No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!
26 “Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. 27 What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. 30 Even all the hairs of your head are counted. 31 So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 32 Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. 33 But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.
Jesus prepares His disciples for a reality they may not have expected. Following Him does not guarantee acceptance or an easy life. If people rejected Him, falsely accused Him, and opposed His mission, His disciples should not be surprised if they receive similar treatment (vv. 24–25). A disciple is not above the Master. It is enough that he become like Him, even when that path includes misunderstanding, rejection, and suffering.
Jesus was accused of being allied with Beelzebul, the prince of demons (v. 25). If the religious leaders treated the Master in this way, His disciples should not expect better treatment. The Gospel does not hide the cost of discipleship. Faithfulness to Christ may bring misunderstanding, ridicule, or even persecution, but these are not signs that God has abandoned His people. They are part of sharing in the life, mission, and sufferings of Jesus.
Three times in this passage Jesus says, "Do not be afraid" (vv. 26, 28, 31). He does not deny that persecution is frightening. Rather, He teaches that fear must never silence the Gospel. What He first entrusted to His disciples privately was to be proclaimed openly, so that the truth of God's kingdom would reach all people (vv. 26–27). The temptation to soften or hide Christ's message for the sake of comfort or acceptance must be resisted.
Jesus then teaches His disciples to view their lives in the light of eternity. Human beings may harm the body, but they cannot determine a person's eternal destiny (v. 28). God alone is the just Judge who has authority over both body and soul. This is why Sacred Scripture speaks of the fear of the Lord—not a terrified fear of an unpredictable God, but a reverent awe that recognizes His holiness, justice, and rightful authority. Such holy fear leads us away from sin and toward faithful obedience.
The Lord immediately balances this call to holy fear with one of the most comforting images in the Gospel. Not even a sparrow falls to the ground without the Father's knowledge, and even the hairs of our heads are counted (vv. 29–30). If God's providence extends to the smallest creatures, how much more does He care for those who belong to Him? Whatever trials disciples may face, they are never beyond the Father's loving care.
The passage concludes with a solemn reminder that discipleship should not remain hidden. Faith is meant to be lived openly. Jesus promises that those who acknowledge Him before others will be acknowledged by Him before the heavenly Father, while those who deny Him before others will be denied by Him before the heavenly Father (vv. 32–33). These words are meant to encourage perseverance and faithful witness. Christ calls His disciples to remain faithful, trusting that the Father who watches over the sparrows will also sustain those who faithfully bear witness to His Son.
This Gospel reminds us that Christian courage is not self-confidence but trust in God. The Lord who calls us to follow Him also gives us the grace to remain faithful. Even when the cost of discipleship is high, we can proclaim Christ without fear, trusting that the Father knows us, cares for us, and will sustain us as we remain faithful to His Son.
Lord Jesus, strengthen us to follow You with courage, to proclaim Your truth without fear, and to trust always in the loving care of our heavenly Father. May we faithfully acknowledge You in our words and in our lives, so that we may one day be acknowledged by You before the Father. Amen.
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Sources and References
- New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Matthew 10:24–33 and notes on Matthew 10:25, 26, and 32–33.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. Notes on Matthew 10:25 and 10:28.
- Casciaro, José María, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. Notes on Matthew 10:26–33.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. Pages 651–652, paragraphs 70–71.
- Aguilar Chiu, José Enrique, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. Page 929.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid OP, and Donald Senior CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. 3rd fully revised ed. New York: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2022. Page 1193.
- Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010. Pages 146–147.
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