents and their children.
o We’ve seen this in Catholic countries like Spain and France during
the Inquisition – and even Mexico today where conscientious, Bible-
believing Christians have been killed by humanistic Roman Catholics.
o We saw it in Sri Lanka over the past decade as Buddhist monks
have terrorized Christians.
o In 1999, Hindus burned a missionary, Stanley Jones, and his two
sons alive inside their car.
o We’ve seen it in many Islamic countries in the last decades, such as
Indonesia, Sudan, and Nigeria, when believers in Jesus were murdered
by Muslims for worshipping God in a Christian church building.
o Often it will be family members who are the aggressors:
§ In 2008, a Saudi girl by the name of Fatima Al-Mutairi (aka
“Rania”) published some comments about her Christian faith on the
Internet. Her father cut her tongue out and burned her to death for it.
§ There are many other cases I could share, but they would only
further serve to illustrate what Jesus already said.
· In fact, I think Jesus was quoting from the O.T. book of Micah,
where the prophet was grieving over the bloodshed in his own country

of Israel at a time when there were few godly people. He wrote, “the son
dishonours his father, the daughter will rise up against [same word as
here in Mat 10:21] her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-
in-law: those in his house shall be all a man's enemies. But I will look to
the Lord; I will wait upon God my Saviour...” (Mic. 7:5-7, Brenton)
· This allusion serves to prove that this kind of wickedness and
injustice should not surprise us among ungodly people. We should
therefore expect persecution and be wise in how much fire we try to
draw. And we should continue to look to God in faith for salvation, just
as the prophet Micah did in the midst of a terribly dysfunctional society.
10:22 και σεσθε μισουἔ μενοι υποπαντων διατο νομαὄ μου· οδευπομεινας
εις τελος, ο τος σωθηὗ σεται.
and it will continue to be that you are hated by all on account of my
name, but the one who has persevered into the end, this one will be
saved.
· This also refers back to the Sermon on the Mount: Luke 6:22-23
“Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you,
and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in
that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven.
For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.”
· Jesus already set the pattern for us, and we can follow His
example: Heb 12:2-3 looking unto Jesus the author and perfector of our
faith, who for the joy that was set before him ENDURED the cross,
despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of
God. For consider him that hath ENDURED such gainsaying of sinners
against himself, that you wax not weary, fainting in your souls.
· This is not mere white-knuckled endurance of being hurt and
ostracized, it is the enduring of these things as an outworking of faith in
Jesus: Rom. 12:11-12 [Be] diligent, not slothful; fervent in spirit; serving
the Lord; rejoicing in hope; PERSEVERING in tribulation; continuing

steadfastly in prayer;
· Also, this is no excuse for being obnoxious. Jesus here is talking
about the kind of hate that comes from people who hate God and His
righteousness and light, whose own darkness and sin are threatened by
us. The Apostle John talked a lot about that in his contributions to the
Bible: John 3:20 “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does
not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed… John 7:7
The world… hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil...
John 15:18-25 If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me
before it hated you… but because you are not of the world, but I chose
you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the
word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they
persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they
will keep yours also… 'THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE (Ps.
69:4)…' 1 John 3:13 Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates
you.”
· John the Baptiser was thrown into jail because he told King
Herod that it was wrong for him to get rid of his first wife and get rid of
his brother in order to marry his brother’s wife. Darkness is threatened
by light and tries to snuff the light out.
· What does it mean to persevere to the end to be saved? I believe
that this can have multiple layers of fulfillment:
o In the near term, there will be times when you trust God, and
people hate you for it. We must persevere and keep on trusting God.
o Sometimes when people hate us enough to try to put us to death,
God will literally save our lives and put those who hate us to shame, like
God did with Shadrach, Mesach, and Abednego (Daniel 3), when the
king threw them into the fiery furnace. Instead of being burned to a
crisp like their guards were, these three godly men emerged unscathed
and became important officials in the kingdom.
o But for others, salvation will come in a different way. Our earthly

life may be terminated by the hands of men, but God will bring us to
live with Him in heaven – which is just as much a rescue as an escape
from a fiery furnace on earth! That’s why Shadrach, Mesach, and
Abednego told the king that they didn’t know whether God would
deliver them from death in the fiery furnace or not, but either way, they
still wouldn’t worship the king’s idol. They would persevere to the end,
whatever that end might be.
o There is also an ultimate ending which the Bible talks about, in
which everyone in the world will be judged by Jesus and either thrown
into the lake of fire or taken into the joy of heaven. When we hear that
final judgment, “I never knew you,” or “I know you; I died to pay the
price for your sin, and you have done well as my servant,” that will be
the final step in our salvation.
o Fair-weather “Christians” will not be saved. Those who turn away
from God because their friends made fun of them – or even because an
attempt was made on their life will bear the wrath of God forever
without mercy. Don’t give in to the temptation to forsake God in order
to keep some worldly benefit! What should you do instead? Should you
just take it sitting down and accept all the abuse that the world can dish
out against you? NO!
10:23 ταν δεὅ διωκωσιν υμας εν τηπολει ταυτηφευγετε εις την
λληνC,D,Maj/ ‘ετερανἄ ,B,W,f1,f13 [[5]] αμην γαρ λεγω υμιν, ουμη
τελεσητε τας πολεις [του Ισραη᾿ λ ως [ ν-ἕ ἂ ,B] λθηἔ οΥιος τουανθρωπου.
So, whenever they hunt y’all down in this city, flee into the other5, for
really, I tell you, you definitely won’t finish the [circuit of] cities of Israel
until whenever the Son of Man comes.
· Jesus does not encourage us to be masochists. He says, when we
are persecuted, flee. If you are able to preserve your life, do so. More
than one country has started that way:

