Matthew 10

Jesus sends out the twelve with authority over impure spirits and disease. And His instructions are remarkably honest about what they’re walking into. Go to the lost sheep of Israel. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. And also: I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.

The mission comes with a warning. You will be handed over to councils. You will be flogged. You will be brought before governors and kings. Brother will betray brother. A man’s enemies will be members of his own household.

Jesus doesn’t recruit for the mission by hiding what it costs. He tells them exactly. And what He asks them to hold onto is simple: the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body. Fear the one who can destroy both soul and body.

What has always struck me about Matthew 10 is that Jesus sends them anyway. Knowing all of this. Knowing what Herod would do to John. Knowing what Rome would eventually do to most of them. He sends them because the mission matters more than the safety of the messengers.

That’s not a comfortable truth. But it’s an honest one.