To most Americans, the words "dirty work" have a special meaning. Those two words symbolize a concept. That concept declares much more than doing a job that requires a person to get dirty. Many jobs that require the person to get dirty may not be "dirty work." The concept of "dirty work" refers to tasks that no one wants to do or responsibilities that no one wants to accept. Undesirable jobs are "dirty work." Tasks accepted out of necessity are "dirty work." The employee (or slave) has no choice. The undesirable task must be done. The undesirable responsibility must be accepted. The assignment cannot be refused.
Much of Jesus' ministry focused on the "dirty work" of serving. The scribes and Pharisees loved the honor of sitting in the most prestigious seats at a banquet [see Matthew 23:1-12]. Jesus did not want or seek honor. The scribes and Pharisees were devoted to possessing and exercising authority. Jesus was devoted to helping people. The scribes and Pharisees loved to bind responsibility on other people. Jesus accepted responsibility. The scribes and Pharisees loved respectful greetings in public. Jesus endured the disrespect of the religious leaders.
Matthew 10:24-33
Context: Jesus summoned the twelve and gave them the power to cast out demons and to heal every kind of disease and sickness. What an ego trip! How important must a person feel to have Jesus personally grant him power over demons, disease, and sickness?
Shortly after that, Jesus sent the twelve on what is commonly called "the limited commission." They were to go to Jewish people only. They were to take no extra provisions or money. They were to go with this understanding: their powers would not shield them from the contempt, the hatred, and the abuse of enemies.
A disciple is not more important than his teacher. A slave is not more important than his master.
The highest expectation of a disciple is to be as (on the same level with) his teacher. The highest expectation of a slave is to be as (on the same level with) his master.
If people call the head of the family the prince of demons, the rest of the family should expect to be considered demons. Considering the head of the family to be the prince of demons would make it easier and simpler to consider the rest of the family to be demons.
Do not fear them because the occasion will come when there are no secrets. God will reveal the full truth in accurate perspective. There will be no deception, and there will be no way to deceive when God makes that revelation. This is not the promise that this full revelation of all the facts and circumstances will occur during the distressed disciple's physical life time.
They should make those messages public knowledge.
Do not fear those who can kill the body but cannot touch the soul. Fear Him who can kill body and soul. Suggestion: help students understand that Jesus is not declaring that every disciple who serves God is to serve because he or she is terrified of God. Typically fear causes a person to lose perspective. Fear typically controls the moment by capturing the thoughts, the feelings, and the total focus of the terrified person. Fear typically motivates the terrified person to do anything in the attempt to preserve physical life--lie, betray, deceive, kill, etc. Jesus instructed his disciples not to allow fear to destroy their perspective when a human terrifies them. Do not let a threatening human blind you to God. Do not allow fear of the physical to take your eyes off of God. When the terrified disciple is powerfully tempted to think that his or her greatest danger is the physical threat, he or she must remember his or her greatest danger will always be the rejected, abandoned God. Why? God has power over both physical and spiritual existence.
God is aware when a single sparrow dies. Suggestion: challenge your students to evaluate their faith and understanding: do they live daily in the realization that God is that aware?
God is aware of the number of hairs on each person's head. Suggestion: how often do we think that God just does not know what we experience or feel?
If God is so aware that He knows insignificant details [from our perspective], we must live and function in the understanding that He is aware of everything that touches our lives--much more so than we are. A disciple is more significant to God than is a sparrow or a hair. A person is more valuable to God than anything else He created in this physical world.
Jesus will not be ashamed to confess before God those who are not ashamed to confess him before people. Confessing faith in Jesus was a dangerous thing to do in many circumstances in Israel and later in the world. Neither Jews, idol worshippers, nor the Roman government appreciated people who believed in Jesus. Jesus will introduce to God those disciples who belong to him. Those who belong to Jesus are not ashamed of their relationship with Jesus.
Jesus will deny before God those who deny Jesus before people.
The view of this writer is that this confession would include today's confession prior to baptism but is not restricted to that confession. A person's relationship with Jesus is an every day reality. One confesses his or her faith in Jesus verbally when daily circumstances call for that confession. One confesses his or her faith in Jesus daily in all circumstances of daily life by the way he or she lives and by his or her behavior. Confession begins before baptism and continues until death in the same way that faith begins before baptism and continues until death.
John 15:18-20
Context: This declaration is a part of Jesus' last teaching statement to eleven of the twelve disciples. Judas left the group to arrange for Jesus' betrayal (John 13:30). Jesus was fully aware that his betrayal and execution were immediately before him. The disciples had no suspicion that Jesus will be dead before the next sunset. Jesus tried to prepare them for this unthinkable turn of events. For a week he was the darling of Israel. Tonight he would become Israel's accursed scoundrel who was unfit to live. His disciples must understand that if Israel hated him, Israel would surely hate them.
The world [those forces, powers, and influences which do not submit to God in this physical creation; that which opposes and defies God] hated Jesus before it hated the disciples.
To be loved by the world, the disciples would have to be a part of the world. They would have to approve of and cooperate with those forces, powers, and influences which oppose God.
(1) They did not belong to the world [that which opposes God]. (2) They belonged to Jesus who chose them to belong to God [and oppose the forces, powers, and influences that rebel against God].
"A slave is not greater than his master."
They could expect persecution from those who persecuted Jesus.
They could expect serious listeners from those who seriously listened to Jesus.
At times in the first century, Christians were respected, appreciated, and treated well. For a while, most opposition to Christians was local opposition. However, Christians became the common enemy of Judaism, paganism (worshippers of idols), and the government. As opposition grew, all three cooperated as they opposed this "common enemy." In the closing years of the first century, it was not unusual for Christians to suffer simply because they believed in Jesus.
Most living American Christians have been blessed incredibly because their age and their nation respected their values and protected their freedoms. Now the thunderheads of opposition and rejection rise far above the horizon. Our society has entered the "postmodern" age. The ethics, values, and standards of our nation are changing rapidly. If trends continue, many of us will live to see the time when the collective group of people who believe that Jesus is the Christ are a minority religion. Intolerance against Christians is growing.
Christians must understand that as servants we are neither more important nor of greater significance than our Master, Jesus. If we are his disciples, we are not greater than he.
God placed His "dirty work" responsibilities on His son. Jesus forgave the repentant prostitute, taught the Samaritans, gave hope to the outcasts, was patient with the self-centered twelve, and endured rejection and execution. Jesus did the "dirty work" no one wanted--for us. Our master was not above accepting the responsibilities of "dirty work." Neither must we be.
Suggestion: emphasize that things change radically in a Christian's life when he or she accepts as fact, "I am not more important than Jesus. It is not unjust for me to experience or suffer the things he did. There is nothing inappropriate about me committing myself to and doing the things he did."
Link to Student Guide Quarter 2, Lesson 4