Facing Hostility

Facing Hostility

Read: Matthew 10:17-25

“It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!”

Matthew 10:25

“The servant of Christ must never be surprised if he has to drink of the same cup with his Lord.”

—J. C. Ryle

IN WORD Perhaps Jesus’ disciples thought that following Him was the way to victory, by earthly definitions. Perhaps they thought Jesus might usher in a new culture of harmony and peace. Perhaps His followers today think the same thing. If so, His words are more than a little discomforting. He prepares them for hostility, persecution, and even death. His kingdom will clash with all others.

The hostility that was present in the leaders of Jesus’ day is present in our day as well. Our society claims to seek wisdom and respect spirituality, but it turns vicious at the mention of an exclusive path to God. We see a strange phenomenon in our culture: Jesus is almost universally respected as a “good teacher,” yet His actual teachings— many of them, anyway—are almost universally reviled. This wise, holy teacher spoke not only of love, peace, and devotion to God, but also of sin, hell, and the evil heart of man. Even worse, He asserted that He was the only way to God. When His followers assert the same, respect proves as illusory as it did for Him; we are reviled as He was. That’s the way of the world, and if we follow Him long enough, we will have to face it.

IN DEED Much of the Christian life is tension between two impulses: the desire to be liked and respected by the world, and the desire to know God and be like Jesus. These two impulses cannot thrive together; one must be subdued. Unfortunately, many have chosen the former, compromising their faith in the uncompromising Christ. Jesus urges His disciples to make a better choice. Though hostility and persecution are not enjoyable, they are the last gasps of a dying kingdom—the kingdom of human pride. They are temporary attacks on an eternal reign. We must walk the way of the Teacher, no matter the cost.