Lot fled from Sodom with his daughters, and started the country of
Moab.
The Pilgrims fled from persecution in England and eventually settled
America.
The Calvinistic Dutch Boers fled to South Africa to escape religious
persecution from the Roman Catholics.
When persecution is so great that you can’t life safely or raise a family
or teach the Bible where you live, then it is appropriate to pick up and
move somewhere else where people are more friendly to the Gospel.
· The million dollar question is, “When will they complete the
circuit of the cities of Israel, and when will the Son of Man come?” I’m
afraid I don’t have time to give a very satisfying answer, but here’s my
opinion briefly:
Throughout the entirety of the Bible, Jesus is portrayed as “coming” the
“coming one” and I’m aware that Christians have pinned this event as
being The Transfiguration, Pentecost, the destruction of Jerusalem in 70
A.D., and The Second coming.
However, I think that Jesus is talking about getting together after this
particular short ministry trip. Jesus was probably planning to follow up
on their work and meet up with them at some point. (cf. Moffat, ATR)
· But in the excitement of pinning the date down here, it would be
easy to miss the point. What is the main point? Jesus is basically saying
that “you won’t run out of optionsMSG” there will always be another
city you can relocate to. The persecution will not be longer than you can
endure. This will be doable.
o This point, of course, goes for the trip that the 12 disciples took
back in 30AD as well as for any time in history when Christians are
persecuted.
o If you can’t avoid persecution, at least don’t lose your focus on
Christ, endure hardship as a good soldier of Christ and get up and go

somewhere else. As a general rule, Christians will not run out of options
before God rescues us, whether it be through the second coming of
Christ or some other providential event in history.
Conclusion: UNSTOPPABLE By David J. Weaver (2/1/2010)
This poem was composed by a missionary friend of mine who trains
Filipino church planters and missionaries. This month, one of his
students got a visa to move to China, where he hopes to do church
planting and training, and my friend wrote the following poem in his
excitement about this sending out of this disciple:
Princes resisted the advance of your servants,
Principalities, powers all thwarted Your will,
Yet Your glory swept on, inundating all nations;
At the tsunami crest rode Your messengers still.
The least of Your servants overcame all defenses,
By the might of Your power and the strength of Your hand;
For what can withstand fervent prayers of Your people?
Each fortress must topple when You give the command.
For the poorest of servants, pour out wealth of nations,
Make them ride eagles' wings, 'til Your witness breaks through;
May they know You, their strength, and so carry out exploits,
In their weakness find strength so all boasts are of You;
From glory to glory may Your Light in them brighten,
Like phosphorus cast on each dark, distant shore,
'Til the surge of Your glory floods back into Zion,

And falls at Your feet at Your coming once more.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
Serpents And Doves
Matthew 10:16
W.F. Adeney
No two creatures are more opposite to one another in nature. The
serpent eyes the dove with greedy desire; the dove looks at the serpent
with the fascination of horror. The serpent is the symbol of the evil
spirit; the dove is the symbol of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, each has
exemplary lessons to teach, and the most dove-like soul will be imperfect
if something of the serpent is lacking.
I. ALL THE WORLD IS FULL OF EXAMPLES FOR CHRISTIAN
CONDUCT. We must be struck with our Lord's freedom in the use of
materials for illustrating his teaching. Seeing truth clearly, and living in
a spiritual atmosphere of purity, he was in no danger of being misled by
the errors and evils around him; he was able to find the good in
everything - even to suck honey, so to speak, from the deadly
nightshade. The truer and loftier our soul is, the wider will be the range
from which we can derive a wholesome diet. It is only the sick man who
must be shut up in a hospital, and it is only the sick soul that craves
conventual seclusion for the preservation of its purity. Jesus could even
go beyond the darker side of nature and find emblems in evil men. He
compared himself to a thief (Matthew 24:43, 44). He bade his disciples

imitate an unjust steward (Luke 16:2, etc.). But we want the Christ-
spirit to see "good in everything," and to extract the soul of goodness
from things evil without carrying away some of the evil. A degraded
nature sees evil everywhere - contrives to obtain the poison of the asp
even from the innocent dove, finds Delilah in a Madonna.
II. THE SERVANT OF CHRIST NEEDS VARIED GRACES.
1. The wisdom of serpents. In Egyptian symbolism, which gives us
serpents coiled about the throne of a sovereign, and, indeed, in the
practices of nations in all quarters of the globe, we see the repulsive
reptile regarded as of threefold significance - as the emblem of eternity,
as the representative of guile, and as the incarnation of evil. It is the
second of these characteristics that our Lord here selects. We know that
he never encourages deceit. But mental alertness, keenness of
observation, and nimbleness of thought are invaluable gifts even for
Christian work. We should consecrate intelligence in the service of
Christ. There is no virtue in dulness. Stupidity is not sanctity.
2. The harmlessness of doves. This is a negative quality. But it is not less
important than the positive intelligence. The shaft of wit may wound
where no unkindness is intended. A serpent-like subtlety of mind is a
most dangerous faculty. It is valuable; but it is only safe when it is
balanced by a dove-like gentleness of disposition.
3. The combination of varied graces. The point of our Lord's
recommendation is in the union of two very different characteristics.
The common danger is that we should select one to the neglect of the
other. There are men of mind who lack heart, and there are affectionate
creatures who weary us with their senseless ineptitude. The serpent is an
awful ideal if it is selected by itself. Its prophet is Machiavelli, and its
hero Mepifistopheles. But the dove alone will not suggest the most
perfect saint; its gentleness may be feeble. Yet too often people choose
one or the other as their ideal of perfection. Christ blends the two in
himself; he is skilful in confounding the clever scribes by keen replies,
and he is meek and gentle, harmless and undefiled. - W.F.A.

