Matthew 10:28
“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Within His instructions to the apostles facing persecution, Jesus reorders their fears, immediately before assuring them of the Father's intimate care.
What Does Matthew 10:28 Mean?
Jesus tells His followers not to be ruled by fear of those who can harm the body, but to reverence God, who holds the destiny of the whole person. He is preparing the apostles for persecution, and He reorders their fears. Human enemies can do terrible things, but their power has a limit -- they reach only as far as the body. They cannot touch the soul, the enduring self that belongs to God. So the fear that should govern us is not the fear of people but the reverent fear of God, who alone has authority over body and soul together. This is not a portrait of God as a terror to be dreaded like a tyrant; in the very next verses Jesus speaks of this same God numbering our hairs and caring for sparrows. The reverence He calls for sets us free from the smaller fears that would silence our witness. When God holds first place in our awe, no human threat can finally control us. Right fear of God produces fearless faithfulness before everyone else.
In the Original Language
The Greek phobeo means to fear or revere; the soul is psyche, the enduring life that human persecutors cannot destroy.
Cross References
“But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.”
- Luke 12:5
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
- Proverbs 1:7
“I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;”
- Isaiah 51:12
Application
Let reverence for God outweigh your fear of people, so that no human threat can silence your faithfulness to Him.