Witnesses to Jesus. The Nature of Discipleship.
John Povey
June 29, 2022
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Matthew 10: 16-25 (NRSVA)
16 ‘See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. 19 When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 22 and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
24 ‘A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; 25 it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!
Jesus calls us to be his witnesses. To do so, we will certainly need the power of the Holy Spirit. Time and again he warned his disciples that following him would not be easy. They should expect trouble, persecution, and misunderstanding. At times he even spoke of how they might expect to be hated. Strong words indeed!
As we know from reading the Gospels, being Jesus was not easy. At times the crowds loved him. But these same crowds could just as quickly turn their backs on him, and in the end they did so at the time he needed them most.
If being Jesus was not easy, then it won’t be easy being Jesus’ witnesses either. But with the warning of troubles that may come, there is also the promise that “those who stand firm to the end will be saved.”
Discipleship inevitably means that you will not always be popular. It calls for the Christian to be shrewd, but also to be careful to live out the love of Jesus, who taught us to love our enemies and to pray for our persecutors.
Jesus loved us all the way to the end, and now he asks us to stand firm for him all the way to the end. Can we do that? Even in ordinary, everyday situations, how we spend our money and our time, how we interact with colleagues, the challenge is always present. Each of us must ask ourselves, “How can I stand firm in my witness to Jesus?” By the power of the Holy Spirit, and in His strength alone, we are enabled to meet all eventualities that loyalty to Jesus brings us.
PRAYER:
Loving Lord God, your Son loved me all the way to the end, through persecution and death. Grant me the power to remain firm in my love for you all the way to the end, whatever I may face. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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