Biblical Illustrator
For it is not ye that speak.
Matthew 10:20
The Christian ministry a ministry of the Spirit
C. Clayton, M. A.
The text applied —
I. To THE APOSTLES.
1. The primary reference is to the apostles.
2. The fact of the Spirit of the Father speaking in the apostles is evident
from the effects produced by their word.
II. To OURSELVES.
1. This is the dispensation of the Spirit.
2. The minister of the Spirit prepares diligently for his pulpit

ministrations.
(C. Clayton, M. A.)
The intuitional element in lift
Beecher.
The disciples were a helpless body of men for thinking purposes, and
could not imagine beforehand, in their simplicity and rudeness and
ignorance, what would be best for them; but if they gave themselves
wholly to the ministry of Christ, and then were called before
magistrates, it would be given them in that hour what they should say.
The range of saying was very limited. It was not that they should
understand all theology, providence, learning; but the power of self-
defence against magistrates. They were to maintain innocency and
simplicity; not to be tricked into casuistry.
1. The nation and times from which the sacred Scriptures came were
anterior to the philosophizing period which was ushered in later. Facts,
events, things, emotions, belong to the periods which generated the
Scriptures.
2. Every man recognizes the fact that the mind acts with different
degrees of clearness and certainty under different conditions. The range
of the eye is limited, but in perfect health you can see more clearly than
when health is impaired; also when atmospheric conditions are
favourable. So it is with faculty. The faculties of the mind have a
wonderful power of development. The limit to which you can draw out
the mind — for that is the meaning of education — is immense. But that
is not the only limit of the expansible faculties of the mind. They are
subject to instantaneous development. As a grain of powder, which is
small, but which, when touched by fire, expands instantly into a
thousand times its bulk and diameter, and generates a power that was
unsuspected before, so the mental faculties can be touched with a fire
that shall give them an immense flash and scope and penetration utterly

unlike the ordinary experience of men in life.
(Beecher.)
A latent prophetic gift in man
Beecher.
There is a latent spirit of prophecy in everybody who is highly
organized. This action of the mind is seen in lower forms. Take, for
example, the inspiration which fear breeds. If a man's leading idea is
gold, he has an instinct by which he avoids things unfavourable. Others
work on the plane of philosophical power. Scholars have the "critical
judgment." These flashings of inspiration are of the highest value; in
business, art. There may be error in these intuitions; so there is in
ordinary experience. These flashes of prophecy should be corrected.
1. The primary benefit that comes from these moral intuitions is
comfort and direction of the individual. They clear his reason, they
furnish an ideal; they redeem him from bondage.
2. These inspirations work mostly beyond the senses, in the invisible. Is
it unreasonable to expect a certain degree of excitability of mind in the
Divine realm?
(Beecher.)
Intuition begotten of fear
Beecher.
A man is walking sluggishly home, and thinking of the drudgery of the
day, and he hears the fire-bell, and instantly he says, "Why, that is my
district; how did I leave things?" Instantly he thinks of the way in which
he left his shop and the tire; and then he says to himself, "If it is there,
what treasure I have in that shop, open and exposed! Why, there is

powder there!" In an instant that man, not by any slow process of
analyzing, but with a flash, thinks of a thousand things; and they are all
material things; they are not higher thoughts and realities at all.
(Beecher.)
Intuition illuminates, but does not create, facts
Beecher.
Of course, when the flash of inspiration comes to a man in practical
matters, there must be material for it to illuminate or act upon. If in a
gallery of pictures there is a central electric fire, and the light flashes
into the room, a spectator who has a liking for pictures, standing there,
feels the inspiration in a minute; and if the light instantly goes out, he
exclaims, "I have seen them: I know them; let the light go out;" but if a
man is in an empty room, where there is nothing on the walls, if the light
were to flash, he might look around and not know anything more than
he did before. Let a man store his mind with knowledge, with facts, with
realities, with materials of various kinds, and then, when swelling,
flashing revelations come, he has something for them to inspire; but
they never inspire emptiness or ignorance; they merely give to what a
man does know, facts, principles, materials, spiritual or ethical forms
and proportions and revelatory power for the future.
(Beecher.)
Intuition needs correction
Beecher.
We know, too, that these intuitions, these flashes of prophecy should be
corrected. We dig gold out of a vein, and we know that there is dross in
it. Gold absolutely pure is seldom found anywhere; but we do not reject
the ore if there is only ninety per cent. of gold in it. I think that men who
buy dry mines, and spend good money on nothing at all, ought to be

willing to take a mine that has ninety per cent. of pure metal in it. If it
has fifty per cent. or forty per cent., or even twenty per cent., it is worth
working: it more than pays expenses.
(Beecher.)
Luther before the Diet of Worms
Never perhaps has this promise been more clearly fulfilled than in the
case of Luther before the Diet of Worms. The intrepid monk, who had
hitherto boldly braved all his enemies, spoke on this occasion, when he
found himself in the presence of those who thirsted for his blood, with
calmness, dignity, and humility. There was no exaggeration, no mere
human enthusiasm, no anger; overflowing with the liveliest emotion, he
was still at peace; modest, though withstanding the powers of the earth;
great in presence of all the grandeur of the world. This is an
indisputable mark that Luther obeyed God, and not the suggestions of
his own pride. In the hall of the Diet there was One greater than Charles
and than Luther.
STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
Adam Clarke Commentary
For it is - the Spirit of your Father, etc. - This was an extraordinary
promise, and was literally fulfilled to those first preachers of the Gospel;
and to them it was essentially necessary, because the New Testament
dispensation was to be fully opened by their extraordinary inspiration.
In a certain measure, it may be truly said, that the Holy Spirit animates
the true disciples of Christ, and enables them to speak. The Head speaks
in his members, by his Spirit; and it is the province of the Spirit of God
to speak for God. Neither surprise, defect of talents, nor even ignorance

itself, could hurt the cause of God, in the primitive times, when the
hearts and minds of those Divine men were influenced by the Holy
Spirit.
Your Father - This is added to excite and increase their confidence in
God.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Bibliography
Clarke, Adam. "Commentary on Matthew 10:20". "The Adam Clarke
Commentary".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/acc/matthew-10.html.
1832.
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The Biblical Illustrator
Matthew 10:20
For it is not ye that speak.
The Christian ministry a ministry of the Spirit
The text applied-
I. To the apostles.
1. The primary reference is to the apostles.
2. The fact of the Spirit of the Father speaking in the apostles is evident
from the effects produced by their word.

