After Jesus’ commissioning at His baptism and His initial work in ministry there comes a time for Him to send out His disciples. They’re given authority over unclean spirits and told to more or less do the works that Jesus has been doing (10:1). They are to proclaim to the people of Israel, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (10:7) and evidence this with miraculous signs and wonders (10:8).
There’s one small problem though. Not everyone will approve of their message. In fact, in some places, it will be quite unpopular. So much so, that Jesus forewarns them about persecution (10:16-25). He concludes that they’ll be hated by all people for His namesake (10:22) and we’ll see this at least partially fulfilled in the Book of Acts when they rejoiced that they were chosen worthy to suffer dishonor for His name (Acts 5:41). In Acts, the disciples are rejected by men and beat. Stephen became the first martyr of the church. The Apostle James was killed by Herod. Peter was put in jail and His life hung in the balance before an angel miraculously busted him out. Paul was beaten, stoned, and put in jail repeatedly. With profession of faith in Christ came suffering.
So, what was the secret to continually bearing witness concerning the Christ despite all these problems and all this persecution and hatred that came? Choosing the one they truly feared. Jesus says, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28). All a man could do is kill your body, that’s not eternal. God, therefore, is the One to fear. In addition to this, God is watching over them. Sparrows are worthless and cheap, and each one that dies is noticed by God (10:29). So, how much more does God watch over human beings made in His image, the crown of His creation? He knows the very number of hairs on their head! (10:30). Now, this doesn’t mean they wouldn’t suffer, and it doesn’t mean they wouldn’t ultimately die. What it does mean, is that God would be with them, watching over them every step of the way, and no one could hurt them without God’s permission. Until the coming of Christ death is the means by which people are taken to God. When someone’s life service is over God can take them however He pleases: martyrdom, old age, heart attack, car accident, disease, or whatever.
With this in mind, the disciple of Jesus has no reason to fear man. Unfortunately, the fear of man is prevalent in the church and probably exists in all of our lives to some extent. We frequently wonder what other people will think about us if we say something about Jesus. We want to be liked. We want to be approved of. We want to fit in. So, anything that might upset that equilibrium is set aside. In one sense, it’s usually a fear of man.
Yet, the Christian is to walk in the fear of the Lord. To walk with a reverence for Him and acknowledgement that all our ways are before Him and He’s watching us. The great book of Proverbs which has so many wonderful instructions and observations about life begins in the first chapter with the statement, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Pro. 1:7). For this reason, it’s put at the beginning of the book! You can’t have true knowledge or wisdom without fear of the Lord. It’s the basis for everything else you do. It’s the foundation. Truly, it should inform all our ways. Likewise, Ecclesiastes (which serves almost as a partner to Proverbs) concludes with the observation, “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecc. 12:13). Why do this? The author answers, “For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecc. 12:14). The fear of the Lord bookends these two incredible books in the wisdom literature of the Bible.
Living in the fear of the Lord doesn’t have to be terrifying, but it’s a consistent acknowledgement that He sees all I do, He knows all I do, He even knows my thoughts! Therefore, I ought to be careful to walk in a way that is pleasing to Him. To live before Him, by His grace, acceptably. To know that He’s the One to whom I’ll have to give an account. People around me therefore aren’t the greatest concern. I won’t have to give an account to them. I don’t have to fear man. But one day I’ll give an account of my life to God, so I ought to live a God-fearing life. Now, this doesn’t mean that salvation comes by works. So, we don’t have to fear “not making it” as if we’ll be cast aside if we didn’t quite cut it or weren’t good enough. We aren’t good enough, and that’s where the gospel comes in and reminds us that we’re saved by grace. But nevertheless, there should be a genuine reverence for the Lord that truly informs and affects the way we live this life before God in light of His grace.
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