Mat 10:24-33 — You Need Not Be Afraid to Talk About Jesus.
Remember Mr. Magoo, the cartoon? A rich, little man, thick glasses… With them on he could see, but whenever the glasses came off, he would wander around, thinking that he could see what was happening, but he really couldn’t. He was seeing blindly. He was in constant danger, causing problems, and he didn’t even know it. And when a friendly person wanted to help him, he would continue on his merry way, muttering about how that person couldn’t see and was so impolite.
Seeing blindly — that is the way of this world, like Mr. Magoo, bumbling along, oblivious, causing all kinds of problems, chasing help away, but unlike the cartoon, all does not end well.
Couldn’t the Jews see that Jesus was the Son of God? Couldn’t the Gentiles see His innocence? They saw the prophecies fulfilled. Could they have missed the miracles and even the resurrection that proved that this man, Jesus, was God, the Lord of life and death? No, they saw, but they were seeing blindly.
Jesus came to rescue them from their dangerous path, but they pushed him aside; some even called Him, Beelzebub, a name reserved for the devil. These Mr. Magoos were seeing blindly when they persecuted Him, captured Him, tortured Him, and killed Him on the cross, all for speaking the truth that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” They were walking on a path that seemed right to them, but in the end that path leads to destruction.
I wish that I could say I see clearly all the time. I find myself seeing blindly when I fail to trust the Lord, when I don’t listen to His Word. We know that Jesus is God. We have seen that the Lord is good; we have received forgiveness from His hand, but sometimes in our weakness we act like Mr. Magoos.
Ever since Adam and Eve disobeyed God, seeing blindly has been an inescapable part of what it is to be born a human being. Most of us are born with eyes that see the things of this world. We see what is desirable in this world and we reach out to pluck it, but what of spiritual things?
We see blindly; we fail to do what we know is right and we end up doing those things that we know we shouldn’t. And should someone draw our attention to our sins — even in private, we push them away as impolite, obnoxious, and worse.
Perhaps we see this Magoo in ourselves most clearly when we think about evangelism and our blessed fellowship. In our text, Jesus was sending out the Apostles with the only true message of salvation.
These men had seen Jesus with their own eyes, but still that Mr. Magoo nature was in them. Their hearts were filled with doubts and fear. They struggled with the peer pressure and persecution. It was hard for them to speak the truth in love about their dear Savior.
We too have been commissioned to “go and preach the good news to all creation.” Shouldn't it be easy? After all He stands behind the work, doesn’t He?
Isn’t it true that — like the Apostles — we find it too difficult the great majority of the time? How many of us have spoken about the Savior to an acquaintance this past week? These people that we Christians live with and are related to are walking without spiritual eyes, seeing blindly, comfortable now, maybe even convinced that they are going to live forever happily, but all the while going to their destruction, and the least that we can do to help them is to open our mouths let them hear God’s Word.
But there is that fear and doubt. Do I really know and understand God’s will? Yes, you do. “So, do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.”
But what will people say about me and do to me? “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” That sounds almost like a threat until you hear the next sentence: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny. Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
God is your loving heavenly Father. He is in control of all things and will not let eternal harm come to you. Sure you may sometimes be forced to endure ridicule, because you are bringing a message of forgiveness and mercy that the world sees blindly as foolishness. In times past, Christians endured more than ridicule. They died at the hands of Magoo, but where are they now? God Himself has wiped away every tear.
But will they take me seriously? Will my boss still give me a raise, if I tell him? Are the things that I learned at church, really the only truth? How will people think of me, if I talk that way?
Dear Christians, hear His Word. It will give you sight to see. Listen and you won’t be seeing blindly, but don’t expect to see with these eyes or fully understand with this mind.
You will strain to see with these eyes. You will strive to understand with this mind, but so often God will not let you see in this way. You will see by trusting in what you cannot see. That is what faith is. You will see that by our own abilities, by our own reasoning, we cannot see the truth. Too much Magoo still in us.
But God in His great mercy has sent the Holy Spirit to strengthen us and change our hearts and kindle in us the fire of holy love, love that is for the truth, love that does not fade when the going gets tough or even in death.
You are equipped to tell others about Jesus. You are prepared for some of the hard decisions that we faithful Christians must sometimes make. These decisions Jesus calls a “sword,” because it is sharp and can be used both to strike and to defend.
We must defend ourselves against those who do not want us to be on the side of love and mercy, even if those people end up being father or mother or son or daughter. Not with bloodshed or by causing pain, but by deciding sharply (when necessary) to follow the Bible and yet demonstrating Christ’s patient love at the same time.
We must also strike against the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh by making the hard decisions to follow righteousness. We can’t do these things rightly ourselves, but God works with us to produce these good works. He teaches and helps us; He knows our difficulties. Jesus is one of us, and yet His God and in control.
Dear brothers and sisters, we are not called upon to see blindly and blunder about without purpose or plan. We are not Mr. Magoos. We are God’s children. We have a purpose. We have the God's Word. We have His Baptism. We have His body and blood for the remission of sins.
Let us blindly see with faith. We need not be afraid to talk about Jesus. And let us not fear, for God is with us, and let us speak up about forgiveness, life, and salvation in Jesus. God will do the talking. And finally let us go on in the peace of forgiveness, loving one another and the lost souls around us, and we will certainly not lose our reward. Amen.