II. To ourselves.
1. This is the dispensation of the Spirit.
2. The minister of the Spirit prepares diligently for his pulpit
ministrations. (C. Clayton, M. A.)
The intuitional element in lift,
The disciples were a helpless body of men for thinking purposes, and
could not imagine beforehand, in their simplicity and rudeness and
ignorance, what would be best for them; but if they gave themselves
wholly to the ministry of Christ, and then were called before
magistrates, it would be given them in that hour what they should say.
The range of saying was very limited. It was not that they should
understand all theology, providence, learning; but the power of self-
defence against magistrates. They were to maintain innocency and
simplicity; not to be tricked into casuistry.
1. The nation and times from which the sacred Scriptures came were
anterior to the philosophizing period which was ushered in later. Facts,
events, things, emotions, belong to the periods which generated the
Scriptures.
2. Every man recognizes the fact that the mind acts with different
degrees of clearness and certainty under different conditions. The range
of the eye is limited, but in perfect health you can see more clearly than
when health is impaired; also when atmospheric conditions are
favourable. So it is with faculty. The faculties of the mind have a
wonderful power of development. The limit to which you can draw out
the mind-for that is the meaning of education-is immense. But that is
not the only limit of the expansible faculties of the mind. They are
subject to instantaneous development. As a grain of powder, which is
small, but which, when touched by fire, expands instantly into a
thousand times its bulk and diameter, and generates a power that was
unsuspected before, so the mental faculties can be touched with a fire
that shall give them an immense flash and scope and penetration utterly

unlike the ordinary experience of men in life. (Beecher.)
A latent prophetic gift in man
There is a latent spirit of prophecy in everybody who is highly
organized. This action of the mind is seen in lower forms. Take, for
example, the inspiration which fear breeds. If a man’s leading idea is
gold, he has an instinct by which he avoids things unfavourable. Others
work on the plane of philosophical power. Scholars have the “critical
judgment.” These flashings of inspiration are of the highest value; in
business, art. There may be error in these intuitions; so there is in
ordinary experience. These flashes of prophecy should be corrected.
1. The primary benefit that comes from these moral intuitions is
comfort and direction of the individual. They clear his reason, they
furnish an ideal; they redeem him from bondage.
2. These inspirations work mostly beyond the senses, in the invisible. Is
it unreasonable to expect a certain degree of excitability of mind in the
Divine realm? (Beecher.)
Intuition begotten of fear
A man is walking sluggishly home, and thinking of the drudgery of the
day, and he hears the fire-bell, and instantly he says, “Why, that is my
district; how did I leave things?” Instantly he thinks of the way in which
he left his shop and the tire; and then he says to himself, “If it is there,
what treasure I have in that shop, open and exposed! Why, there is
powder there!” In an instant that man, not by any slow process of
analyzing, but with a flash, thinks of a thousand things; and they are all
material things; they are not higher thoughts and realities at all.
(Beecher.)
Intuition illuminates, but does not create, facts
Of course, when the flash of inspiration comes to a man in practical
matters, there must be material for it to illuminate or act upon. If in a
gallery of pictures there is a central electric fire, and the light flashes

into the room, a spectator who has a liking for pictures, standing there,
feels the inspiration in a minute; and if the light instantly goes out, he
exclaims, “I have seen them: I know them; let the light go out;” but if a
man is in an empty room, where there is nothing on the walls, if the light
were to flash, he might look around and not know anything more than
he did before. Let a man store his mind with knowledge, with facts, with
realities, with materials of various kinds, and then, when swelling,
flashing revelations come, he has something for them to inspire; but
they never inspire emptiness or ignorance; they merely give to what a
man does know, facts, principles, materials, spiritual or ethical forms
and proportions and revelatory power for the future. (Beecher.)
Intuition needs correction
We know, too, that these intuitions, these flashes of prophecy should be
corrected. We dig gold out of a vein, and we know that there is dross in
it. Gold absolutely pure is seldom found anywhere; but we do not reject
the ore if there is only ninety per cent of gold in it. I think that men who
buy dry mines, and spend good money on nothing at all, ought to be
willing to take a mine that has ninety per cent of pure metal in it. If it
has fifty per cent or forty per cent., or even twenty per cent., it is worth
working: it more than pays expenses. (Beecher.)
Luther before the Diet of Worms
Never perhaps has this promise been more clearly fulfilled than in the
case of Luther before the Diet of Worms. The intrepid monk, who had
hitherto boldly braved all his enemies, spoke on this occasion, when he
found himself in the presence of those who thirsted for his blood, with
calmness, dignity, and humility. There was no exaggeration, no mere
human enthusiasm, no anger; overflowing with the liveliest emotion, he
was still at peace; modest, though withstanding the powers of the earth;
great in presence of all the grandeur of the world. This is an
indisputable mark that Luther obeyed God, and not the suggestions of
his own pride. In the hall of the Diet there was One greater than Charles
and than Luther.

