The Inevitability of Persecution

Matthew 10:16–26 ESV

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. 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 say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household. “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

I. Intro

One of the objectives of any loving parent is to prepare his or her children for life in the real world.

That mission requires a balance of both encouragement (about the good that exists in the world) and brutal honesty about the evil and malevolence in the world.

If we focus on giving children encouragement only by sheltering them and feeding them a “pie in the sky” view of the world, life will disappoint… and likely crush them.

If kids only hear of the evil and suffering in the world, they will be paralyzed by fear (they will never take any risks; they won’t even want to leave home!).

Preparing children for the world, requires this delicate balance of encouragement and warning.

Preparing people for the Christian life requires that same kind of balance:

On one hand, being a real follower of Jesus, being part of God’s Kingdom, is the most blessed life a person could live.

Because of our relationship with God through Jesus, our lives are infused with love, joy, peace, mercy, grace and purpose…

But, on the other hand, living a Christian life and taking part in the Great Commission in the midst of a secular world, can be extremely difficult.

When we live by the values of God’s Kingdom, we will be mocked and persecuted.

When we proclaim the Gospel, we will be despised.

In some parts of the world, being a Christian can cost you your very life.

II. Why Listen?

As human beings, we have difficulty dealing with prejudice and persecution. We don’t like to be looked at as peculiar or as misfits; from an early age, we go to extremes to avoid being mocked and ridiculed and made to feel like outcasts. BUT, the reality of the Christian life is that we are misfits, we are a peculiar people. Jesus calls us to proclaim a message that many people despise.

So, how do we deal with persecution? How deal with rejection?

The Good News is that we aren’t the first ones to have to endure persecution. Jesus experienced overwhelming persecution and rejection. The apostles were threatened, beaten, imprisoned, and either martyred or exiled because of their faith.

So, our text today, will help us learn how to prepare for—and deal with—rejection and persecution that comes as a result of the Christian life.

I love how up front Jesus was with His disciples about the realities of the Christian life. He didn’t feed them the pie in the sky version of Christianity we so frequently hear in the contemporary church. That balance that I spoke about—namely of the blessing and hardships that accompany Christianity— is precisely what we see in Matthew 10—which is about the commissioning of the twelve apostles.

A couple of weeks ago, we looked at the first 15 verses of this chapter, where Jesus encouraged the twelve about their mission in the world; they were to be heralds of the Good News. He gave them special authority to do miracles as they went about proclaiming the Gospel.

And then Jesus moved from encouragement to brutal honesty.

He said, “I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.”

That is a way to rain on someone’s parade.

Sheep and Wolves

In the Bible, Christians are often likened to sheep.

John 10:11 ESV

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

In his book A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm, Philip Keller points out that sheep are vulnerable to many dangers:

Plants can be a danger to sheep as they are known to eat poisonous vegetation.

They are highly vulnerable to extreme weather conditions.

They are prone to cuts and abrasions, as well as diseases from insects and parasites.

But, the greatest danger to sheep comes from predators like the wolf.

And Jesus—the Good Shepherd—told his disciples, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.

Jesus used that graphic illustration to warn and prepare his disciples of the rejection and persecution that they would face.

As we have seen, chapter 10 is specifically about the 12 apostles.

Those men and then the Apostle Paul functioned in a unique calling .

The 12 were personally trained for ministry by Jesus Christ Himself.

They were the ones who Jesus called and empowered to build the foundation of Christ’s church

According to (Eph. 2:19) that foundation has been laid.

Much of the persecution that Jesus speaks about is specific to them; but there are universal truths in this chapter that apply to all Christians. Those universal truths are what I want us to focus on today.

III. Exposition

A. Persecution is Inevitable

In our text, Jesus is NOT warning his apostles of “potential” persecution. His statements are definitive:

Men will deliver you over to courts

You will be dragged before governors and kings

In the Christian Life, Persecution is inevitable.

We could break down the opposition that Jesus outlined into three broad categories:

(1) Religious Persecution; (2) Governmental Persecution; (3) Cultural Persecution

i. Persecution from the Religious Community (17)

Matthew 10:17 ESV

Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues,

The courts that Jesus spoke about were the local Jewish courts. Even under the heavy hand of Rome, the Jews had some level of legal control, even when it came many civil issues. Disputes were often adjudicated in their own courts, which were part of their synagogues.

