Matthew 10:26-28 26Therefore, do not fear them; for nothing is hidden that will not be revealed and secret that will not be made known. 27What I say to you in the dark I have said in the light, and what you hear in the ear preach on the housetops. 28And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But much more fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Those who cause disciples of Jesus problems will one day face judgment for their actions. Fear is the natural response to when people want to harm us. Followers of Jesus should not fear what people can do to them. People may be able to hide their deep thoughts and motives, but God knows and will hold them accountable. Nothing covered can be hidden forever. The opposite is true with the gospel. The message of the good news of the dawning kingdom cannot be stopped. Jesus wanted his disciples to proclaim this message with boldness and openness, not to cower behind with fear of what people did to them. Peer pressure is one of the greatest blocks that keeps believers from sharing about their faith in Jesus.
Verse 28 is a sober reminder that what really matters is the condition of one’s soul. The soul (psychē) describes one’s essence and life, what constitutes who we are as God’s creation. The body is our temporary tent (2 Corinthians 5:1-5, a passage that also mentions fearing God’s judgment in verse 10-11 ) and is bound to this world. The physical body can be killed but the soul, our essential being, continues as a gift of God’s creation. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul wrote about the resurrection of the body to a new type of spiritual existence. This teaching is fully consistent with what Jesus says here. Revelation 20:4-5 and 21:7-8 capture this idea with reference to the resurrection of all people, but those who have done evil will face a second death. Judgment at the end of time will determined by actions done in this life.
Jesus mentions two types of fear. The first is the fear of the people who persecute his followers. Disciples should have no fear because their souls are safe with Jesus. Nothing, not even death, can take away the hope of a believer. There are two possible interpretations of the source for the second fear. Most obviously, we should fear God in reverence and awe because we will have to give an account to him of our actions in this life. The other possible interpretation is to fear Satan who seeks to destroy the people of God by causing them to compromise, rebells, and sin against God. Satan seeks to destroy us in both this life time and then to drag us with him to the fires of hell. Either interpretation serves as a strong motivation to remain faithful in following Jesus.
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