Copyright Statement
Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Exell, Joseph S. "Commentary on "Matthew 10:20". The Biblical
Illustrator. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tbi/matthew-
10.html. 1905-1909. New York.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
For it is not ye that speak,.... Not but that they were to speak the words,
and did; but then both the things they spoke, and the very words in
which they spoke them, were not of themselves, but were suggested and
dictated by the Spirit of God; for as "the preparation of the heart" in
them, so "the answer of the tongue" by them, were both "from the
Lord": the Spirit, he was the efficient cause, they were only
instruments; for not they of themselves spoke; or not so much they,
but the Spirit of your father, which speaketh in you, or "by you": what
they should say was not to be dictated by their own spirit or natural
understanding, nor by an angel, but by the Spirit of God; called the
"Spirit of" their "father", because he proceeds from him, is of the same
nature with him, and is the reason of his being given to them: and this
character of him might serve to strengthen their faith in the expectation
of him, and in the assistance promised, and to be had by him; since he
was the spirit of him, who stood in the relation of a father to them, and
bore a paternal affection for them.

Copyright Statement
The New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernised and
adapted for the computer by Larry Pierce of Online Bible. All Rightes
Reserved, Larry Pierce, Winterbourne, Ontario.
A printed copy of this work can be ordered from: The Baptist Standard
Bearer, 1 Iron Oaks Dr, Paris, AR, 72855
Bibliography
Gill, John. "Commentary on Matthew 10:20". "The New John Gill
Exposition of the Entire Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/matthew-10.html.
1999.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh
in you — How remarkably this has been verified, the whole history of
persecution thrillingly proclaims - from the Acts of the Apostles to the
latest martyrology.
Copyright Statement
These files are a derivative of an electronic edition prepared from text
scanned by Woodside Bible Fellowship.
This expanded edition of the Jameison-Faussett-Brown Commentary is
in the public domain and may be freely used and distributed.
Bibliography
Jamieson, Robert, D.D.; Fausset, A. R.; Brown, David. "Commentary
on Matthew 10:20". "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the

Whole Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jfb/matthew-10.html.
1871-8.
The Fourfold Gospel
But when they deliver you up, be not anxious how or what ye shall
speak1: for it shall be given you in that hour what ye shall speak.
Be not anxious how or what ye shall speak. For comment on similar
words, see .
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic
edition that is available on the Christian Classics Ethereal Library
Website. These files were made available by Mr. Ernie Stefanik. First
published online in 1996 at The Restoration Movement Pages.
Bibliography
J. W. McGarvey and Philip Y. Pendleton. "Commentary on Matthew
10:20". "The Fourfold Gospel".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tfg/matthew-10.html.
Standard Publishing Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. 1914.
John Trapp Complete Commentary

20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which
speaketh in you.
Ver. 20. But the Spirit of your Father] Who borroweth your mouth for
the present, to speak by. It is he that forms your speeches for you,
dictates them to you, filleth you with matter, and furnisheth you with
words. Fear not therefore your rudeness to reply. There is no mouth into
which God cannot put words: and how often doth he choose the weak
and unlearned to confound the wise and mighty, as he did Balaam’s ass
to confute his master!
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Trapp, John. "Commentary on Matthew 10:20". John Trapp Complete
Commentary.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jtc/matthew-10.html.
1865-1868.
Greek Testament Critical Exegetical Commentary
20. ο γ ρ μ. κ. τ. λ.] This shews the reference of the command to aὐ ὰ ὑ
future mission of the Apostles, see John 15:26-27. (1) It is to be observed
that our Lord never in speaking to His disciples says our Father, but
either my Father (ch. Matthew 18:10), or your Father (as here), or both
conjoined (John 20:17); never leaving it to be inferred that God is in the
same sense His Father and our Father. (2) It is also to be observed that
in the great work of God in the world, human individuality sinks down

and vanishes, and God alone, His Christ, His Spirit, is the great worker,
as here ο χ με ς στε.… λλ τ πν. το π. μ.ὐ ὑ ῖ ἐ ἀ ὰ ὸ ῦ ὑ
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Alford, Henry. "Commentary on Matthew 10:20". Greek Testament
Critical Exegetical Commentary.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hac/matthew-10.html.
1863-1878.
Johann Albrecht Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament
Matthew 10:20. ο λαλο ντες, that speak) A similar use of the articleἱ ῦ
occurs in John 6:63.— ν μ ν, in you) As instruments.ἐ ὑ ῖ
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Bengel, Johann Albrecht. "Commentary on Matthew 10:20". Johann
Albrecht Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jab/matthew-10.html.
1897.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Ver. 19,20. Mark hath much the same, Mark 13:11; so hath Luke, Luke
11:11,12. The apostles being men but of an ordinary education before
Christ called them, he might reasonably suppose that they would not
appear before councils, and kings, and governors without some
abashment, having not been accustomed to such presences; he therefore
arms them in these words, wherein he doth not prohibit ordinary
thoughts, which every man hath before he speaketh, but anxious
thoughts beforehand, for, ( saith he),
it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. The Lord
seemeth to speak here as he did to Moses, Exodus 4:12, complaining he
was slow of speech, and of a slow tongue: Exodus 4:11, Who hath made
man’s mouth? It shall, ( saith Christ), be given you from God.
in you; that is, not you from yourselves only: the Holy Spirit shall
influence your thoughts as to the matter, and suggest that to you, and it
shall influence your tongues, giving you a freedom of speech. This was
verified in Stephen, Acts 6:10, and hath been eminently verified in a
multitude of martyrs. We may observe from hence, that the influence of
the Spirit is not to be confined to the will and afflictions. It hath also an
influence upon our words in the service of God: not that we can
conclude, that whatsoever Christians so speak, either in their
confessions or other duties, is from such immediate assistance; but there
is such an influence, though the Spirit in this, as in other operations, like
the wind, bloweth where and when it listeth.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Poole, Matthew, "Commentary on Matthew 10:20". Matthew Poole's

