Tough Times Call for Tough Talk

By Rev. Heidi L. Barham |  June 21, 2026

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Read Matthew 10:24 - 39 (NIV)
 
As we think about today’s New Testament lesson from Matthew’s Gospel… Jesus’ words can sound rather harsh… particularly when we consider the fact that He was speaking to His friends and closest companions, the disciples.  But Jesus was never one to shy away from speaking the truth… even when it may have been difficult to hear.
 
And that is precisely why… for our time together this morning… I want to invite our attention to the subject: TOUGH TIMES CALL FOR TOUGH TALK.
 
In the Life Application Study Bible, these selected verses are found in a section that is headed “Jesus Prepares the Disciples for Persecution,” while in the Common English Bible, the heading reads, “Response to Harassment.” 
 
“Preparing for persecution” and “responding to harassment” …not exactly concepts that leave us feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.
 
But Jesus knew what lay ahead for the disciples as He was sending them out into the world… and He also understood that TOUGH TIMES CALL FOR TOUGH TALK.
 
Now, we all know that today is Father’s Day… that time when we intentionally pause to honor and celebrate fathers and grandfathers as well as father figures… those caring individuals who have stood in the gap as fathers when necessary. 
 
And while it seems to be an accepted fact that fathers do not always get the same level of recognition that mothers get on their special day… fathers are still an incredibly important part of our lives. 
 
Fathers are often tasked with doing those things that are viewed as less desirable… like being the one to discipline children who have missed the mark in some way.  Fathers are often the ones who are given the unenviable job of teaching children how to drive, how to change a spare tire and even how to operate heavy machinery… at least that is what my grandfather got stuck doing for me.
 
Now, I don’t want anyone to take that the wrong way… because, if we are being honest… there are many mothers have had to do those things as well… but all too often, fathers bear the brunt of doing the heavy lifting, so to speak.  
 
And fathers are also the ones who are called upon to give us “the talk” when we get ourselves into difficult situations… because they know that TOUGH TIMES CALL FOR TOUGH TALK.
 
And while that tough talk may not always be what we want to hear… depending on the circumstances at any given moment… that tough talk is exactly what we need to hear.
 
And that is the position that the disciples found themselves in in our text... 
 
As Jesus was sending the disciples out to proclaim the good news that the kingdom of heaven was near… and to heal the sick and to even drive out demons… it would be a fair guess to say that they did not want to hear that they were going to face persecution and harassment… but suffice it to say, they needed to hear it so they would be fully prepared for what lay ahead. 
 
It is much the same way that we have to be prepared as we venture out into the world… recognizing that there are folks out there who will not receive the good news about Jesus with joy and excitement… but we are called to tell it anyway.
 
Now as we take a closer look at our text for the morning… it is a reminder that TOUGH TIMES CALL FOR TOUGH TALK… and that is something we need to be mindful of… especially in light of what we see happening in our world today.
 
So, with your indulgence, I would like to highlight just a few of the pointers… some of the TOUGH TALK… that we find in today’s text.
 
The first thing I want to point out is that people are not always going to like us or have nice things to say to us or about us.
 
In the opening verses of the text... Jesus explained to the disciples that the same way He had been mistreated was the same way they would be mistreated as well. 
 
Listen again to verses 24 and 25 of the text as they are found in the Message Paraphrase:

A student doesn’t get a better desk than her teacher. A laborer doesn’t make more money than his boss. Be content—pleased, even—when you, my students, my harvest hands, get the same treatment I get. If they call me, the Master, ‘Dungface,’ what can the workers expect?

Have you ever heard someone say, “Well, they talked bad about Jesus, so don’t be surprised if they talk bad about you” or words to that effect? 
 
In other words, if folks had negative things to say about the Savior… even going so far as to call Him names… we should hardly expect to be exempt from people finding negative things to say about us… especially, when we are putting ourselves out there as followers Jesus.
 
How many of you remember that old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.”?  
 
Now, if we are being honest… we have probably all been hurt by the harsh words that other people have said to us or about us.  Unfortunately, it is not always easy to just let it roll off your back. 
 
But the reality is… we should never let the words someone else says about us cause us to doubt ourselves or diminish our sense of self-worth.
 
I came across a devotional a while back that said, “The first step to overcoming rejection is to keep God’s opinion of you in your mind at all times.”  It also said that “You teach people how to value you by how much you value yourself.”
 
Our value and self-worth come from knowing who we are, and more importantly, Whose we are… and nothing anyone else has to say about us ought to change that. 
 
So, while people may not always like us or have nice things to say about us, the only thing that truly matters is that God loves us and the only thing that really counts is what God has to say about us.
 
Now, the next point I want to highlight from the text is that we do not have to be afraid of bullies or their threats… because we have God on our side.
 
Reading verses 26-28 of the text from the Message Paraphrase we find these words:

Don’t be intimidated. Eventually everything is going to be out in the open, and everyone will know how things really are. So don’t hesitate to go public now.  Don’t be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.

And the verses after this go on to explain that if God will take care of a tiny little sparrow, there is no reason that He will not take care of us as well.
 
It was the Apostle Paul who said it best when he posed the question, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31b).
 
