Good news – a matter of context

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/071519.cfm
Exodus 1:8-14, 22
Matthew 10:34-11:1

Mission: Impossible was an action/spy fiction — 1966–1973 — TV series. Most episodes begin with the leader of the IMF (Impossible Mission Force) getting the assignment from a hidden tape recorder and an envelope of photos and information that explains the mission. The tape almost always begins with, "Good morning, Mr. Phelps." Then it explains the situation and ends with, "Your mission Jim, should you decide to accept it," or words to that effect, with a brief explanation of the mission. The tape would conclude with, "As always, should you or any of your I.M. Force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Jim." Then smoke would rise from the tape, and the instructions would be destroyed.

Mr. Phelps would then pull together a team of specialists with a wide range of skills and talents to pull off a series of amazing deceptions, distractions, and events to accomplish the mission given at the beginning of the show.

Your mission – explicitly detailed on the tape

How to do it – usually requires special talents and/or equipment and is the basis of the show

Warnings – often mentioned on the tape, complications like the dictator has a private army for protection

Pep talk – “Good luck, Jim”

Taking the blame – “As always, should you or any of your I.M. Force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions”

Team membership – Usually earned through special skills like makeup artist, strong man, computer expert, video engineer

Rewards – the world will be a safer place if you are successful

So, what does this have to do with today’s Gospel reading? I’m glad you asked!

Our reading starts at Matthew 10:34, with Jesus proclaiming, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword.” What?? That doesn’t sound like “the good news” to me! Maybe we are taking things out of context. 

It turns out that we are indeed missing some of the background for understanding what is going on. Jesus has been in his public ministry for over two years, and is at the beginning of his third tour in Galilee. Jesus is about to empower the disciples to spread the word of God’s kingdom and perform healing. 

If we had started reading from the beginning of Matthew 10 we would find that we have a detailed version of the parallel gospel in Luke:

• He summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases,
• and he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal [the sick].
• He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic.
• Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.
• And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.”
• Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.  [Luke 9:1-6]

A very familiar story, almost identical to Mark 6:7-13. Matthew, however, presents a much more detailed list of tasks, conditions, and considerations. I’ll use the major topics from Mission Impossible to summarize chapter 10 of Matthew.

Your mission

• Drive out unclean spirits
• Cure every disease and illness

How to do it

• Don’t go into pagan territories or Samaritan towns
• Do seek out the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
• Proclaim ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
• Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. 
• Do not charge for your services
• Don’t bring any money
• Don’t bring a backpack, extra clothes, sandals or a walking stick
• Stay with worthy people
• If they don’t want to listen to you, leave (they’ll be dealt with on the day of judgement)

Warnings: Coming Persecutions

• I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; be careful
• Some people will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues
• You will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans
• Do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. When needed, the Spirit of your Father will speak through you.
• Bad things will happen - Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
• You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved
• When they persecute you in one town, flee to another
• It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher

Pep talk: Courage Under Persecution 

• Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.
• What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
• And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul
• The Father knows everything that’s going on, he is watching over you
• I will acknowledge everyone who acknowledges me before others before my heavenly Father
• I will deny those who deny me before others before my heavenly Father.

Today’s Gospel starts here (Matthew 10:34)

Taking the blame: Jesus - A Cause of Division

The opposite of “disavowing any knowledge,”,Jesus clearly says that HE is the root cause of great divisions among family members and the public in general.

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. 
I have come to bring not peace but the sword.
For I have come to set a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s enemies will be those of his household.”

Why would Jesus want to do that?? He really explains that as we continue on.  What makes a person a disciple, a member of God’s team?

Team membership: The Conditions of Discipleship.

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

The first part declares that if you love your parents or your children more than Jesus, then you are not worthy of Jesus.  That’s setting the bar pretty high. It’s a matter of being spiritually one with God always, not wavering as we might with family during times of stress.

The second part is presented again in Matthew 16:24-25, Mark 8:34-35 and Luke 9:23-24, immediately after Jesus informs his disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Biblical scholars often refer to this as “The Conditions of Discipleship.” In today’s reading, the details of his death and resurrection are not revealed. 

The cross would be an indication of the difficulty of the mission ahead. The crucifixion was a horrific death sentence carried out by the Romans; it was not a Jewish form of punishment. The convicted would often have to carry the crosspiece to the site of the execution, a physically brutal and emotionally demeaning punishment. To carry your cross and follow Jesus would mean there are times when your life will become physically and emotionally challenging as you proclaim the message of Jesus.

Rewards

“Whoever receives you receives me; and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

Depending on the role a disciple might be playing at any given time, he could be considered a prophet, a righteous man, or a “little one.” All who receive the disciples of Jesus receive him, and God who sent him, and will be rewarded accordingly.

There are two rewards here. Those who welcomed the disciples have received the good news of Christ Jesus. And, the disciples can claim mission accomplished.