English Annotations on the Holy Bible.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mpc/matthew-10.html.
1685.
Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges
20. τ πνε μα το πατρ ς μ ν. The Christian ‘apologist’ shall notὸ ῦ ῦ ὸ ὑ ῶ
stand alone. The same Spirit instructs him which inspires the universal
Church. St Paul experienced such consolation: ν τ πρώτ μουἐ ῇ ῃ
πολογί ο δε ς συμπαρεγένετο … δ Κύριός μοι παρέστη. 2 Timothyἀ ᾳ ὐ ὶ ὁ ὲ
4:16-17. It is to this work of the Holy Spirit that the word παράκλητος
may be especially referred. He is the Advocate in court standing by the
martyr’s side. This is the classical force of παράκλητος.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
"Commentary on Matthew 10:20". "Cambridge Greek Testament for
Schools and Colleges".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cgt/matthew-10.html.
1896.
Whedon's Commentary on the Bible
20. It is not ye that speak — Their words will be God’s words. In the
demoniacs the devils spake through the human organs. In the arraigned
apostles the Holy Spirit shall speak, making their voice his voice, and
their tongue his organ. The Spirit of your Father — It is God’s Spirit,
and at that moment he recognises you as sons of God. Hence our Lord

does not here say, My Father, but places the protecting fatherhood of
God directly over his apostles.
The assurances here given that premeditation of their speech was
unnecessary to the apostles before their persecutors, are not to be rashly
applied to every preacher in the administration of the Gospel. A neglect
of preparation for the pulpit is carelessness; an avoidance of it under the
expectation of inspiration is fanaticism. No doubt a divine influence
attends a faithful administration of the word, but not so as to supersede
the best and fullest exertion of the human faculties.
We have here the doctrine of inspiration stated in its strongest form. In
the apostles, in the moment of trial, the Holy Spirit would reside, and
the words they spake should be his words. Its existence with the
apostles, at any rate, in certain exigencies, is here beyond doubt
asserted. And who can affirm, that in those sacred documents, the New
Testament Scriptures, the same inspiration does not exist. If the apostles
were furnished with this inspiration in their momentary times of trial,
how much more important, that in recording their words for ages for
the instruction of the Church and the conversion of the world, they
should possess the same high qualification.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Whedon, Daniel. "Commentary on Matthew 10:20". "Whedon's
Commentary on the Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/whe/matthew-10.html.
1874-1909.

Schaff's Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Matthew 10:20. It is not ye, etc. Inspiration for their defence is an
indirect proof of the inspiration of the apostolic writings, since the
purpose of both is ‘testimony’ (Matthew 10:18), and writing was a
permanent, and hence the most important, testimony. The inspiration
affects both what is said and how it is said. The human form is
influenced by the Divine substance revealed.
Your Father. Never ‘our Father,’ except in the Lord’s Prayer, which He
taught others to use. God is our Father in a different sense; Christ’s
sonship differs from ours, and He calls God simply ‘Father’ or ‘My
Father.’
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Schaff, Philip. "Commentary on Matthew 10:20". "Schaff's Popular
Commentary on the New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/scn/matthew-10.html.
1879-90.
E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes
the Spirit = the Spirit (Himself). See App-101.
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Bullinger, Ethelbert William. "Commentary on Matthew 10:20". "E.W.
Bullinger's Companion bible Notes".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bul/matthew-10.html.
1909-1922.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -
Unabridged
in you.
For it is not ye that speak, but the spirit of your Father which speaketh
in you. How remarkably this has been verified, the whole history of
persecution thrillingly proclaims-from the Acts of the Apostles to the
latest martyrology.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Jamieson, Robert, D.D.; Fausset, A. R.; Brown, David. "Commentary
on Matthew 10:20". "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the
Whole Bible - Unabridged".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jfu/matthew-10.html.
1871-8.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(20) It is not ye that speak.—The words are strong. Human thoughts
and purposes seem as if utterly suppressed, and the inspiring agency
alone is recognised. It would be obviously beside the drift of our Lord’s
discourse to make this promise of special aid in moments of special
danger the groundwork of a theory of inspiration as affecting the
written records of the work of the disciples.
Contextual Overview
16Behold, *I* send you as sheep in the midst of wolves; be therefore
prudent as the serpents, and guileless as the doves. 17But beware of
men; for they will deliver you up to sanhedrims, and scourge you in
their synagogues; 18and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for
my sake, for a testimony to them and to the nations. 19But when they
deliver you up, be not careful how or what ye shall speak; for it shall be
given to you in that hour what ye shall speak. 20For *ye* are not the
speakers, but the Spirit of your Father which speaks in you. 21But
brother shall deliver up brother to death, and father child; and children
shall rise up against parents and shall put them to death; 22and ye shall
be hated of all on account of my name. But he that has endured to [the]
end, *he* shall be saved. 23But when they persecute you in this city, flee
to the other; for verily I say to you, Ye shall not have completed the
cities of Israel until the Son of man be come. 24The disciple is not above
his teacher, nor the bondman above his lord. 25[It is] sufficient for the
disciple that he should become as his teacher, and the bondman as his
lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much
more those of his household?
PRECEPT AUSTIN RESOURCES

J. C. RYLE, "MATTHEW 10:16-23
"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be
wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they
will deliver you up to councils, and in their synagogues they will scourge
you. Yes, and you will be brought before governors and kings for my
sake, for a testimony to them and to the nations. But when they deliver
you up, don't be anxious how or what you will say, for it will be given
you in that hour what you will say. For it is not you who speak, but the
Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
"Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child.
Children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death.
You will be hated by all men for my name's sake, but he who endures to
the end will be saved. But when they persecute you in this city, flee into
the next, for most certainly I tell you, you will not have gone through the
cities of Israel, until the Son of Man has come."
The truths contained in these verses should be pondered by all who try
to do good in the world. To the selfish man, who cares for nothing but
his own ease or comfort, there may seem to be little in them. To the
minister of the Gospel, and to every one who seeks to save souls, these
verses ought to be full of interest. No doubt there is much in them,
which applies specially to the days of the apostles. But there is much
also which applies to all times.
We see, for one thing, that those who would do good to souls, must be
moderate in their expectations. They must not think that universal
success will attend their labors. They must reckon on meeting with
much opposition. They must make up their minds to "be hated,"
persecuted, and ill-used, and that too by their nearest relations. They