Convictions in religious matters were punished by flogging—which included several harsh strokes to the breast, followed by several lashes to the back.

The apostles were eager to share the Good News with their people—the good news that their long-awaited Messiah had finally come. But many of those people would reject their message and would punish and humiliate the apostles before their own people in the Jewish assembly.

Not only would the apostles be mistreated at the hands of the religious community, but also “governors and kings” would persecute them (v. 18-20).

ii. Persecution from the Government (18-20)

Governors were Roman Procurators and other overseers in Roman provinces.

Kings represent heads of state.

When we read the book of Acts, we see that Jesus’ words came to pass: the apostles were bought before the religious courts, as in Acts chapter 4; they were finally turned over to the rulers of the Roman world as we see in passages such as Acts 14:5 and 16:19-34.

Jesus mentions one more category of persecution:

iii. Family and Cultural Persecution (21-23)

Matthew 10:21–22 (ESV)

Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Not only would the disciples experience persecution from the religious community and from the government, but they would experience hatred from their family (brother against brother, father against child, children against parents). And they would be persecuted by the culture at large: you will be hated by “all” men.

Obviously not every person in the secular world is going to hate Christians, but Jesus is making a point about the pervasiveness of hatred that will come against Christians.

Being hated by your own family would have been particularly hard to deal with in the 1st century in the Jewish community, which was a patriarchal structure as well as a shame and honor culture. Family was everything. It would have been a disgrace to be cast out by a person’s family.

Bottom Line: As the disciples would go about their mission of doing the work of the Kingdom, they would experience intense persecution.

*Persecution is not unique to the apostles; it has been—and will continue to be—the experience of every Real Follower of Jesus.

2 Timothy 3:12 (ESV)

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

Romans 8:16–17 ESV

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Dan Graves—of Christianity today—tells the story of the brave Protestant preacher, John Rogers.

The day was February 4, 1955. Rogers was lead to the stake to be burned alive for his stand against the corruption and erroneous doctrine of the Catholic church.

Rogers was born around 1500 and was educated at Cambridge. He became a Catholic priest but quickly became disillusioned with some of the doctrines and corruption of the Catholic church.

Consequently, he resigned his post, and moved to Holland. While in Holland, he became friends with the great William Tyndale—the reformer who is known for translating the Bible into English.

Tyndale converted Rogers to the doctrines of the Protestant faith—namely, the true Gospel of salvation of grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to Scripture alone, to the glory of God alone. Rogers then married his wife Arianna.

A short time later, Tyndale was arrested and would eventually be executed. Before his arrest, he left his manuscripts of part of the OT with Rogers. For the next twelve months, Rogers then labored tirelessly to put together a complete English translation of the Bible, by combining works of Tyndale and Coverdale.

Tyndale had been declared a heretic, so his name could not go on the new English Bible. Rogers was not the translator, so he couldn’t take credit for it. Therefore, he used the pseudonym Thomas Matthews. The Matthews Bible would become the first authorized translation of the Bible in the English Language.

When Edward the 6th became King of England (who was a protestant), John Rogers returned to England safely with his wife—and then eight children, where He was given high positions in the Church of England.

After Edward the 6th died, a Roman Catholic—Mary the 1st—became Queen. After her rise to power, Rogers preached a powerful message, urging his church to remain loyal to Reformation principles and the true Gospel, and—according to Fox’s book of Martyrs—exhorted his congregation to beware of “pestilent popery, idolatry, and superstition.”

Shortly after that sermon, Rogers was arrested by the Mayor and put under house arrest where he stayed with his wife and two children. After some time in house arrest, he was taken to the prison called Newgate, where he was lodged with violent criminals; that prison would become his home for one year. His wife—pregnant with their 11th child—was not allowed to visit him.

While imprisoned, Rogers was given opportunity to renounce his Protestant faith and to give his allegiance to the Catholic Church. He refused. One clergy member then said, “Thou art a heretic,” to which he responded “that shall be known at the day of judgment.”

When the sentence for his execution was passed, Rogers begged the officials to speak one last time to his wife. The request was denied.

