Fear God: Matthew 10

“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28, NASB).

What does it mean to fear? Is it not natural for use to fear some things? How do we overcome fear? What does the word “fear” mean anyway? The word fear is translated from the Greek “phobeo”. It means to be frightened, alarmed, and made to be afraid by someone or something. In this sense the verb is passive, meaning that you are doing anything to make yourself afraid. Instead something is making you to fear. The word fear means that someone is made to be in awe or to revere someone; and in particular, reverence to God. I have heard people say that we should reverence God, but we should not fear Him. I totally disagree. We should fear God, but God does not terrorize us. God does not threaten to harm us. Yet, God is in control of everything and we ought to be afraid of what God will or will not do.

Now, as we look at our scripture passage, Jesus tells His disciples to not fear the one that can destroy the body but not the soul. Jesus says this because He had chosen twelve disciples, and He “gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness” (10:1). Jesus sets the geographical boundaries of their mission. They are to go only to the lost sheep of Israel; not to Samaria or in Gentile lands. In this way, Jesus is also setting the limits of who they are to go to. They are to “preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (v. 7). Jesus warns them that they will be met by those that will accept them as well as some that will reject them. They are not to take any extra provisions because they will be supplied for their needs by those who will accept them and invite them to stay in their homes.

After giving them basic instructions, Jesus warns them that they are going on a dangerous journey. They will be taken to court and abused in the synagogues. They will be hated by all kinds of people because they are going in the name of Jesus. They will be treated cruelly just as Jesus is met with cruelty and threats upon His life. They, like Jesus will be accused of being of Beelzebul (devil). In verse twenty-six Jesus tells them not to fear the enemy. Everything will be revealed, including things that are done secretly. This brings us to verse twenty-eight

Jesus tells His disciples that they are not to fear the ones that He has just mentioned. Yes, it is possible that they might get killed. They are not to be afraid of them, because they can only kill the physical body. Now, the possibility of being killed is a frightening thing. None of us want to be killed. Yet, regardless of the how, where, and when of our death, we are all going to die. Many of us accept this reality, but we do not want to be killed by someone; especially when we are doing the right thing. Still, Jesus calls His people to put their life on the line for His name sake. Jesus wants us to risk our lives so that others might come to knowledge of Him and be saved.

Let us be reminded that God is in control of all things. He has power over life and death. Jesus sends His disciples on a mission to save life. First they are to save physical life; disease and sickness. Why are they to save physical life? It is when we are in our physical bodies that we hear the message of the kingdom of heaven. We respond in faith and receive eternal life. The healing of disease and illness witness to the power that is in Jesus to save life.

Jesus tells His disciples that they are to fear the One who is “able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (v. 28). Yes, we are to be frightened by the possibility of being destroyed. Only the Father can make this determination. The Father’s criteria are already determined. Those that believe will be saved, and those that do not believe will spend eternity in the lake of fire, called hell. The command to fear God is also a command not to fear anyone or anything because God is always in control. The command to fear God is not new in this passage of scripture. Let us look at two examples.

In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses tells the Israelites that they are to fear the Lord. The Lord takes Israel through various situations. They defeated Sihon king of the Amorites (Deut. 3:2) and Og king of Bashan (3:3). God shows His power to defeat the two great kings known at that time. This evidence of God’s power was to show the people that they are not to be afraid of the resistance that they will be faced with in the Promised Land. The people of the land are furious warriors. They are experienced in battle. They have chariots and weapons made of iron while the Israelites are foot soldiers fighting with sticks and rocks. In spite of the enemies advantages the Lord gives His people the victory. This is proof that they will be victorious over the armies that will resist them when they come into their land. Moses says to the people: “I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, ‘Your eyes have seen all that the LORD your God has done to these two kings; so the LORD shall do to all the kingdoms into which you are about to cross. ‘Do not fear them, for the LORD your God is the one fighting for you’” (3:21-22).

In Deuteronomy 8 Moses tells the people that the Lord had tested them to see whether they would obey or disobey all of His commandments. God made them take forty years to get to a place that should have taken two days because of their rebellion and unbelief. On their journey, God allowed them to get hungry. He fed them manna, a food from heaven that they knew nothing about. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell of get blisters. They learned that God could supply their needs, protect them from the effects of the elements and preserve them in spite of hardships. Moses says to the people, “‘Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him’” (8:6, NASB). So what does this all mean?

We are to fear God. We are to be afraid of Him because we do not want to arouse His anger. We are alarmed because of the things that He is able to do, something that no one else can do. We may be in awe when we see what God is able to do. God commands us not to fear anyone or anything. Their power is limited. Their control of situations in our lives is limited or does not exist. We are to fear God because His power is unlimited. He controls everything. No one and nothing can resist or alter His purpose. God is sovereign. God does what He wants to do, when He wants to do, and how He wants to do. God does not need to explain Himself. God is His own God. Thus, we fear God because our lives are in His hands. He determines our final outcome in this life and in the life to come. If this does not cause you to fear God, it’s because you do not understand who God is, and you do not believe Him I pray that you fear God.