Matthew 10:16, 17
“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to local councils and be flogged in the synagogues.”
Reflection: The High Cost
Written By: Pastor Jesse Caro
Jesus has said to follow him, and he will make us fishers of men (ch 4). The early disciples knew there was built in costs associated with following Jesus. For one thing, they had already left their jobs (and families) in order to embark on this new life. But I am not sure they expected what Jesus would eventually tell them… “I am sending you out among the wolves.” In today’s vernacular one might say (and we might hear), “throwing you out to the wolves” or “leaving you out to dry!”
Surely this was a special time and a special place. Spiritual forces after the resurrection were, as it were, “all hands-on deck” trying to shipwreck the work that Jesus launched. Once Jesus was no longer with them, indeed they were (many of them) flogged and killed for Christ. Today we experience very little of the kind of sacrifice the early Christians did. But if you are in a Muslim country, or in China (for examples), you will be persecuted… today! It happens every day around the world. People are killed because they are Christians. Since 1990 more people have died for their Christian faith then in all of history since Christ, combined. We are fortunate in America to be blessed with religious freedom. But I wonder how much modern Christians in America would tolerate genuine persecution. I wonder if our boldness would wane underneath the pressure of a sword.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, may we endure persecution when it comes, and may we be counted worthy to pay the high cost of being your followers!
