Last Thursday, Rev. Sang Ho Bae published an announcement that he would shut down the group chat. His announcement came to my attention only this afternoon. He was expecting a response from the group members if we were still interested in reading his expository work. This time, he intended to publish his exposition of Exodus, an Old Testament book. He left the group and created another group chat for this purpose. I followed him, leaving the group too, and sent him a private message, informing him that I am interested in continually receiving his expository work.

Source

After more than 3 months, I completed sharing Rev. Bae's expository work of the first nine chapters of the gospel of Matthew. This time, I want to share his exposition of Matthew 10. I wonder why it was written in Filipino. So what I will do is to share the original text and provide the English afterwards.

Here is the original text:

Alam ni Jesus na kamumuhian at uusigin ang Kanyang mga alagad. Kaya tatlong beses niyang sinabi: “Huwag kayong matakot.” At binigyan niya sila ng mga dahilan kung bakit hindi sila dapat matakot.

Ang Ebanghelyo ay Katotohanan na Hindi Matatago

Sabi ni Jesus:

Walang nakatago na hindi malalantad (Matt. 10:26).

Ang tinutukoy dito ay ang ebanghelyo. Dahil ito ay katotohanan ng kaligtasan, hindi ito kayang pigilan ng takot. Hindi napigilan ng Roman Empire, hindi napigilan ng komunismo, hindi kayang pigilan ng kahit anong kapangyarihan sa lupa.

Ang pangangaral ng ebanghelyo ay utos ng Diyos — mas mataas kaysa sa batas ng tao. Kaya sinabi ng mga unang Kristiyano:

Mas dapat naming sundin ang Diyos kaysa tao (Acts 5:29).

Kahit sila’y pinalo at ikinulong, sinabi nila:

Hindi namin kayang hindi magsalita tungkol sa nakita at narinig namin.

Kaya Lang Patayin ang Katawan, Hindi ang Kaluluwa

Sabi ni Jesus:

Huwag kayong matakot sa pumapatay ng katawan pero hindi kayang pumatay ng kaluluwa (Matt. 10:28).

Ang pinakamalala na magagawa ng tao ay saktan ang katawan — pansamantala lang iyon.

May kwento tungkol kay Hugh Latimer, isang reformer. Habang nangangaral siya sa harap ni King Henry VIII, sinabi niya sa sarili niya: “Latimer, mag-ingat ka. Nakikinig ang hari.” Pero agad niyang sinabi: “Latimer, lakasan mo ang loob mo. Nakikinig ang Hari ng mga hari.” Kapag mas malalim ang takot mo sa Diyos (reverence), mas nawawala ang takot mo sa tao. Ganyan din si John Knox—sinabing “Takot siya sa Diyos kaya wala siyang kinatatakutang tao.”

Mayroon tayong halimbawa sa Lumang Tipan. Sina Shadrach, Meshach, at Abednego ay pinagbantaan na itapon sa apoy kung hindi sila sasamba sa rebulto. Pero sinabi nila:

Kahit hindi kami iligtas ng Diyos, hindi pa rin kami sasamba (Dan. 3:18).

Hindi sila natakot sa haring kayang pumatay ng katawan, dahil mas natakot sila sa Diyos. Babala ni Jesus:

Ang kumikilala sa akin sa harap ng tao, kikilalanin ko rin sa Ama. Pero ang tumatanggi sa akin, itatanggi ko rin (Matt. 10:32–33).

Kapag mas natakot tayo sa tao kaysa sa Diyos, mapapahamak tayo.

Walang Nangyayari na Hindi Alam ng Diyos

Sabi ni Jesus:

Hindi ba dalawang maya ay nabibili sa murang halaga? Pero kahit isa sa kanila ay hindi mahuhulog sa lupa na hindi alam ng Ama… Mas mahalaga kayo kaysa maraming maya (Matt. 10:29–31).

Kahit ang maya—isa sa pinakamurang ibon noon—hindi nahuhulog nang hindi pinapayagan ng Diyos. Sabi ni Augustine: “Walang aksidente sa plano ng Diyos. Ang lahat ng tila aksidente ay nasa kamay niya."

Si Jose ay klasikong halimbawa. Kinamuhian siya ng kaniyang mga kapatid, ibinenta bilang alipin, nakulong nang walang kasalanan, subalit sa bandang huli ay naging prime minister ng Egypt. Sa huli sinabi niya:

Ibinenta ninyo ako, pero ang Diyos ang nagpadala sa akin para magligtas ng buhay (Gen. 45:5).

