The Meaning of Discipleship

²⁴ “^(A)A ^[a]disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. ²⁵ It is enough for the disciple that he may become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. ^(B)If they have called the head of the house ^[b](C)Beelzebul, how much more will they insult the members of his household!

²⁶ “So do not ^(D)fear them, ^(E)for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. ^27 (F)What I tell you in the darkness, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim ^(G)on the housetops. ²⁸ And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather ^(H)fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in ^[c](I)hell. ^29 (J)Are two sparrows not sold for an ^[d]assarion? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰ But ^(K)even the hairs of your head are all counted. ³¹ So do not fear; ^(L)you are more valuable than a great number of sparrows.

³² “Therefore, ^(M)everyone who ^[e]confesses Me before people, I will also confess ^[f]him before My Father who is in heaven. ³³ But ^(N)whoever denies Me before people, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

³⁴ “^(O)Do not think that I came to ^[g]bring peace on the earth; I did not come to ^[h]bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I came to ^(P)turn a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; ³⁶ and ^(Q)a person’s enemies will be the members of his household.

³⁷ “^(R)The one who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and the one who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁸ And ^(S)the one who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. ^39 (T)The one who has found his ^[i]life will lose it, and the one who has lost his ^[j]life on My account will find it.

The Reward for Service

⁴⁰ “^(U)The one who ^[k]receives you ^[l]receives Me, and ^(V)the one who ^[m]receives Me ^[n]receives Him who sent Me. ^41 (W)The one who ^[o]receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and the one who ^[p]receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person shall receive a righteous person’s reward. ⁴² And ^(X)whoever gives one of these ^[q]little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

God’s Controversy with Israel

Sonship in Christ

4 Now I say, as long as the heir is a ^[a]child, he does not differ at all from a slave, although he is ^[b]owner of everything, ² but he is under guardians and ^[c]managers until the ^[d]date set by the father. ³ So we too, when we were children, were held ^(A)in bondage under the ^[e](B)elementary principles of the world. ⁴ But when ^(C)the fullness of the time came, God sent His Son, ^(D)born of a woman, born ^(E)under ^[f]the Law, ⁵ so that He might redeem those who were under ^[g]the Law, that we might receive the adoption as ^(F)sons and daughters. ⁶ Because you are sons, ^(G)God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “^(H)Abba! ^[h]Father!” ⁷ Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and ^(I)if a son, then an heir ^[i]through God.

⁸ However at that time, ^(J)when you did not know God, you were ^(K)slaves to ^(L)those which by nature are not gods. ⁹ But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be ^(M)known by God, ^(N)how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless ^[j](O)elementary principles, to which you want to be enslaved all over again? ¹⁰ You ^(P)meticulously observe days and months and seasons and years. ¹¹ I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored ^[k]over you in vain.

¹² I beg of you, ^(Q)brothers and sisters, ^(R)become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have done me no wrong; ¹³ but you know that it was because of a ^[l]bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the ^[m]first time; ¹⁴ and you did not despise that which was a trial to you in my ^[n]bodily condition, nor express contempt, but ^(S)you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself. ¹⁵ Where then is ^[o]that sense of blessing you had? For I testify about you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶ So have I become your enemy ^(T)by ^[p]telling you the truth? ¹⁷ They eagerly seek you, not ^[q]in a commendable way, but they want to shut you out so that you will seek them. ¹⁸ But it is good always to be eagerly sought ^[r]in a commendable way, and ^(U)not only when I am present with you. ^19 (V)My children, with whom ^(W)I am again in labor until ^(X)Christ is formed in you— ²⁰ but I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone of voice, for ^(Y)I am at a loss about you!

Slave and Free

²¹ Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not ^(Z)listen to the Law? ²² For it is written that Abraham had two sons, ^(AA)one by the slave woman and ^(AB)one by the free woman. ²³ But ^(AC)the son by the slave woman ^[s]was born according to the flesh, and ^(AD)the son by the free woman through the promise. ^24 [t](AE)This is speaking allegorically, for these women are two covenants: one coming from ^(AF)Mount Sinai giving birth to children ^[u]who are to be ^(AG)slaves; ^[v]she is Hagar. ²⁵ Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is enslaved with her children. ²⁶ But ^(AH)the Jerusalem above is free; ^[w]she is our mother. ²⁷ For it is written:

²⁸ And you, brothers and sisters, ^(AJ)like Isaac, are ^(AK)children of promise. ²⁹ But as at that time ^(AL)the son who was born according to the flesh ^(AM)persecuted the one who was born according to the Spirit, ^(AN)so it is even now. ³⁰ But what does the Scripture say?

³¹ So then, brothers and sisters, we are not children of a slave woman, but of the free woman.

Follow the Spirit

5 ^(AQ)It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore ^(AR)keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a ^(AS)yoke of slavery.