Matthew 10:21-25

Matthew 10:21-25

21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. 23 “But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.  24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. 25 “It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!

Salvation comes at a price.  It is a free gift from God to us but it cost Jesus His life.  There is nothing that we can do to earn salvation we receive it by grace through faith in the cross of Christ.  However, there are consequences we will experience because of salvation.  Jesus warns His disciples of the price they will pay for following Him.  This is not the price of salvation; but it is the price of discipleship.  As we follow Christ and obey Him and His commandment to preach the Gospel in all nations; we can expect problems and suffering.  Jesus gives His disciples and us some sobering truths that we must keep in mind as we seek to follow Him. 

WE WILL BE PERSECUTED: Persecution is to be expected by all who follow Jesus.  The Gospel of Christ is very exclusive in the sense that it is the only way any man can be saved.  There are not many ways into heaven, there is one way and that is through faith in Christ.  This is the message we are called to proclaim, but it will not be a very popular message.  Proclaiming this truth will cause many to be disowned by their families.  Siblings, parents and children will turn their backs on their family members who confess Jesus as Lord of their lives.  When we understand the Gospel our first desire is to share what we have learned with our family.  However, it is very offensive when a member of a family goes to the rest and warns them that they are on a path to condemnation.  Believers who try to win their families to Christ have been thrown out of their homes, removed from family business and abandoned in prisons.  Not only are they disowned by family but they are disliked by the world.  As we tell the nations of the world the truth of the Gospel, we will face persecution.  There will be some who trust Christ and will love us for having the courage to tell them the truth.  But many, if not most, will reject the truth and will hate us for preaching the Gospel.  We all want to be liked which is why popularity is so popular.  As followers of Jesus we need to realize that we may be disowned by our families and disliked by the world.

WE MUST BE PERSISTENT: Our job in light of the persecution we will face is to endure to the end and be persistent in that task God has called us to accomplish.  We must never give up or become intimidated.  No matter how difficult things may become as we strive to serve Him, we must always keep in the front of our minds the glorious salvation we have in Christ Jesus.  Reminding ourselves of the Gospel and reaffirming our faith in Christ will ultimately result in glory.  Our salvation is secure because we have been bought with the price of the blood of Jesus.  Those who have truly placed their faith in Christ will persevere in the face of persecution and, in the end, will rejoice in the wonderful salvation we have through Jesus.  This truth should help us be persistent in the mission of reaching the nations.  Jesus warned His disciples that they would be hated but told them to persist in their preaching.  When the Gospel was rejected in one city and the people were preparing to kill them; they were told to flee to the next city and start the process all over again.  It is not wrong to flee from persecution, Paul did it all the time.  It is wrong to be intimidated or quit because of persecution.  We are not to blend into the fallen society in which we live and keep our mouths shut so we don’t make waves.  We are to boldly proclaim the Gospel and when the waves we make become too high to survive, we are to run to the next area of need and start all over again.  We need to be in this for the long haul because it is what we are called to do until the Lord returns. 

WE SHOULD BE PREPARED: A disciple, by definition, is like his Master.  If we are identified with Christ in salvation, we can expect to be identified with Christ in His suffering.  His disciples saw how the world responded to Jesus and how He was treated wherever He went.  Now Jesus is making sure that they understand that they would be treated the same way.  As we participate in the mission of taking the Gospel to the nations; we must be prepared to suffer and even die because that is what Jesus did.  We are not saved because we suffer; we suffer because we are saved.IN a world of lost people, those who are saved must be prepared to suffer.  Jesus is our Master and King.  He performed miracles and demonstrated Himself to be God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.  Yet, the world still have the courage to call Him a devil and nail Him to the cross.  If unbelievers had the courage to do that to God we must be prepared for the fact that they will hate us, persecute us and maybe even kill us.  We must not allow suffering and persecution to take us by surprise.  We must be prepared to persist in the face of persecution.

APPLICATION: Don’t be distracted from the mission of God by our desire for popularity.  Don’t give up or become discouraged by the difficulties we face in completing the mission.  Rejoice in the honor of following the footsteps of our Lord Jesus.  Be prepared to be criticized by our family members and threatened by the world.  Stand firm and be faithful as we await the return of our Lord when all these things will be set right.