Bible Study Sunday | Fear Doesn’t Get the Final Word

Welcome to this week’s Bible Study Sunday. We are continuing our journey through the Gospel of Matthew written by a former tax collector. The Gospel of Matthew was likely written between A.D. 70 and A.D. 100, though most scholars suggest a date around A.D. 80-90.

We are currently working our way through Chapter 10.

Opposition has a way of awakening fear.

After preparing His disciples for rejection, betrayal, and suffering, Jesus now turns to what He knows will rise in their hearts and in ours. In Matthew 10:26–33, Jesus addresses fear directly. Not by denying danger, but by reframing reality. As we continue our walk through the Gospel of Matthew, this passage reminds us that courage in the kingdom of God is not the absence of fear, but trust in the One who holds our lives.

“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”
‭‭Matthew 10:26–33 (ESV)

What Is Hidden Will Be Revealed (vv. 26–27)

Jesus begins with reassurance:

So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.

While truth may be suppressed for a time, it is never lost.

The disciples are not called to manage appearances or control narratives. God is already at work unveiling what is true. Their role is not secrecy, but faithfulness.

What Jesus has spoken in private will eventually be declared openly, not because the disciples are bold on their own, but because truth demands to be heard.

A Proper Fear (v. 28)

Jesus makes a sharp distinction:

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭10‬:‭28‬ ‭ESV‬‬

This is not a dismissal of suffering. It is a recalibration of fear. Human power is limited. God’s authority is not.

Jesus does not tell His disciples to fear nothing. He tells them to fear rightly. Our reverence for God anchors our soul when lesser fears threaten to overwhelm it.

You Are Seen and Valued (vv. 29–31)

Jesus moves from warning to comfort:

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭10‬:‭29‬-‭31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Even the smallest lives are noticed.

Then He makes it personal: “Even the hairs of your head are all numbered.”

This is not poetic exaggeration, but assurance. We can be confident that the God who calls His people into difficult obedience does not lose sight of them along the way. He’s got you. He’s got me.

Fear shrinks when we remember that we are known and loved by God.

But if any person loves God, that person is known by God.
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭8‬:‭3‬ ‭NCV‬‬

Confessing Christ Without Shame (vv. 32–33)

Jesus ends this section with clarity:

“So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭10‬:‭32‬-‭33‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Faith is relational and visible.

Confessing Christ does not always mean public preaching. It often looks like quiet faithfulness, costly honesty, and allegiance that does not bend under pressure. As I’ve said before: we may be the only Bible someone reads.

A Word for Us

This passage reminds us that fear is not the enemy, but that misplaced fear is.

We fear rejection.
We fear loss.
We fear misunderstanding.

However, Jesus invites us to place our fear in the hands of a Father who sees sparrows fall and numbers every hair.

Courage grows not from confidence in ourselves, but from trust in God’s care.

Remember:

You are known.
You are valued.
You are loved.

Fear does not get the final word.

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Reflection Questions:

• What fears most often shape my decisions?
• Where might God be inviting me to trust Him more deeply?
• What does acknowledging Christ look like in my everyday life right now?

Next week, Jesus pushes even further showing us that following Him demands ultimate allegiance, even when it disrupts everything else.

Until my next post…

Be salty, stay lit.

Rainer Bantau —The Devotional Guy™

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