Matthew 10:28Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Then having delivered them from all fear, and set them above all calumny, He follows this up appropriately with commanding that their preaching should be free and unreserved; What I say to you in darkness, that speak ye in the light; what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.

He instructs us to disregard death, as the torment in Gehenna is exceedingly worse. Killers inflict damage solely on the physical body, which may still allow for the salvation of the soul; however, by sending them to Gehenna, God delivers judgment upon both the soul and the body. When He mentions “in Gehenna,” He emphasizes the everlasting nature of this punishment, for the term “Gehenna” comes from a Greek word that signifies eternal existence.

This cannot be before the soul is so joined to the body, that nothing may sever them. Yet it is rightly called the death of the soul, because it does not live of God; and the death of the body, because though man does not cease to feel, yet because this his feeling has neither pleasure, nor health, but is a pain and a punishment, it is better named death than life.

He said, ‘Do not fear those who can kill the body, yet cannot destroy the soul.' We notice that those who heard the words ‘All flee’ (cf. Matt. 10:23) now bravely offer themselves as living testimonies, rejoicing in their faith before all nations. His statement of ‘Do not fear those who kill the body’ serves to remind us that their authority is limited to the physical form; however, God holds authority over both body and soul, able to cast them into Gehenna.

We do not read that the Lord was wont to discourse to them by night, or to deliver his doctrine in the dark; but He said this because all His discourse is dark to the carnal, and His word night to the unbelieving. What had been spoken by Him they were to deliver again with the confidence of faith and confession.

After addressing various risks, he turns his attention to the matter of bodily harm, foretelling it and urging to regard it lightly. Do not fear those who can kill the body; rather, have reverence for the one who has appointed you to this mission and follow His commands. While they may take away the physical form, they cannot annihilate the spirit; however, He can bring both soul and body to destruction in hell. Thus, consider the nature of fear: the fear of humanity, which is lesser, should be overshadowed by the fear of God, the greater concern. Furthermore, he offers reassurance regarding the apprehension of death: notice what he states: see Matthew 10:29.

Gehenna is the destination for those who acted unjustly and rejected the truth of God's teachings as revealed through Christ.

Therefore neither threatening, nor evil speaking, nor power of their enemies should move them, seeing the judgment-day will disclose how empty, how nought all these were.

And what He says, Preach ye upon the housetops, is spoken after the manner of the province of Palestine, where they use to sit upon the roofs of the houses, which are not pointed but flat. That then may be said to be preached upon the housetops which is spoken in the hearing of all men.

To the foregoing consolation He adds another no less, saying, Fear ye not them, namely, the persecutors. And why they were not to fear, He adds, For there is nothing hid which shall not be revealed, nothing secret which shall not be known.

Do not fear those who can take your physical life, for a person's true essence lies not in their body but in their spirit. God fashioned mankind in His likeness and cherishes the soul, creating the universe for its benefit. The adversary, envious of the soul, relentlessly pursues it. For the sake of humanity, the Son of God entered this world. The body serves as the soul's covering, as expressed by the apostle: “For we, being in this hut, sigh under burdens, because we do not want to be overthrown, but to be clothed, so that mortal things may be swallowed up in life” (2 Corinthians 5:4).

In boldly proclaiming their message, the Apostles faced significant risks, prompting the Lord to instruct them to disregard even death itself: "And Fear NOT THOSE WHO KILL THE BODY, BUT CANNOT KILL THE SOUL." They should not abandon their mission due to these threats. As St. Chrysostom observes, Christ elevates them above worries, slander, dangers, and accusations, encouraging them to scorn the most dreadful reality—death, and particularly a violent death. This attitude will liberate them from true death because, though they may face execution, their essence will remain untouched by those who seek to harm them, no matter how earnestly they attempt to do so. Therefore, Christ emphasizes that it is the souls of those who cannot kill that truly matter.

The spirit remains eternal and cannot perish or decay, as it is not a physical entity. It cannot vanish, for it is a delicate, simple, and unseen energy. There is nothing that can hinder its existence beyond the death of the physical form, as the same heavenly beings and angels endure. Moreover, even the human body shall rise again: ‘they that are in the tombs shall arise’ (Is. 26:19). The certainty of life after death is undeniable. To deny faith in immortality is profoundly unsettling, for without this belief, an individual may recklessly choose to end their life or, rather than seeking God, may succumb to a desire for a natural death to avoid confronting their conscience, which could torment them and potentially lead them to repent for their wrongdoing. In essence, they may wish for immediate death to escape such inner conflict.

Those who take the life of the body are individuals who, in the act of harming or subduing the flesh, lack the ability, even if they wished, to harm the spirit or strip it of its life as they do with the physical body. The body is inferior to the spirit; the death of the body is insignificant when compared to everlasting separation from God, which He can impose upon the soul along with the body in Gehenna. "Overcome fear by fear, - fear of men - fear of God."