Preparing for persecution

In Matthew 10:16-23 Jesus spoke a series of several warnings to his disciples about the persecution that they would endure once they began to proclaim the gospel. In this passage he also told his disciples how they were to prepare themselves for this persecution. As I said in yesterday’s article, most of us in America really don’t see this passage being very relevant to us, for the simple reason that we have been quite sheltered from persecution. But persecution is coming, even in America, and regardless of how much longer we are protected from it, we can all benefit from heeding the warnings and following the instructions Jesus gave his disciples in this passage.

The first thing Jesus told his disciples in this passage was that he was sending them out “as sheep in the midst of wolves.” Most Christians have heard so much about Jesus being the shepherd and his followers being the sheep that we can understand why Jesus referred to his disciples as sheep. But it is powerful that he also said that the people to whom they were being sent were “wolves.” The reason for this is simple. Because of sin, there is a natural opposition in all men to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and anyone who tries to preach it. Jesus made this clear in John 7:7, when he told his disciples, “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.”

The reason most Christians today get along so well with the “wolves” in the world is because we do not “testify of it that its deeds are evil.” Instead, we watered down the gospel because we want to maintain our friendship with the world. (See James 4:4) One Christian author expressed this point brilliantly when he made the following comment: “The trouble with Christians today is that nobody wants to kill them.” As long as we are trying not to offend people, and make our churches “seeker sensitive,” we probably don’t have to worry about much persecution.

As a result of this dangerous situation Jesus was sending his disciples into, he told them to be “Shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.” Considering how vastly different serpents and doves are this is an interesting statement to say the least! The word that is translated “shrewd” in this verse simply means “discreet” and implies having a cautious character. Jesus was not telling them to be shrewd in a deceptive sense, but rather alert, thoughtful and smart when it came to dealing with people.

But Jesus then tells them that they are to balance this quality of being shrewd as serpents with a seemingly opposite quality – being as innocent as doves. This is powerful indeed when you consider that the dove is the only animal ever used to represent the Holy Spirit. In other words, Jesus was telling them to be bright and clever in regard to people, but at the same time to be innocent in their use of this social cunning. When this balance can be achieved between shrewdness and innocence, the result is very effective.

Jesus goes on to tell his disciples that they will be hated by all, betrayed by family and friends alike and even delivered to the authorities, where they would be put on trial for their lives all because they are his disciples. Then in verses 19-20 he tells them, “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.”

The principle expressed in this verse is one of the most powerful principles in the Bible, and one by which all Christians should live. Jesus is telling them to simply allow The Holy Spirit of God to live and speak through them. And when we finally come to the place where we can do that, we will be truly ready – both to proclaim the gospel and to handle any persecution we encounter!