Proper 7A’26
21 June 2026
Matthew 10.24-39
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
North Little Rock, Arkansas
The Rev. Carey Stone <+>
In the X Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Well, it’s Father’s Day so what would it be without a few Dad Jokes! You know what a dad joke is right? That short punny or pithy statement that results in an involuntary cringe, a muted chuckle, or a groan. So, here’s a few for you that’s sure to make your day a bit more special:
• After an unsuccessful harvest, why did the farmer decide to try a career in music? Because he had a ton of sick beets.
• My friend was showing me his tool shed and pointed to a ladder. “That’s my stepladder,” and I replied, “I never knew my real ladder.”
• What’s the difference between a well-dressed man on a unicycle and a poorly-dressed man on a bicycle? Attire. Alright…One more…
• If you’re feeling depressed, try drinking a gallon of water before you go to sleep. It’ll give you a reason to get out of bed in the morning.
Families try to make some effort to show appreciation on this day maybe with a nice card, a gift, and a lunch. So, it’s only fitting on this Father’s Day that Jesus would have some special advice for families about fathers. However it might not be what you think it will be. Ok, here goes:
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”
Well, what do you think of Jesus’ family values and Father’s Day advice? Funny I don’t believe I’ve ever seen these words on a decorative plaque or cross stitched and hanging on the wall. Their definitely not feel-good words, or what we might hear coming from Bible churches and the like who pride themselves on their primary ‘focus on family.’ We can glean at least two things from this passage: 1) There are many instances in scripture where the words aren’t meant to be taken literally – they are hyperbole, where there is an overexaggeration to make a point “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!” “If I’ve told you once I’ve told you a thousand times…” Jesus is emphasizing our need to put God first and foremost in our lives above all others, even those we are the closest to (maybe especially them). In the day of this writing in the first century, the early Christians often paid a high price for following the Way of Jesus. To be a Christian meant that you could quickly become an enemy of both institutional religion and the instrument of the state. Organized religion of the day saw them as being in a cult, and while the state saw them as a threat with split loyalties and harboring antigovernment sentiment.
For some it meant being disowned or disinherited by their families. For others it might mean the loss of a livelihood, or career. Some were divorced by a spouse who wanted nothing to do with that sect called Christians. Some as we know from history, lost their lives in the coliseum, or by crucifixion, or burning at the stake. To follow Christ would mean that some would have to turn deaf ears to the pleadings or threats of their pagan fathers and mothers, or from their children’s tears. They weren’t trying to take over the government; they were trying to bring about the Kingdom of God in the midst of the kingdoms of the world. It was not so much about family values as it was Kingdom Values, and often Kingdom values were just the opposite of the family values of empire.
Some of the kingdom values of the early Christians included but were not limited to the following:
• Radical Generosity: There were no pensions or social security, and some believers lost livelihoods, so they often pooled resources and sold possessions to distribute the proceeds to anyone in need, seeking to eliminate poverty among the Christian community.
• Inclusive Fellowship: The early church fostered a counter-cultural egalitarianism, largely erasing traditional societal divides between Jews and Greeks, enslaved people and free people, and men and women. If you will turn to page _____ in your bulletin you will see a painting by contemporary artist Nathan Green called “The Family of God.” You will notice there are people of all ages, all races, all genders, all socioeconomic backgrounds. As one saint put it: The ground was always level at the foot of the cross.
• Mutual Support: Without Medicaid, Medicare, or insurance, they were responsible for caring for society’s most vulnerable—such as the sick, the poor, and widows—was a central pillar of their daily life.
• Corporate Unity and Worship: Communities met frequently, often in smaller “house churches” where they emphasized shared meals, common prayer, and the teachings of Christ and the apostles.
• Forgiveness over Retaliation: Operating within a harsh, shame-based and empire ruled culture, they taught and practiced forgiveness and did not seek revenge.1
The empire of the day wanted to snuff them out, and stamp them out. The empires of today wants us to sell out so they can buy us out. The state courts the church’s favor and the church courts the states favor and if history has shown us anything this never goes well, for the sake of true religion, or for legitimate power of the state.
As Pilate interrogated Jesus and engorged with earthly pride said “Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” Jesus replied, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above.” (John 19.10)
Jesus was under the authority of the Most High, and the purpose of the Kingdom would be fulfilled.
The followers of Jesus never have been about taking over the government, or colluding with the state for some type of theocratic monopoly, but working instead to being about God’s kingdom on earth of listening to our heavenly Father, and following the one upon whom the government is upon his shoulders, and whose Kingdom will have no end, the King of kings, and Lord of lords.
“Whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”
Wall in Westminster Abbey, London, UK photo: Carey Stone
1 https://www.google.com/search?q=what+were+some+of+the+communal+values+of+the+early+christians