What Will Result From His Coming, And What He Requires Of Those Who Would Follow Him (10:34-42).
As Jesus comes to the end of His instructions He wants His disciples to be aware of the waves that they are going to cause. He wants them to know that what He has come to bring will not result in peace but a sword. Rather than expecting perfect harmony to follow, they must expect a world divided in two as though with a sword-stroke (into those who walk in the broad way, and those who walk in the narrow, those who build on rock and those who build on sand). By their very success in their witness they will produce a world at war with itself. For in that world so bitter will be the feelings that arise, that the very ones who are dearest and closest to their converts will be the ones that they might well discover to be their enemies But if they are faithful in their response to His disciples, then they will not lose their reward.
He describes vividly on the basis of Micah 7:6 what the effects of their witness will be, even on family relationships. So great will be the divide between what their families hold on to and cling to, and what He has brought, that their families will act towards their believing relative with enmity. He will find himself at odds with them all, even those who should be closest to him. But that will be the test of his worthiness. For if he places them before Jesus then he is not worthy of Jesus. What he must therefore do is pick up his cross, turning his back on all that his relatives cling on to, yes and on his own old life as well, and follow Jesus. Otherwise he is not worthy of Him. For by losing his life in this way for His sake he will find it, while if he clings on to his old life, ‘finding his life', he will inevitably lose it in the end.
These thoughts are expressed in an intermingled series of threes. Firstly there is a threefold description of those against whom the believer will be ‘set at variance' (put in a position of disagreement with) as a result of their witness (Matthew 10:35), then a threefold description of those who will not be worthy of Him because they are unwilling to turn their backs on their old lives (Matthew 10:37-38), then a threefold description of those who by receiving the servants of God will receive their reward (Matthew 10:40-41), followed by a threefold promise of such rewards (Matthew 10:41-42).
Analysis.
a “Do not think that I came to send peace on the earth. I came not to send peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34).
b “For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law, and a man's foes will be those of his own household” (Matthew 10:35-36).
c “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37).
d “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me, is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 10:38-39).
c “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent me” (Matthew 10:40).
b “He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward” (Matthew 10:41).
a “And whoever will give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you he will in no wise lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42).
Note that in ‘a' Jesus coming will set the world in turmoil and in the parallel those who in the midst of the turmoil give a cup of cold water to a child believer will not lose their reward. In ‘b' we have a picture of belligerence among family members, and in the parallel we have a picture of ‘family' harmony. In ‘c' those who put others before Him are described, and in the parallel those who put Him first. And centrally in ‘d' is the picture of what being a disciple means.