BEWARE
Wednesday, 24th August 24 2016 (St. Bartholomew’s Day)
Matthew 10:1-20 (NKJV)
And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.
2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the taxcollector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
4 Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.
5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.
6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
9 Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts,
10 nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.
11 “Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.
12 And when you go into a household, greet it.
13 If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.
14 And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.
15 Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgment than for that city!
16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
17 But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.
18 You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak;
20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
“Beware” is a warning to be careful. From our Bible text, Jesus Christ chose the twelve disciples to be with Him for the purpose of developing a relationship with Him, preaching to the lost sheep of Israel and announcing that the Kingdom of God is near. While some warnings of God are very glaring, some others are not easily understood. One of such subtle warnings is the commandment to “Beware” (Matthew 10:17). It can also be expressed as don’t be careless. It is unfortunate that many children of God today are careless about their Christian life and by so doing they have shipwrecked their faith. They live their lives as if they have nothing to lose to the enemy. Such Christians need to be reminded that they have at least one crown to protect -the crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8).
Today we celebrate St. Bartholomew, one of the apostles, who according to Church tradition, preached in India, Phrygia and America. As the story goes, in America he healed the lunatic daughter of the king, and banished the demon which inhabited the king’s favourite child. This miracle brought about the conversion of the king and many of his subjects. However, the Priests and others who did not believe, in their hostility beat him with clubs, skinned him alive and finally crucified him.
Today Christians in Islamic countries and other countries around the world, and especially in the Northern part of our own country Nigeria etc. face serious persecution and death for believing in Jesus. Jesus encourages such people to hold on to their faith just like Bartholomew.
Thought: “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming” (Matt. 24:42).