Rogers was then led to the stake; on the journey he loudly repeated the 51st Psalm. On the journey the streets were filled with spectators; within the crowd, he saw his family— his ten children, and then his wife, holding his infant, 11th child, which he saw for the first time.

When he was attached to the post, the fire was lit under him. As the flames rose around him, Rogers lifted his burnt hands firmly into the— air as if in victory— and he committed his spirit to his heavenly Father.

Awestruck by Roger’s bravery and faith, the crowds roared in applause to encourage and strengthen him.

His bravery and sacrifice gave courage to others that held to his same convictions. He would be the first of 288 martyrs who would die for their faith during the reign of Bloody Mary.

Rogers story is not an isolated one; it has been a common experience throughout the history of the church.

Even today—all over the world—people are willingly losing their lives for the sake of the Gospel.

Most Christians in America, will likely not face that level of persecution, but times are proving to be more and more difficult for us. The Pew Research Center released a study that showed that most evangelical leaders believe that persecution in our country is going to continue to progress both in pervasiveness and intensity.

But even now— ff we are faithful to proclaim the Gospel and continue to live out our faith—we will experience some level of prejudice and persecution.

We will be mocked, deemed as Bigots, called misfits because of our convictions, accused of Hate Crimes, and perhaps experience tragedies such as Job loss, owing to our faith.

I shared a few weeks ago, that on one hand, it is hard to call what we face persecution

But on the other hand, I don’t want to diminish what we go through

One of the greatest human fears is the fear of rejection.

Psychology Today reported that MRI studies have shown that when we experience rejection, the same areas of the brain become activated as when we experience physical pain.

As uncomfortable as that kind of prejudice is—no matter what level of persecution we face, we the Bible implores us to continue to serve God, serve people, and proclaim the Gospel!

B. The Reason for Persecution

Why are people so antagonistic towards Christians? Because Many People Hate Christ!

You might remember the story in Chapter 9, where Jesus cast the evil spirits out of the mute man.

The religious leaders accused Him of casting demons out by the power of Satan.

Matthew 10:24–25 ESV

“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.

Jesus said, they hated Me, they will hate my followers as well.

Why would people hate Jesus?

i. The Religious: Because the Gospel is offensive to Religious People

a) The religious hate the message of Salvation by Grace.

Throughout the book of Matthew we’ve seen the religious leaders of the first century—were constantly exposed by Jesus.

Those spiritual elites thought that they were holy and deserving of a relationship with God by their good works.

But Jesus revealed that—though they looked good on the outside—that their hearts were far from God.

Jesus said he came for the sinners. They were not convinced of their own sin and need of a Savior.

Application:

It is hard to reach religious people—those convinced of their own goodness—that they need Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and the ability to come into the Kingdom of God.

When you preach the Gospel message—which includes the idea that we are all sinners—it is extremely offensive to somewhat moral, generous people.

ii. The Government: Despise Who Jesus’ Claimed to Be

Jesus—throughout the Gospel Accounts—made the outrageous to be the Son of God. He claims to be Lord.

Matthew 7:21 ESV

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

In the Roman world, Caesar was considered to be Lord, which meant the emperor demanded full allegiance.

It was a huge issue to follow someone else as Lord.

Application:

That is still an issue with heads of state today. They know that to follow Jesus as Lord, means that you can’t possibly follow him or her as Lord. There is always going to be conflict with their ungodly regulations and the Kingdom principles that Jesus calls us to follow.

iii. Why Do Christians Experience Persecution from the Secular World? (You would think that would love the message of salvation)

One Reason: People Love Their Sin

John 3:19 ESV

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

They don’t want to give up their wicked ways.

They don’t so much mind Jesus being Savior, but they don’t want to get off the thrones of their own lives. The western mentality today is “no-one is going to tell me what to do.”

People hate Christians, simply because they despise Christ.

Implication: Persecution Should Come for the Sake of Christ, Not from Our Own Stupidity and Abrasiveness

It’s like, don’t go out and be rude, contentious, and malevolent—and then say you are suffering for Jesus.

Matthew 10:16 (ESV)

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

i. Serpents:

Serpents are shrewd. They are careful and show sharp powers of judgement.

In other words, Jesus is saying, don’t go looking for persecution.