will often find themselves like "sheep in the midst of wolves."
Let us bear this in mind continually. Whether we preach, or teach, or
visit from house to house--whether we write or give counsel, or whatever
we do, let it be a settled principle with us not to expect more than
Scripture and experience warrant. Human nature is far more wicked
and corrupt than we think. The power of evil is far greater than we
suppose. It is vain to imagine that everybody will see what is good for
them, and believe what we tell them. It is expecting what we shall not
find, and will only end in disappointment. Happy is that laborer for
Christ, who knows these things at his first starting, and has not to learn
them by biter experience! Here lies the secret cause why many have
turned back, who once seemed full of zeal to do good. They began with
extravagant expectations. They did not count the cost. They fell into the
mistake of the great German Reformer, who confessed he forgot at one
time, that "old Adam was too strong for young Melancthon."
We see, for another thing, that those who would do good have need to
pray for wisdom, good sense, and a sound mind. Our Lord tells his
disciples to be "wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." He tells those
who when they are persecuted in one place, they may lawfully "flee to
another."
There are few of our Lord's instructions which it is so difficult to use
rightly as this. There is a line marked out for us between two extremes;
but one that it requires great judgment to define. To avoid persecution
by holding our tongues, and keeping our religion entirely to ourselves, is
one extreme. We are not to err in that direction. To court persecution,
and thrust our religion upon every one we meet, without regard to
place, time, or circumstances, is another extreme. In this direction also
we are warned not to err any more than in the other. Truly we may say,
"who is sufficient for these things?" We have need to cry to the only

wise God for wisdom.
The extreme into which most men are liable to fall in the present day, is
that of silence, cowardice, and letting others alone. Our so-called
prudence is apt to degenerate into a compromising line of conduct, or
downright unfaithfulness. We are only too ready to suppose that it is of
no use trying to do good to certain people. We excuse ourselves from
efforts to benefit their souls, by saying it would be indiscreet, or
inexpedient, or would give needless offence, or would even do positive
harm. Let us all watch and be on our guard against this spirit. Laziness
and the devil are often the true explanation of it. To give way to it is
pleasant to flesh and blood, no doubt, and saves us much trouble. But
those who give way to it often throw away great opportunities of
usefulness.
On the other hand, it is impossible to deny that there is such a thing as a
righteous and holy zeal, which is "not according to knowledge." It is
quite possible to create much needless offence, commit great blunders,
and stir up much opposition, which might have been avoided by a little
prudence, wise management, and exercise of judgment. Let us all take
heed that we are not guilty in this respect. We may be sure there is such
a thing as Christian wisdom, which is quite distinct from Jesuitical
deception, or carnal policy. This wisdom let us seek. Our Lord Jesus
does not require us to throw aside our common sense, when we
undertake to work for Him. There will be offence enough connected
with our religion, do what we will; but let us not increase it without
cause, Let us strive to "watch carefully how we walk, not as unwise, but
as wise." (Ephes. 5:15.)
It is to be feared, that believers in the Lord Jesus do not sufficiently
pray for the spirit of knowledge, judgment, and a sound mind. They are
apt to fancy that if they have grace, they have all they need. They forget

that a gracious heart should pray that it may be full of wisdom, as well
as of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 6:3.) Let us all remember this. Great grace
and common sense are perhaps one of the rarest combinations. That
they may go together, the life of David, and the ministry of the apostle
Paul are striking proofs. In this, however, as in every other respect, our
Lord Jesus Christ Himself is our most perfect example. None were ever
so faithful as He. But none were ever so truly wise. Let us make Him our
pattern, and walk in His steps.
GREG ALLEN
"When They Hand You Over"
Matthew 10:17-25
Theme: Jesus gives us hope and purpose in times of persecution
(Delivered Sunday, January 8, 2006 at Bethany Bible Church. All
Scripture quotes, unless otherwise indicated, are from the New King
James Version.)
We return this morning to our study of Matthew's Gospel. And in
particular, we return to Jesus' commission to His twelve disciples in
chapter 10; in which He sends them out to preach before Him in the
cities of Israel.
* * * * * * * * * *
This whole chapter of Matthew's Gospel is a very serious and sobering
one. The tone is set for it in verse 16; where Jesus tells the twelve,
"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be
wise as serpents and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16).
Jesus lets the twelve know that He is sending them out into a hostile
environment; and to preach about Him before a people who will be as
dangerous to them as wolves are to sheep. Therefore, He urges them to

be very wise and circumspect; and to conduct themselves with
innocence and sincerity.
Now, there is much that Jesus says in this commission that is particular
to the twelve. What He says in verses 1-15 should only be understood as
applying to them. But what He goes on to say in the rest of this chapter
was very clearly meant to extend beyond the situation of the twelve -
and far into the succeeding centuries that follow after the ministry of the
apostles.1 They even extend up to the time of Jesus' return.
This means that the words of this morning's passage are even intended
for you and me - as we seek to testify of Jesus during our own time, and
in the midst of the culture in which we live. And they are serious words
indeed! Our Lord has said;
"But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge
you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings
for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they
deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For
it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not
you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. Now
brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and
children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.
And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But He who endures to
the end will be saved. When they persecute you in this city, flee to
another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the
cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. A disciple is not above his
teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that
he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called
the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those
of his household!" (Matthew 10:17-25).
* * * * * * * * * *
Dear brothers and sisters; what Jesus says in this morning's passage
was meant by Him to be heeded by you and me. It applies to us as we go
to our jobs or to our schools, or as we relate to our neighbors, or as we

