Matthew 10:32-33

Jesus speaking to the 12 as he sends them out to share the good news and heal the sick.  “Everyone, therefore, who will publicly acknowledge me, I, too, will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but if anyone publicly disowns me, I, too, will disown him before my Father in heaven.”  ~ Matthew 10:32-33

Reading this chapter was all very familiar.  I’ve read it many times before, but as I was reading it again, I was thinking about this time, this year, this day, this moment.  I was thinking about how it pertains to me, individually and to you and to us, collectively.  The word disown jumped off the page.  It’s more than someone just saying, “I don’t believe in Jesus.”  

Actually, I was thinking about the struggles I’ve been going through the last too many years.  I’ve struggled with the idea of being a Christian, not with being a Jesus follower.  I never gave up on that but just with this new to me Christian ideology that we often see.  With the idea of what some people have been pursuing in the name of Christianity.  What some have been saying out loud for everyone to hear while at the same time proclaiming Christianity.

So, as I came to this word, disown, I looked deeper.  Sometimes, it’s so easy to take on the surface level meaning, the obvious meaning, but this time I am really trying to gain wisdom and knowledge from the scripture.  So, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and asked again, what does this mean?  What does disown mean, is it metaphorical?  Is it deeper?  And I thought about my struggles, I thought about this moment in time, and in my minds eye I could see like a news reel, all that has been going on lately and well, that inner voice whispered, “actions speak louder than words.”  

I thought about a verse I read earlier in Matthew, chapter 9, verse 13, where Jesus said, “I desire compassion…” Therefore, when Jesus speaks of our disowning him, he means by not showing compassion. 

When we forget to show compassion, we disown him. When we are unkind, we disown him. When we spew hate for our fellow human beings, we disown him.  When we refuse to help our neighbor for whatever reason, we disown him.

So when we see the meme on social media, saying, “I declare belief in Jesus Christ and am therefore saved!”  Know that there’s a little, well, a whole lot in fact, more to it than just those words.  Don’t just tell Jesus you love him, show him.  Don’t just say you believe in Jesus, follow him, by loving  your neighbors, ALL of them.  Words are empty without the actions to back them up.

May our belief in Jesus be more than empty words, may it be reflected in the way we follow his footsteps, in the actions we take, in the love and compassion we show, not just to people who are like us, who look like us, or believe like us, or speak like us, but to every living thing in this universe.  Amen.

Until next time…♥️