Courageous Loyalty to Jesus

Do you remember the story of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Andersen? Although it is my paraphrase, the story reads as follows:

An emperor became obsessed with fine clothing. Two swindlers arrived and claimed they could make a magnificent suit of clothes that was invisible to anyone who was foolish or unfit for their position. No one wanted to appear foolish. So, the emperor’s advisors pretended to see the clothes. The emperor pretended to see the clothes. The townspeople pretended to see the clothes. Everyone knew something was wrong, but no one had the courage to say it.

Finally, during a grand parade, a small child looked at the emperor and shouted: “But he doesn’t have any clothes on!” The crowd fell silent.

Then one person began to whisper it. Then another. Soon everyone acknowledged what they had known all along. The child had simply spoken the truth.

The child in Andersen’s story had no power, no authority, and no status. What he had was the courage to speak the truth when everyone else remained silent.

The child in Andersen’s story had no power, no authority, and no status. What he had was the courage to speak the truth when everyone else remained silent.

That story illustrates an important aspect of Matthew’s understanding of holiness, ““What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.” (Matthew 10:27). Read Matthew’s story.

Read Matthew 10:24-33

²⁴ “Disciples aren’t greater than their teacher, and slaves aren’t greater than their master. ²⁵ It’s enough for disciples to be like their teacher and slaves like their master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, it’s certain that they will call the members of his household by even worse names.

²⁶ “Therefore, don’t be afraid of those people because nothing is hidden that won’t be revealed, and nothing secret that won’t be brought out into the open. ²⁷ What I say to you in the darkness, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, announce from the rooftops. ²⁸ Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but can’t kill the soul. Instead, be afraid of the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell. ²⁹ Aren’t two sparrows sold for a small coin? But not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father knowing about it already. ³⁰ Even the hairs of your head are all counted. ³¹ Don’t be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.

³² “Therefore, everyone who acknowledges me before people, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven. ³³ But everyone who denies me before people, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Reflect on Matthew 10

God sent Jesus to teach us how to live before God, how to live a holy and righteous life. Matthew is preparing his people to understand that following Jesus can bring rejection, division, and sacrifice.

Through Jesus telling his disciples what it is to be holy, Matthew reminds his community that following Jesus calls for a determination to live the truth, to tell the truth, and to remain loyal to Jesus. Jesus’ words remind us that we are not called to be loud for the sake of being loud, but neither are we called to hide the truth. We are called to speak faithfully, trusting God with the consequences.

Martin Luther King once said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

Jesus says, “Therefore, everyone who acknowledges me before people, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven. ³³ But everyone who denies me before people, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” These words do not deal with the initial confession of faith as in conversion. The words are for those who already profess faith but are fearful of bearing public witness to the church’s mission. 

As followers of Jesus, our profession of faith is in relationship with Jesus’ message. Holiness is not only bearing witness to what Jesus said but is bearing witness to who Jesus is. It is not enough to know who Jesus is. Holiness requires being in relationship with Jesus and living the life you were created to live. 

Respond to Matthew 10

The temptation is often to remain silent especially when speaking up might cost us popularity, when others disagree, when the truth is uncomfortable, when we fear criticism or rejection.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to a courageous faithfulness which sometimes means speaking for justice when others look away, defending someone who is being mistreated, naming wrongdoing when it would be easier to ignore it, or simply acknowledging our faith when silence would be more comfortable.

Rosa Parks’ Courageous Action

On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, an ordinary seamstress named Rosa Parks boarded a city bus after a long day of work. At that time, segregation laws required black Americans to give up their seats to white passengers when the bus became crowded. When the driver ordered Parks to surrender her seat, she quietly said, “No.”

She was not loud. She was not angry. She did not make a speech. She simply refused to remain silent through her actions.

The driver called the police. Parks was arrested and taken to jail.

From one perspective, her decision changed nothing. One woman was arrested. One seat remained occupied for a few extra minutes. But her courage ignited something much larger. Her arrest helped launch the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and a young pastor named Martin Luther King Jr. emerged as one of its leaders.

Years later, people would remember not just the speeches or marches, but the simple moment when an ordinary woman decided that silence was no longer an option.

Martin Luther King said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

Most people on that bus knew the system was wrong. Most remained silent because speaking up carried a cost. Rosa Parks understood that silence can preserve comfort, but it rarely changes injustice.

In an impactful way, she was a prophet. We know that the prophets spoke when the kings preferred silence. We know that the apostles spoke when authorities demanded silence.  Matthew is teaching us that holiness is found in Jesus telling his disciples not to hide the truth but to proclaim it faithfully.

To live our lives before God as holy and righteous people, there are moments when faithfulness requires a voice. Sometimes courage looks like standing before a crowd. Sometimes courage looks like remaining seated on a bus. In either case, as a follower of Jesus some things matter too much to remain silent.

From Matthew’s perspective, holiness is seen in courageous loyalty to Jesus.

Return

Give thanks for the people you encountered today. In what ways were you aware of following Jesus? How did you speak up when you could have remained silent? How did you experience God’s love? In what ways did you model and share God’s love? With whom do you need to celebrate the love you experience in and through them: what will you do differently tomorrow?