Fear of persecution.
[Jesus said,] “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 the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
“The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!
“So do not be afraid of them.” // Matthew 10:16-26
Persecution, in the Christian context, is the systematic mistreatment of a follower of Jesus as a response to their belief in Jesus. This can come in the form of ridicule, alienation, outright physical abuse, or even torture and death.
Have you ever been persecuted for your faith? My guess is most of us have only read about certain situations in other countries where persecution of Christians has taken place. So what role does this message on persecution play in our “Fear Not” series? Why would we address fear of persecution if none of us or few of us have ever been affected by it?
PERSECUTION IS REAL
Today, if you are a Christian in Pakistan, Nigeria, Egypt, the Central African Republic, and even in India or China, you are under the very real threat of persecution. For example, for every Christian in China, the CCP leaders have already signaled that Jesus followers are considered dangerous to the party and the country. Because of that understanding and the accompanying system of blacklisting that is now being implemented, these Christians will suffer “travel restrictions, public shame, ineligibility to borrow from lending facilities, or send their children to private schools” (source: 13.5 Million Chinese Blacklisted by its Social Credit System).
This gives us the first reason for addressing the topic of persecution: Persecution for the name of Jesus is very real and we have brothers and sisters in the faith all over the world who are suffering. Let’s pray for them.
NOT YET
Also, it is important to realize that at the time Jesus delivered this message to the disciples, they had not yet undergone any kind of persecution, short of someone throwing a few coarse words at them or at Jesus. Jesus was preparing the disciples for the inevitable. Jesus is preparing us also.
Many Christian speakers in 21st century America have pointed out that American Christians have been relatively free of persecution, and this is not normal in Christian history—it’s an anomaly. We can expect that this will change.
Jesus is not telling us this to cause fear but to cause us to be ready.
[Jesus said,] “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 the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” // Matthew 10:16-20
Let’s address a few components of Jesus’ preparation speech.
SHEEP AMONG WOLVES
This phrase, “like sheep among wolves,” shows us the vulnerability of being a Christian. A sheep has no natural defenses and the wolf is a tenacious killer. Those who seek to persecute Christians have an upper hand. They contain power to tear and rip at Christians in the form of political ability, verbal and intellectual weight, hierarchy, pure physical brute strength. Jesus is not telling us to grow fangs or sharpen up our paws. He is simply stating the notable discrepancy between believers and their antagonists. They will have political power or the weight of academia-type power or even mob-mentality power to wield against believers. We are to recognize this; but also note, Jesus does not say, “run for your life.” He points to shrewdness.
SHREWD AS SNAKES; INNOCENT AS DOVES
Jesus says, when this happens, it is time to be shrewd (φρόνιμοι - link). We are to be practically wise, sensible. Dig down into the term and it connotes the idea of “don’t lose your cool,” “don’t flip out,” or “don’t lose your head.” Take a deep breath and remember who your God is, how loving he is, how present he is in your life, how in tune he is to what needs to happen next. And also, note for yourself the link he has created between your spirit and his Spirit.
But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. // Matthew 10:19-20
I think this is absolutely amazing. I can easily fumble with my words or draw a blank. When I get flustered, my words and thoughts get locked down. But Jesus says, “Chill! (euphemism) You will be given what to say.” It sounds a little like cue cards. God will hand us thoughts and ideas and even exact words that will stifle these opponents.
We see just a touch of this in Acts 4:13 after the disciples had been arrested: “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished.“ It would appear that the Father had given them the words and the courage to speak. What a great testimony to grace!
This is the time to act like a snake in your words and actions - be, as it were, cold-blooded; don’t be easily over-run. Be overtly wise in your dealings but maintain your integrity - be innocent as doves.
BE ON YOUR GUARD
This phrase connotes both awareness of the issue and a readiness to act correctly. Some believers will be handed over to local governments because of Christian convictions. We are even beginning to see the inklings of this in California and other states where government-endorsed COVID restrictions on churches are shutting down our first amendment rights to the free exercise of the Christian faith. Will there be arrests and will there be consequences to exercising your constitutional freedoms? That remains to be seen. Is this an example of what Jesus spoke about? It has that potential. The key to all of this comes next.
WITNESSES
In the end, Jesus is directing us away from fear (“be on your guard”) to the conviction of giving a witness—a testimony. Believers will be placed in awkward circumstances; this placement is for the sake of sharing a witness to the faith that we possess.
On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say. // Matthew 10:18-19
DO NOT WORRY ABOUT WHAT TO SAY
God the Holy Spirit will be there to help us speak words that are necessary for clear Christian testimony when and if the time comes. Does this scare you? Does the possibility of persecution even seem real yet? It can be an unsettling thought. But read through the book of Matthew, especially Matthew 24-25, and let your mind absorb some of what Jesus is sharing. He is telling us to be ready and be aware. Always be alert!
Let’s go eyes open into the future and take up the church’s banner—Jesus Christ. Let us not be ashamed of the name of Jesus. Let’s witness with the Spirit’s power when opportunities arise. And let’s continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in the faith—they are facing real persecution in many countries. Ours, at least for now, is only a passing thought.
God’s blessings to you,Pastor Al