The Upside of Persecution
Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues....When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are you speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you....You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. Matt. 10:17-22, RSV.
Not a particular happy message! You will preach peace, but end up receiving violent treatment.
Those disciples with ears to hear must have thought that they were experiencing echoes of the final beatitude. "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matt. 5:10, 11, RSV). Luke's version of those statements tells us that we should "leap for joy" when all those evil things happen to us because of our stand for Jesus (Luke 6:23).
One thing you may never have noticed about that beatitude is that it is the only one repeated. Jesus gives a double dose of the "blessed are you when persecuted" message, undoubtedly because it was so distasteful and difficult to grasp.
But the blessing is there. Most readers of this page are probably not being persecuted today. But some will encounter it from their families as they take their stand for Jesus. Others are feeling the brunt of the evil one's power because they have decided to live for Jesus in the workplace. And still others because they live under political forces that oppose the principles of Christianity. And if you are safe now, Revelation 13 is a clear prophecy that things will get more lively in the persecution realm as earth nears the end of its course and the forces of evil make their final attempts to crush Christ's followers.
Meanwhile, according to Jesus in Matthew 10, those followers will have no need to fear. Jesus will be at their side, even giving them words to say in time of crisis. And when they have endured "to the end" they "will be saved." That is the upside of persecution.
Dear Lord, help me to be a faithful messenger of Your Word. Help me in times of peace and in times of trouble. Thank You.
Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues....When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are you speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you....You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. Matt. 10:17-22, RSV.
Not a particular happy message! You will preach peace, but end up receiving violent treatment.
Those disciples with ears to hear must have thought that they were experiencing echoes of the final beatitude. "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matt. 5:10, 11, RSV). Luke's version of those statements tells us that we should "leap for joy" when all those evil things happen to us because of our stand for Jesus (Luke 6:23).
One thing you may never have noticed about that beatitude is that it is the only one repeated. Jesus gives a double dose of the "blessed are you when persecuted" message, undoubtedly because it was so distasteful and difficult to grasp.
But the blessing is there. Most readers of this page are probably not being persecuted today. But some will encounter it from their families as they take their stand for Jesus. Others are feeling the brunt of the evil one's power because they have decided to live for Jesus in the workplace. And still others because they live under political forces that oppose the principles of Christianity. And if you are safe now, Revelation 13 is a clear prophecy that things will get more lively in the persecution realm as earth nears the end of its course and the forces of evil make their final attempts to crush Christ's followers.
Meanwhile, according to Jesus in Matthew 10, those followers will have no need to fear. Jesus will be at their side, even giving them words to say in time of crisis. And when they have endured "to the end" they "will be saved." That is the upside of persecution.
Dear Lord, help me to be a faithful messenger of Your Word. Help me in times of peace and in times of trouble. Thank You.
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