Matthew 10:33Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Lord having banished that fear which haunted the minds of His disciples, adds further comfort in what follows, not only casting out fear, but by hope of greater rewards encouraging them to a free proclamation of the truth, saying, Every man who shall confess me before men, I also will confess him before my Father which is in heaven. And it is not properly shall confess me, but as it is in the Greek, shall confess in me, shewing that it is not by your own strength but by grace from above, that you confess Him whom you do confess.

He did not state regarding the one who turns away, ‘By Me,’ but rather “of Me,” indicating that the individual lacking divine assistance is the one who disavows. Anyone who acknowledges that Christ is God will experience Christ affirming before His Father that they are a loyal servant. Conversely, those who reject Him will hear, ‘I know you not.’

When He states, 'I will deny him,' it parallels the phrase, 'I know you not' (Matthew 25:12). This is not due to any lack of awareness on His part, but because He does not acknowledge them as belonging to Him. Understand how intimately He understands them; it is their rejection, not ignorance, that leads to His refusal to accept them.

He refers to confession as a form of testimony, encouraging individuals to bear witness to His identity. Thus, He states, "If any man testifies before men of My Deity, I will also testify before My Father concerning that man's faith," meaning that anyone who acknowledges Me as God, I will recognize as a believer. Conversely, "whosoever shall deny Me, him will I also deny." To confess εν εμοι (in Me) is equivalent to confessing the same as Me, and to confess εν αυτω (about him) is to declare the same as him. Chrysostom clarifies that He did not say "confesses Me," but "in Me," signifying by My authority and with My assistance. Thus, it is evident that the phrases "I confess" and "I in him" imply "I confess," motivated by His grace.

This He says in conclusion, because it behoves them after being confirmed by such teaching, to have a confident freedom in confessing God.

It should be known that not even Pagans can deny the existence of God, but the infidels may deny that the Son as well as the Father is God. The Son confesses men before the Father, because by the Son we have access to the Father, and because the Son saith, Come, ye blessed of my Father. (Mat. 25:34.)

Here is to be understood that confession of which the Apostle speaks, With the heart men believe unto justification, with the month confession is made unto salvation. (Rom. 10:10.) That none therefore might suppose that he could be saved without confession of the mouth, He says not only, He that shall confess me, but adds, before men; and again, He that shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Through the Gospel, God encourages us today with the words: “Everyone who confesses about Me before men, I will also confess about him before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32). It is evident that we cannot openly declare our faith in Christ or acknowledge Him without His divine support and power. Likewise, our Lord Jesus Christ cannot speak favorably of us in the future unless we provide the grounds for such acknowledgment through our actions. Notice that He did not phrase it as, “Anyone who shall confess Me before men,” but rather, “Anyone who shall confess of Me,” signaling that anyone can affirm their faith in God with His assistance.

Thus, it is stated that He does not say, "Whoever acknowledges Me in his heart," but rather in the presence of others; for whoever fails to acknowledge Him publicly will not gain from believing in Christ inwardly. If one denies Him verbally, genuine faith in the heart becomes unattainable. The essence of confession springs from faith rooted in the heart, and this confession is the fruit that faith bears. Just as a living root gives rise to branches and leaves, if such growth is absent, it is evident that the root is dried up. Similarly, true faith in the heart will naturally lead to a verbal confession; however, when there is no articulation of this faith, it indicates that the heart's faith has already diminished.

This is a fearsome and just declaration from the Lord. He states that if you deny Him before others, He will also deny you before His Father in heaven as one of His faithful followers. For this reason, O valiant martyrs, who refused to speak against Christ, endured severe tortures and cruel punishments, shed their blood, and faced death joyfully, even to their final moments, declaring with courage before rulers and tormentors that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of humanity. Cursed is the unfortunate soul who denies the salvific name of Jesus Christ for the sake of wealth, glory, sensual pleasure, yielding to earthly desires, or out of mortal fear. Such a person is cast away by God and has forfeited the kingdom of heaven.

When He proclaimed, “Fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in Gehenna,” He further stated: AND WHOEVER DENIES ME IN FRONT OF OTHERS, whoever fails to acknowledge Me as the Savior of humanity, turns away from Me and My teachings, or, while claiming to follow Me, discredits Me through sinful actions, neglecting their salvation, and shunning the Holy Church that I will establish on earth for the redemption of humankind, I WILL DENY THEM BEFORE MY FATHER IN HEAVEN. On that day, I will not recognize them as My followers, and I will declare: I do not know you. This is why the blessed martyrs endured severe trials and willingly faced horrifying deaths, refusing to utter a denial of Christ.

I will acknowledge you as my devoted followers before my Father in heaven; you will be deemed deserving of eternal joy because you have boldly proclaimed your faith in me before others. This will be true for everyone who confesses their belief in me. However, anyone who disowns me in front of others, I will also disown before my Father in heaven. On the final day, I will declare to him, ‘I do not know you!’ (see Luke 13:27).

"Will deny Me" refers to those who fail to acknowledge Me as the Savior of humanity, rejecting both Me and My teachings. One can deny the Lord not only through outright denial but also through actions that are contrary to Christian principles, neglecting one's spiritual responsibilities, drifting away from the Orthodox Church into erroneous beliefs and divisions devoid of true doctrine, and remaining entrenched in sin. When I say "I deny myself," it signifies that I do not recognize those individuals as My disciples, leading to the eternal suffering of those who turn away from Christ.

Instructing His followers to boldly and courageously proclaim the Gospel, Jesus Christ urged them to prioritize the reverence of God over the fear of man and to find strength in God's Providence during perilous times. He said, “What I tell you in darkness, proclaim in the light, and what you hear whispered, shout from the rooftops. Do not be afraid of those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, I will tell you whom you should fear: fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.