You have heard me say it before… we are living in some very challenging times… and we are seeing people who can best be described as bullies who feel more emboldened than ever… to say and do whatever they feel like saying and doing. 
 
It is as if the concepts of common decency and civility have been thrown right out of the window.  This was on full display just last week when a UFC fighter who had no qualms about making disparaging remarks about the former First Lady, Michelle Obama.
 
And if we think about the various social media platforms… it is uncanny how quickly and easily one person’s response to a post can devolve into an all-out war of words. 
 
People who may have never even met before have no hesitation about resorting to name calling and spewing expletives at total strangers… a tactic designed, no doubt, to pressure someone else to retreat in silence.
 
And how many times have we seen people showing up to places, decked out in camouflage with their rifles and assault weapons in full view… clearly sending a message that is purely meant to be intimidating. 
 
But our text for today encourages us not to give the bullies the upper hand… because at the end of the day, it is God who is in control. 

And the same way that God watches out for that little bitty sparrow… that is the same way that God will watch out for us as well.
 
However, someone may be wondering, “But what about the people who have been wounded and even killed by these bullies?”  People like George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Trevon Martin, and Tamir Rice.  People like Minnesota Speaker of the House, Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and Minnesota State Senator, John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette.  People like Renee Good and Alex Pretti… 
 
Was God watching out for them? 
 
Yes… make no mistake… God was absolutely watching out for them as well.
 
Because despite what some people may think to the contrary… God watches over each and every one of us… even when we find ourselves being confronted with hardships and unspeakable tragedies at the hands of bullies and intimidators.
 
One of the harsh realities of this present life is that we are going to face trials and tribulations. How many times have you heard me quote John 16:33, where we read, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
 
And let us hold onto the words that Paul wrote in his letter to the Roman church:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us (Romans 8:35 – 37).

In other words, God has not promised us that this life will be easy or that we will not face hardships… up to and including death.  But He has already given us the victory over death because we have the promise of eternal life with Him.
 
And as Paul goes on to say in his letter to the Romans:

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38 – 39).

I know that hardships and persecution may not be something we want to think about, but we have to keep in mind… TOUGH TIMES CALL FOR TOUGH TALK.
 
So, remember… we do not have to be afraid of bullies or anyone or anything else… because we have the assurance that the Lord is with us… always has been and always will be.
 
Now, looking back to the text, the last verses highlight what just might be some of the toughest talk of all… when we make the decision to follow Jesus, everyone and everything else must take a backseat.
 
The long and short of it is that Jesus has to be our number one priority… period.
 
As one commentary notes:

Christian commitment may separate friends and loved ones.  In saying this, Jesus was not encouraging disobedience to parents or conflict at home.  Rather, he was showing that his presence demands a decision…  Christ calls us to a higher mission than to find comfort and tranquility in this life.  Love of family is a law of God, but even this love can be self-serving and used as an excuse not to serve God or do his work.  Don’t neglect your family, but remember that your commitment to God is even more important.  God should be your first priority. (Life Application Study Bible, 2005, p. 1554)

Now, it may seem harsh to think about putting family and friends on the figurative back burner… but TOUGH TIMES CALL FOR TOUGH TALK.
 
And when we make the decision to follow Christ… there are some things and some people that we may need to leave behind.  There will likely be changes we need to make in the places we go and the things that we do… as we are seeking to live a life that honors God. 
 
And believe it or not… there may even be some forms of entertainment that will no longer seem so entertaining when we surrender our life to Christ… things that used to be enjoyable… we will see are not a true source of joy.
 
That is because when we make the decision to follow Christ… there ought to be some evidence that we have made a change in our lives. 
 
And let me just say this, not everybody is going to be happy with the changes we make.  And that is perfectly okay.  In fact, our text tells us to expect it.
 
Our priority has to be on doing what brings glory and honor to God, first and foremost.  But there may be some friends and family who will not be happy that they are no longer our number one priority.  So, what should we do about them? 
 
We ought to start by encouraging them to make the Lord their number one priority as well. 
 
Remember, Jesus said we are to “Go and make disciples,” and what better place to start than with our family and friends, the people who are closest to us? 
 
But what if they don’t want to listen to what we are saying? 
 
Well, if we back up just a few verses before our text to Matthew 10:14, we will find what Jesus said to the disciples about that very thing, “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.”
 
Talk about some TOUGH TALK.
 
So, let’s be clear… the decision to follow Jesus will not always be smooth sailing.  Don’t forget, Jesus was preparing the disciples to face persecution and harassment… and that means we will likely face similar challenges as well. 
 
But we do not have to face the challenges alone because Jesus has promised to be with us, “always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
 
And while tough times like we are living in right now often require seriously tough talk to help us make it through… we also have the assurance found in God’s Word that no matter how tough the times may get… we will not have to face them alone.
 
And so, on this Father’s Day, I want to encourage us to give thanks not only for our earthly fathers… but even more so for our Heavenly Father who has promised to never leave us nor forsake us… which really is some good news that we can use… today and always. 
 
Amen.
 
Hymn of Discipleship: Faith of Our Fathers #635

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