Paradox (Matthew 10:37-42)

Full quote below.

"Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it" (Mt 10:39).

1. Priority/Allegiance. Why does Jesus' command you to love Him more than your family (Mt 10:37; 22:37-38; Dt 6:5; Lk 14:26)?
   
• Does this contradict the command to "Honor your father and mother" (Exo 20:12)? Why or why not?
• What does Abraham offering his son Isaac (Gen 22:2) teach you?

• 

  "We must open our hands, let go of
  what we hold, and receive His gifts."

  How would you love Jesus more than your family? What difficult choices might this require?
2. Surrender/Submission; Count the cost before committing. What does it mean for a Christian to "take up their cross daily" (Mt 10:38; Lk 9:23; Gal 2:20; 6:14)?
• What are some "crosses" believers face for their faith (ridicule, rejection, loss of opportunity)?
3. 
   Paradox. How do you practically explain the paradox of losing/finding life (Mt 10:39; 16:25; Lk 17:33; Jn 12:25)? 
• How does this subvert the world's definition of success and self-fulfillment?
4. Identification. Why does Jesus equate accepting a Christian as equivalent to accepting Himself and God (Mt 10:40; 3 Jn 5, 8)?
5. Reward. How should we treat fellow believers, missionaries, or Christian workers (Mt 10:41)?
• Who are "one of these little ones" (Mt 10:42; Rom 16:1-2; 2 Tim 1:16-18)? What should you do for them? What does being rewarded by Christ teach you about God's values (Isa 55:8; Jas 1:9-10; 2:3-4; Lk 14:13-14; Mt 25:34-36)?