And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Christ confronts a brutal choice: fear tyrants and lose your soul, or fear God alone and keep it. If the dread of men extinguishes the fear of God in you, you have plainly declared that you value them more than Him, and you have made yourself no better than a beast that perishes. The body is vapor; the soul is eternal.
AI summary
Christ sends you as sheep into wolves' jaws, so you must learn to combine the serpent's cunning with the dove's innocence. He forewarned the disciples of sufferings to come, not to shake their faith, but to steel it; when troubles arrive as He predicted, they will confirm rather than destroy what you believe.
AI summary
Commenting on Matthew 10:16-42
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?.... A farthing, with the Jews, was a very small coin; according to them it contained four grains of silver (b); was the ninety sixth part of a "sela", or shilling (c); and sometimes they make it to be of the same value with an Italian farthing: for they say (d), it is of the value of eight...