Fearing the Right People (Matthew 10:26-33)
Who do you fear? Who do you love? Who are you most worried about pleasing, about what they will think?
Jesus has told His disciples that they will be treated as He has been treated. We should expect no less. Governments and other “powers that be” down through history have been hostile to followers of Jesus. That is something that should be an expectation of a disciple. However, in Western Christianity this is no longer the case. The history of protestant Christianity has taught us to trust and expect protection from our government. This is not the case for believers in cultures descending from the counter reformation. If we are not careful, American Christianity will find itself rudely awakened when our government is no longer our friend. (We are seeing this becoming the norm today.) We think we are a Christian nation with certain rights and protections. This is what leads so many to sacrifice principle for power and safety because we see that as preeminent. Jesus told us that as His followers we should expect otherwise. We expect persecution for precisely for our principles.
Ironically, it is the religious leaders of the day that Jesus is warning His disciples about. They are the ones calling Him Beelzebub. They are the ones who would be the biggest persecutors of the church in its early days. And even today, they are the ones we most often have to watch out for. They want power above all else, and don’t tend to look kindly on people who owe sole allegiance to the Savior.
Stand firm for Christ and His example and teaching whatever the consequences. In the big picture, you want to please Him. Temporary comfort now is not worth rejection from Him ultimately.
Jesus has told His disciples that they will be treated as He has been treated. We should expect no less. Governments and other “powers that be” down through history have been hostile to followers of Jesus. That is something that should be an expectation of a disciple. However, in Western Christianity this is no longer the case. The history of protestant Christianity has taught us to trust and expect protection from our government. This is not the case for believers in cultures descending from the counter reformation. If we are not careful, American Christianity will find itself rudely awakened when our government is no longer our friend. (We are seeing this becoming the norm today.) We think we are a Christian nation with certain rights and protections. This is what leads so many to sacrifice principle for power and safety because we see that as preeminent. Jesus told us that as His followers we should expect otherwise. We expect persecution for precisely for our principles.
Ironically, it is the religious leaders of the day that Jesus is warning His disciples about. They are the ones calling Him Beelzebub. They are the ones who would be the biggest persecutors of the church in its early days. And even today, they are the ones we most often have to watch out for. They want power above all else, and don’t tend to look kindly on people who owe sole allegiance to the Savior.
Stand firm for Christ and His example and teaching whatever the consequences. In the big picture, you want to please Him. Temporary comfort now is not worth rejection from Him ultimately.
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