interact with our family members, or as we faithfully serve as "salt"
and "light" in our communities and in the world.
As His followers, we are called to be faithful witnesses for our Lord all
of the time and in all situations. And the sobering promise of the Bible is
that we will suffer for doing so. It teaches us that "all who desire to live
godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12). We are
sent on a mission by our Lord; and we can absolutely expect to suffer
the hostility of this world because of it.
We sometimes act as if it were an unspoken goal in the Christian life to
"avoid" persecution. But Jesus does not promise us protection from
persecution. In fact, His words indicate persecution is to be an expected
part of our life as His followers. Look carefully through this morning's
passage, and you will see that Jesus speaks as if He EXPECTS that we
will be persecuted: He tells His disciples, "But beware of men, for they
WILL deliver you up . . ." (v. 17); "You WILL be brought before
governors and kings for My sake . . ." "But WHEN they deliver you up,
don't worry about how or what you should speak . . ." (v. 19). "Now
brother WILL deliver up brother to death . . . children WILL rise up
against parents and cause them to be put to death" (v. 21); "And you
WILL be hated by all for My name's sake" (v. 22); "WHEN they
persecute you in this city, flee to another . . ." (v. 23).
In fact, He even expects that His listeners will be persecuted to the point
of death! Why else would He say the sort of things He says elsewhere in
this chapter? "And 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" (v. 28); ". . . he who does not take his cross and follow after Me
is not worthy of Me" (v. 38); "(h)e who finds his life will lose it, and he
who loses his life for My sake will find it" (v. 39).
And so, in this morning's very serious passage, Jesus is not going to
teach us how to avoid persecution while living for Him in this world. It's
inevitable that you and I - if we are faithful to follow Him - will
experience persecution. Instead, Jesus gives us instructions on what to

do during those times of persecution. He teaches us in this passage how
to respond to persecution in such a way as to glorify Him and bring
honor to His name.
* * * * * * * * * *
What shall we do when persecution comes because of our faith in Jesus
Christ? First, we see that our Lord encourages us to . . .
1. EXPECT GOD'S HELP (vv. 17-20).
He begins by telling us why we will need such help. He says, "But
beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you
in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for
My sake . . ." (v. 17-18a).
Do you see why divine help is needed? Who among us is prepared - in
our own power and wisdom - to give a testimony of Christ before hostile
councils and kings?
* * * * * * * * * *
Look at the word "beware"2. It suggests that we are to take heed of
men and be on guard against their hostility. But if we were to read
further in this chapter, we'd see that we are not to be afraid of them.
Jesus tells us, in verse 28, that we are not to fear even dangerous and
hostile men. He says, "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot
kill the soul."
To be fearful of men is a very improper thing for a follower of Christ.
When we "fear" the hostility of men, we fail to behave as God would
have us behave before them. As it says in Proverbs 29:25, "The fear of
man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe." But
Jesus doesn't tell us to "fear" ungodly men. Rather, He tells us to
"beware" of them.
Our Lord even warns that there will be times when "church" and
"state" are joined together in hostility toward those who are His
followers. Men will deliver His followers up to religious councils and

authoritative assemblies; and will bring them before governors and
kings. All of these things, as you know, happened to Jesus Himself. He
was brought before "the chief priests, the elders, and all the council"
(Matthew 26:59); and He was delivered over to Pilate the Roman
governor (27:2) and to the puppet-king Herod (Luke 23:7), to eventually
be scourged (Matthew 27:26). He lets us know that, just as they did
these things to Him, they will do them to us as His followers. But in all
of this, He teaches us not to "fear" men - only to "beware" of them.
There is a great deal of difference between 'fearing' men, and 'being on
our guard' around men. We are not to allow ourselves to be intimidated
into silence by the anger and the threats of the people of this world; but
neither are we to trust them when they appear to accept us and approve
of our message.
* * * * * * * * * *
But in all of it, Jesus affirms a divine purpose. He says that though His
followers will be brought before leaders and authorities for His sake; it
will be "as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles" (v. 18b). In the
midst of hostile persecution against the gospel, God's unseen hand of
providence is at work - advancing the testimony of His own Son through
the persecuted!
The apostle Paul himself experienced this. When he wrote his letter to
the Philippian believers, he was - at that time - in prison for preaching
the gospel. And he told them,
But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me
have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has
become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my
chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren, in the Lord, having
become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word
without fear (Philippians 1:12-14).
What a wonderful word of encouragement this is to His church in a
hostile world! Jesus is letting us know that, whenever governments or

religious councils close the pulpits to the preaching of the gospel, God
sends the message out even louder from the prison cells!
* * * * * * * * * *
And this leads us to consider the help that Jesus promises to those who
are persecuted for His sake. He says, "But when they deliver you up
[that is, before religious councils or governmental authorities], do not
worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you
in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the
Spirit of your Father who speaks in you" (vv. 19-20).
Now forgive me for digressing just a bit; but I have to point out that this
promise is often taken out of context and abused. There have been many
preachers or Sunday School teachers who have used this passage as an
excuse for not preparing their sermons or their lessons in advance! They
just trust (in a presumptuous way) that the Holy Spirit will give them
the words when they step up to speak. But that's often nothing more
than a presumptuous mask for laziness! This promise is of no help to
such people.
Now as a preacher, I can personally testify to lots of times when
circumstances made it hard for me to prepare as much as I would like;
and the Holy Spirit HAS helped me when I have asked. In fact, I hope I
can say that He helps me ALL of the time. But ordinarily, the way the
Holy Spirit helps me is through my putting in the time and labor to
prepare.
This promise, then, isn't meant to excuse teachers and preachers from
doing the hard work of preparation. Rather, this is speaking of a very
specific kind circumstance - that of being brought before hostile councils
and governing authorities because of our faith in Jesus. It speaks of a
situation for which ordinary preparation would be impossible - that is,
of a time when one of His followers is suddenly, unexpectedly brought
forward in a hostile manner to give an account for their faith before
leaders and officials.

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