Confessing Christ Before Others (Matthew 10:32–33, 37–38; 19:27–30)
Gerald Largent
Confessing Christ Before Men
Matthew 10:32–33, 37–38; 19:27–30
The Gospel reading for the Sunday of All Saints contains some of the most challenging and powerful words spoken by our Lord. Christ says, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me,” and again, “He who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” These words may seem severe at first, but they reveal the true nature of Christian discipleship. To follow Christ means placing Him at the very center of our lives.
The Lord does not command us to love our families less in a worldly sense. Rather, He teaches that every human relationship must be transformed and ordered through our love for God. When Christ comes first, we are actually able to love others more deeply and purely. But when earthly attachments become greater than our devotion to God, they can lead us away from salvation.
Christ also calls His followers to “take up the cross.” In the Orthodox understanding, the cross is not merely suffering in general. It is the willing acceptance of sacrifice, obedience, repentance, and faithfulness for the sake of Christ. Every Christian carries a cross: illness, grief, temptation, rejection, difficult relationships, spiritual struggle, or unseen burdens known only to God. The saints teach us that the cross is not a sign of God’s abandonment, but often the path to resurrection and glory.
In this Gospel, Saint Peter asks the Lord, “We have left everything and followed You. What then shall we have?” Christ answers with a promise of eternal life and the Kingdom of Heaven. The apostles left homes, livelihoods, and earthly security, but they gained something infinitely greater—communion with God Himself.
This promise extends to every faithful Christian. Whenever we sacrifice for Christ— whether through prayer, fasting, charity, forgiveness, or enduring hardship with faith—we are storing up treasures in heaven. The Christian life is not measured by earthly success or comfort, but by faithfulness to the Lord.
One of the most striking themes in this Gospel is confession of Christ before the world. The Lord says, “Everyone who acknowledges Me before men, I also will acknowledge before My Father who is in heaven.” In every generation, Christians are tempted to hide or dilute their faith out of fear, embarrassment, or desire for acceptance. Yet Christ calls us to courage.
Confessing Christ does not always mean dramatic public acts. Often it means quietly remaining faithful in everyday life. It means praying even when others mock faith. It means speaking truth with love. It means refusing to compromise with sin. It means forgiving others when resentment would be easier. It means attending the Divine Services faithfully even when the world tells us there are more “important” things to do.
The saints commemorated today fulfilled these words of Christ in many different ways. Some suffered martyrdom before kings and persecutors. Others confessed Christ through hidden acts of humility and repentance. All of them bore witness that nothing in this world is greater than life with Christ.
The Gospel concludes with a striking reversal: “Many who are first will be last, and the last first.” In the Kingdom of God, worldly status means nothing. Wealth, fame, and power fade away, but humility, faithfulness, and love endure forever. Many saints lived unnoticed by society, yet they shine eternally in the Kingdom of Heaven.
This Gospel calls each of us to examine our priorities. What do we place before Christ? What fears keep us from fully following Him? The Lord does not ask for perfection overnight, but He does ask for faithfulness and repentance. Through prayer, confession, the Eucharist, and daily struggle, we gradually learn to carry our cross and follow Him.
And when we stumble, we remember the saints. They were human beings like us, transformed by grace. Their lives remind us that Christ is faithful, and that those who follow Him will never be abandoned.
From the St. Panteleimon Orthodox Christian Outreach bulletin for June 7, 2026.