He told his disciples in the previous verses that if a town rejected them, to shake the dust from their feet and move on.

Persecution will naturally come; don’t invite it. Don’t have a martyrs’ complex.

ii. Doves

Doves—on the other hand—are pure and harmless.

Jesus is saying, be compassionate, be pure. Don’t lie. Speak the truth in love.

Finding that balance is difficult.

If you only resemble the serpent, you will not only be wise, but you will be manipulative, untruthful, and even malevolent towards your persecutors.

If you are only like a dove, you will be naive and persecution will crush you.

We must be shrewd, but also compassionate and truthful as we go as sheep amongst the wolves. Many people despised Christ, and if we are following Him, the world will also despise us.

C) Application

A) Persecution Gives Us an Opportunity Glorify Christ by Being Powerful Witnesses

Matthew 10:18 (ESV)

and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.

One commentator told the following story that fits so well with our text. He writes:

In the days of the Roman Emperor Nero, there lived and served him a band of soldiers known as the "Emperor’s Wrestlers." Fine, reliable men they were, picked from the best and the bravest of the land, recruited from the great athletes of the Roman amphitheater.

In the great amphitheater they upheld the arms of the emperor against all challengers. Before each contest, they stood before the emperor’s throne. Then through the courts of Rome rang the cry: "We, the wrestlers, wrestling for thee, O Emperor, to win for thee the victory and from thee, the victor’s crown."

When the great Roman army was sent to fight in Gaul, no soldiers were braver or more loyal than this band of wrestlers led by their commander, Vespossian. But news reached Nero that many of the Roman soldiers had accepted the Christian faith. Therefore, the following decree was dispatched to the commander; "If there be any among your soldiers who cling to the faith of the Christian, they must die!"

The decree was received in the dead of winter. The soldiers were camped on the shore of a frozen inland lake. It was with sinking heart that Vespasian read the emperor’s message.

He called the soldiers together and asked: "Are there any among you who cling to the faith of the Christian? If so, let him step forward!" Forty wrestlers instantly stepped forward two paces, respectfully saluted, and stood at attention. Vespossian paused. He had not expected so many to step forward, many of whom he considered friends. "Until sundown I shall await your answer," he said. Sundown came. Again the question was asked. Again the forty wrestlers stepped forward.

Vespossian pleaded with them long and earnestly without prevailing upon a single man to deny his Lord. Finally he said, "The decree of the emperor must be obeyed, but I am not willing that your comrades should shed your blood. I order you to march out upon the lake of ice, and I shall leave you there to the mercy of the elements."

The forty wrestlers were stripped and then, falling into columns of four, marched toward the center of the lake of ice. As they marched they broke into the chant of the arena: "Forty wrestlers, wrestling for Thee, O Christ, to win for Thee the victory and from Thee, the victor’s crown!"

Through the night Vespossian stood by his campfire and watched. As he waited through the long night, there came to him fainter and fainter the wrestlers’ song.

As morning drew near, one figure, overcome by exposure, crept quietly toward the fire; in the extremity of his suffering he had renounced his Lord. Faintly but clearly from the darkness came the song: "Thirty-nine wrestlers, wrestling for Thee, O Christ, to win for Thee the victory and from Thee, the victor’s crown!"

Vespossian looked at the figure drawing close to the fire. Perhaps he saw eternal light shining there toward the center of the lake. Who can say? But off came his helmet and clothing, and he sprang upon the ice, crying, "Forty wrestlers, wrestling for Thee, O Christ, to win for Thee the victory and from Thee, the victor’s crown!"

The apostle Paul said, “I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:13). Oh, if only we had people who were just willing to be persecuted for the cause of Christ!

B) Are We Experiencing Persecution?

2 Timothy 3:12 ESV

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

If we don’t experience any level of persecution or reject, perhaps we aren’t truly living up to the mission to which Christ has called us.

If we proclaim the Gospel to the lost, we will experience—from time to time—some level of malevolence from secular world

If we are living out Christian behavior and attitudes, we will be outcasts.

I challenge you to evaluate your Christian walk.

May the Lord grant us the power of the HS, to be bold in our proclamation, and faithful in our Christian walk; may He grant us the grace to endure temptation.