1. Matthieu 10:29–31 (NEG79)
  2. Explication du texte

What does acknowledging Jesus before men entail?

Matthieu 10:29–31 (NEG79)

29 Ne vend-on pas deux passereaux pour un sou? Cependant, il n'en tombe pas un à terre sans la volonté de votre Père.

En bref

There are two views of what acknowledging Jesus before men entails:

  1. The Greek phrase homologein en is the equivalent of the Hebrew hódá(h) le, which means acknowledgment, as well as the Aramaic jódi be, which means to profess oneself to belong to. This legal concept is often used to refer to judgment (see Matthew 7:23; Acts 24:14; 1 Timothy 6:12). Here too we must think of acknowledging Jesus in the (last) judgment (see Matthew 10:28, Matthew 7:23; Revelation 3:5).

  2. Here are some reasons to conclude that Matthew 10:32–33 is a general statement about the consequences of the apostles’ preaching of the gospel for all who hear it.

    First, note that Jesus speaks here very generally (everyone who") and switches from the second person, as in Matthew 10:26–31, to a more general third person in Matthew 10:32: everyone who acknowledges.

    Second, who confesses in me,” whereas the normal phrase would be who confesses me.” This puts the stress on publicly confessing or acknowledging Jesus. For the apostles the question was whether they should publicly state their confession or hide it fearfully (Matthew 10:26–31), but those who hear the gospel face a different question: Will they publicly acknowledge Jesus or deny him?

    Thirdly, Matthew 10:32–33 connects to the foregoing by means of the Greek word oun, which can be translated as so or thus, suggesting that the apostles are still the people being addressed here, just as was the case in Matthew 10:26–31—but this passage is not a conclusion to the call to be afraid in the preceding pericope, for the connection to the foregoing is indirect. The apostles are called to continue working boldly, for the truth of the gospel will become apparent, when it becomes clear that the hearers’ eternal fate was truly determined by their choice for or against this Jesus whom the apostles preached.

Interpretation 1:

The Greek phrase homologein en is the equivalent of the Hebrew hódá(h) le, which means acknowledgment, as well as the Aramaic jódi be, which means to profess oneself to belong to. This is a legal concept which is often used in conjunction with judgment (see Matthew 7:23; Acts 24:14; 1 Timothy 6:12). Here too we must think of acknowledging Jesus in the (last) judgment (see Matthew 10:28, Matthew 7:23; Revelation 3:5).1

Interpretation 2:

There are several reasons to regard Matthew 10:32–33 as containing a more general statement about the determinative consequences of the preaching of the gospel by the apostles for all who hear it.

In the first place, it is noticeable that Jesus is now speaking very generally (everyone who") and he clearly now switches from addressing in the second person as in Matthew 10:26–31 to the third person here in Matthew 10:32: everyone who acknowledges.  This general statement, accompanied by the temporary abandonment of the personal form of address, suggests that we should interpret this passage as affirming a general truth.

Secondly, the formulation here is striking. Jesus literally says who confesses in me,” whereas the normal formulation would of course be who confesses me.” This results in the emphasis here falling on publicly confessing or acknowledging Jesus. For the apostles the question was whether they should publicly state their confession or hide it fearfully (Matthew 10:26-31), but those who hear the gospel face a different question: Will they publicly acknowledge Jesus or deny him?

Thirdly, Matthew 10:32–33 is also connected to the foregoing by means of the Greek word oun, which can be translated as so or thus. This seems to suggest that the apostles are still the people being addressed here, just as was the case in Matthew 10:26–31. However, this passage cannot be regarded as a conclusion to the call to be properly afraid in the preceding pericope, for the connection to the foregoing is merely indirect. The apostles are called to continue working without fear, for the truth of the gospel will eventually become apparent and then it will become clear that the hearers’ eternal fate was truly determined by their choice for or against this Jesus Christ whom the apostles preached.

Based on these three points Matthew 10:32–33 serves as a general statement about the decisive impact of the gospel for all people, and as such calls upon believers to preach the Gospel fearlessly. The truth and the decisive importance of this preaching will become clear in the near future.2