Makikita ang kapangyarihan ng kamay ng Diyos sa kapanganakan ni Jesus. Hinulaan ni Micah na sa Bethlehem ipapanganak ang Mesiyas. Pero nakatira sina Maria at Jose sa Nazareth. Biglang naglabas ng utos ang Roman emperor para sa census. Dahil doon, napunta sila sa Bethlehem — at doon ipinanganak si Jesus. Sa tingin ng emperor, administrative decision lang iyon. Pero sa totoo, Diyos ang kumikilos.

Lahat ay nasa kamay ng Diyos. Ang pag-angat at pagbagsak ng bansa, ang buhay at kamatayan ng tao, kahit ang bawat hakbang natin—nasa kamay ng Diyos. Sinabi ni Jesus kay Pilato:

Wala kang kapangyarihan laban sa akin kung hindi ito ibinigay mula sa itaas (John 19:11).

Dahil ang lahat ay nasa kamay ng ating Ama, hindi natin kailangang matakot sa aksidente, hindi sa karamdaman, hindi sa gera, at hindi sa krisis. Ang kapayapaan ay hindi galing sa magandang sitwasyon. Ito ay galing sa Diyos. Ang sinabi ni Jesus noon sa Kanyang mga alagad: “Huwag kayong matakot.” Iyan din ang sinasabi Niya sa atin ngayon.

English Translation

Jesus knew that His disciples would be hated and persecuted. Therefore, He told them three times: “Do not be afraid.” And He gave them reasons why they should not fear.

The Gospel is Truth That Cannot Be Hidden

He said:

There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed (Matt. 10:26).

This refers to the gospel. Because it is the truth of salvation, fear cannot stop it. It was not stopped by the Roman Empire. It was not stopped by communism. It cannot be stopped by any earthly power.
Preaching the gospel is a command from God—higher than human law. That is why the early Christians said:

We must obey God rather than human beings (Acts 5:29).

Even when they were beaten and imprisoned, they said:

We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.

They Can Only Kill the Body, Not the Soul

Jesus said:

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul (Matt. 10:28).

The worst that man can do is harm the body—and that is only temporary.

There is a story about Hugh Latimer, a reformer. While preaching in front of King Henry VIII, he whispered to himself: “Latimer, be careful. The king is listening.” But he immediately followed it with, "Latimer, take courage. The King of kings is listening.” When your fear of God (reverence) is deeper, your fear of man disappears. It was the same for John Knox—it was said of him that "he feared God so much that he never feared the face of any man."

We have an example of such men from the Old Testament. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were threatened with being thrown into the fiery furnace if they did not worship the idol. But they said, "Even if God does not deliver us, we will still not worship" (Dan. 3:18). They did not fear the king, who could kill the body, because they feared God more.

Jesus gave this warning:

Whoever acknowledges Me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father. But whoever denies Me, I will also deny (Matt. 10:32–33). When we fear man more than God, we are ruined.

Nothing Happens Without God's Knowledge

Jesus said:

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care… You are worth more than many sparrows (Matt. 10:29–31).

Even the sparrow—one of the cheapest birds back then—does not fall without God's permission. Augustine said:

There are no accidents in God's plan. Everything that seems like an accident is in His hands.

Joseph is the classic example. He was hated by his brothers, sold as a slave, imprisoned without committing a crime, and later became prime minister of Egypt. In the end, he said:

You sold me, but God sent me ahead of you to save lives (Gen. 45:5).

In the New Testament, Jesus' birth affirms the work of God's sovereign hand. Micah prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. However, Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth. Suddenly, the Roman emperor issued a decree for a census. Because of that, they travelled to Bethlehem—and that is where Jesus was born. To the emperor, it was just an administrative decision. But in reality, God was at work.

Everything is in God's hands. The rise and fall of nations, the life and death of man, and even our every step are in God's hands. Jesus told Pilate:

You would have no power over Me at all unless it were given to you from above (John 19:11).

Because everything is in our Father's hands, we do not need to fear accidents, not sickness, not war, and not even crises.

Peace does not come from a favorable situation. It comes from God. What Jesus said to His disciples then: “Do not be afraid.” That is exactly what He is saying to His followers today.

Do Not Be Afraid.