They will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name.
Being a follower of Jesus did not necessarily make one popular or successful. It would be more likely that those who genuinely loved his name would be met with hostility and opposition. After all, the message of Jesus did not sit comfortably with those who were in power. They had typically sought that power because of greed or pride or vanity, acquired it through corruption, and maintained it through the oppression of the weak and the poor. The proclamation of the Lordship of Jesus was a definitive statement that the power of worldly rulers was relative, temporary, and destined to come under judgement on the last day.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Opposition, for Christians, was to be seen as an opportunity. What would be catastrophic for most individuals would be for Christians an opportunity to proclaim the Gospel and give their testimony. This sort of thing happened repeatedly throughout the events described in Acts.
When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas (see Acts 16:27-29).
When Paul was under house arrest in Rome he nevertheless "welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance" (see Acts 28:30-31). These weren't the sort of situations one could easily imagine before they happened. Successfully navigating them required a spirit attentive to the guidance of Jesus, receptive to the "wisdom in speaking" that he himself promised to provide. Those who were thus guided would see their enemies powerless to resist or refute the message, even though the words might seem simple to the point of being insufficient. Those who instead insisted on relying on their own intelligence would often experience that, no matter what they said, it was never enough. No argument, no matter how comprehensive, would make a difference without the assistance of grace and the guidance of the Spirit.
You will even be handed over by parents,
brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
Speaking the words of Jesus to those who did not yet accept them was likely to push them toward a crisis of conscience, making them likely to lash out violently, whether verbally, or even physically. It was important for Christians to remember that this didn't mean things had gone awry or were no longer going according to plan. Rather such hostility was included in the plan of Jesus and for it he had already accounted in advance. We saw it, for instance, in the martyrdom of Stephen, to which Paul bore witness. Stephen did not respond to violence with violence but kept his gaze on God. As a result his very life became a testimony to Jesus (see Acts 7:55). By his perseverance he secured life eternally, down to the last hair on his head, at the resurrection of the righteous. He gained the right to join the saints in heaven in singing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
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