9:25 PM

Matthew 10:22b by Matt Scott

Matthew 10:22b “but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

Tying in with our study of Ephesians 2 and being saved by grace through faith, verse 22b caught my eye with Jesus addressing who will be saved. I was surprised that the point of who will be saved is not addressed more, especially with a comparison to Paul’s extensive discussion on being saved. Jesus seems to emphasize a remaining faithful until the end, whereas at times Paul addresses being saved based on belief and confession, which he does not clarify as continuing until the end as Jesus does here.

Luz points out that the end is referring to the end of the world, and even possibly Matthew is referring to the near anticipated end, which will be experienced in the lifetime of some of these disciples when read with verse 23 (p.90-91)

Davies and Allison point out the surprising outcome that the disciples who seem to struggle are actually the ones who are saved. (p.187)

Hauerwas references the disciples’ reward of living in the kingdom of God (p.107). When Hauerwas refers to the kingdom later, he refers to “the kingdom brought by Jesus” and “has come near,” currently, by Jesus, therefore, he is likely not referring to “the end” here (p.108). Hauerwas also addresses the disciples’ reward in being saved (p.112).

It is possible that this issue of being saved is not addressed more because the passage here in Matthew 10 is focused much more on the missionary journey of the disciple and not on the requirements of being saved. Also, given verse 39’s attention to us losing and saving our lives, merely asking the question of who will be saved after looking at verse 39 seems somewhat irrelevant.

Comment (1)

Check out ch. 24 for important parallels of "the one who endures to the end will be saved." You might also look at other cases of save, saved, salvation, etc. in Matthew. It is always important to ask, "Saved from what?" Note esp. 27:42 on this. It will not do to answer "sins" or "hell." Our tendency is to locate salvation, sins, etc. in a mythical sphere of transactions that are not material/historical. I can't make any sense of salvation that is not material/historical/bodily.

Here in Mt. 10, to not be saved is apparently to succumb to the pressures of family and persecution. To reject Jesus' way in order to avoid such hostility is to go along with the way that leads to judgment--among other things,to being swept up in the destruction that is coming within a generation (66-70 AD).

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