Follow Him to the end - Mt 10: 34-39
The rest of Jesus' speech to the apostles is a continuation of earlier topics such as conflicts and persecutions because of faith in Jesus, and radical fidelity to Him. The pericope we are interested in not only takes up these ideas, but also deepens it, illustrates these ideas and finally radicalizes it. We also notice that Jesus' teaching is increasingly tending to announce a reward to those who have dedicated their lives to Him. It will be fully said in the final passage (Matthew 10: 40-42), but right now Jesus is talking about real life for anyone who will not hesitate to sacrifice completely for Him and His Gospel.
The first part of the pericope continues the thought expressed in Mt 10: 21-22. Now, as then, Jesus directly points to himself as the causative cause of discord among people. This will be most vividly seen in family relationships, where people who are most closely related will conflict over Jesus. However, the words of Jesus should not be understood literally, directly. Its purpose is not to conflict people with each other, lead to war and disagreement. The teaching of Jesus is so contrasted with the world mentality, His truth so clear against the distortions in which the world is fond of, and the spiritual beauty of the Gospel values so flawless in comparison with the ugliness of human sins, that there must inevitably be a dramatic confrontation. The reference to family relationships in this context aims to make people aware of the very important issues that Jesus raises in his statements. God's Kingdom tolerates no compromise with a sinful world. This is the fundamental principle of its existence and development. The patience and humility of God has endured the mediocrity of people in this regard for a long time, but God will never allow sin to be legalized in His works. And the Church of Jesus should follow the same path.
Jesus does not cancel the fourth commandment of the Decalogue: respect your father and mother. It is God's desire that families should have mutual love and thus be happy. Daily experience shows that families strong by faith, in which God takes the first place, experience joy and happiness in their relationships with each other and are immune to all threats, both internal and external. This is what Jesus is all about, that in the family environment there was a place for him and the values he announced to the world. God's love does not exclude love for loved ones. The point is that it should be greater than the "greatest" love for this or that loved one.
Unfortunately, people often choose other values, often non-Christian, amoral. Then there is a conflict. Someone who finds Jesus in the life, who knows his teaching and lives with him, cannot compromise with evil. Such consent is a huge loss. It can mean a conflict of conscience, an unbearable life in a lie. The family conflict over Jesus shows how hostile the world is to the Giver of Life, but at the same time it shows how much happiness it is to live by faith that no other values, even those resulting from blood ties, can replace it. You can give them up, lose them, or even renounce them, as long as you keep the true treasure, although this often happens at the cost of great suffering.
In addition to scenes from family life, Jesus also recalls the image of carrying the cross. It is worth noting that we encounter the word cross for the first time in the Gospel of Matthew. In antiquity, the cross was a tool of death, and crucifixion itself - perhaps the cruelest form of execution, intended for the greatest criminals, especially for rebels fighting the prevailing political and social system. As we know, this cruel death was suffered by Jesus, condemned by the Roman governor of Judea, incited by the leaders of the Jewish people. Before that happens, however, Jesus tells his disciples about taking up the cross and following him. It is a difficult statement, both in content and meaning, and it is important that you understand it properly and relate it correctly to yourself. It seems that Jesus' words only indirectly anticipate his death on the cross, calling the apostles to such extreme radicalism, despite the fact that, according to church tradition, almost all the apostles were martyred for their faith. Clearly, Jesus is talking about something else, his priority is to live according to the Gospel. He wants those who believe in Him to be faithful daily to Him and to the values He has announced to the world. It is not that simple. It has never been easy and never will be. Daily fidelity to Jesus and the Gospel is often comparable with the punishment of crucifixion, with the only difference that in this case you can leave the cross, throw it away, renounce it ... Jesus refers to this situation and warns against it. Whoever keeps faith and lives it every day is worthy of Jesus, he is worthy of salvation, eternal life. Anyone who consciously renounces his faith, once or gradually, is not worthy to be a disciple of Jesus and live with Him forever in heaven. Such a person judges himself and passes judgment on himself (cf. Jn. 12: 47-48).
The last words of the fragment we are interested in are extremely significant. Once again, we are called to a spiritual reading of the Gospel, to understand its meaning on a level other than just literary. A literal interpretation of Jesus' words may lead to the conclusion that Jesus calls people to commit suicide out of love for Him. Nothing could be more wrong! Yes, Jesus calls for such love that will not hesitate to sacrifice his life once, but this applies only to a chosen few people. Most people, Christians, are called to sacrifice of daily life following the pattern of the Gospel. This requires renouncing many of the offers made by the sinful world. This is often associated with sacrifice, renunciation, suffering ... But a believer in Jesus knows why he has to do this. He understands that his Lord and Master has much greater good for him, for which it is worth sacrificing yourself, sacrificing everything. Jesus' words can only be understood by those who believed in Him, who followed Him, who tied their lives with Him. In return for temporal, short-term and illusory goods, the disciple of Jesus receives true, eternal goods. The greatest of these is a full, unbreakable, eternal relationship with God.
For me, life is Christ, and death is gain (cf. Phil 1:22).