“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household! (Matthew 10:16-25, NRSV)
Did you get the sense that things would not be easy as followers of Jesus?
But isn’t being a disciple suppose to be sunshine and roses? I mean everything is suppose to be great when we follow God. Everyone will get along and we will all come to the same understanding at the same time. Well that isn’t what happened for Jesus, who came to show us how to live the life God has called us to, and when He did, He was handed over to the authorities and killed for it. Handed over by His own disciple, His own people. The ones who were suppose to understand Him, be u tied with Him. They didn’t get it. They were so hung up o. Their religious system that they didn’t want to be bothered with what God wanted.
We are not above the teacher, but what they did to the teacher, we can expect. The religious order of the day wanted nothing to do with Jesus or His followers and you can bet the established religious order of the day will want nothing to do with Jesus’ followers today either. It is not all sunshine and roses… God calls us to go and be pitted against those whom love us and we love in order to get Is message out there.
So be wise as serpents and innocent as doves and know that those around you who are suppose to be for you, might just be the wolves in sheep clothing that Jesus warned us about. We need to follow Jesus knowing it is not all going to be easy and we might be called out, but when we are called out or handed over, He will be there to guide our words and our actions, so His love and grace and mercy are shown.
So follow Him, knowing He is always with you.
aSacredRebel 