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.
Jesus wanted his disciple to know in advance what it would cost to bear witness to his name and to share the testimony that he was the messiah. However, knowing this was not enough to give them sufficient courage to actually do so before the resurrection and ascension of Jesus and the descent of his Holy Spirit. Even after the resurrection they still holed up behind closed doors for fear of the Jews. But after Pentecost they went to the streets and demonstrated and utter lack of concern for such threats. After Pentecost these words of Jesus about the difficulties they would face no longer described seemingly insurmountable challenges. When only heard humanly, such challenges seemed overwhelming. Rather, heard in the light of the Holy Spirit, the disciples were able to correctly count the cost and understand the difficulty of what they were being asked. Heard spiritually they were able to understand that they would be able to rise to meet them with the help of grace. The same Spirit who helped them to listen to these words would also be present to help them speak their own words when necessary.
We need these words of Jesus to help prepare us to give our own testimony when we are given the opportunity. When we operate at a merely human level we shrink, not only from prisons, king, and governors, but even from embarrassment and inconvenience. Without these words we may only be willing to share our testimony situations so idealized and optimal that they happen only rarely or never. But Jesus clearly envisioned that his disciples would share his Gospel even with those who would reject it. He wanted everyone to have the space of freedom to make their own response. It could not be clear to his disciples in advance that some of the greatest antagonists of the Gospel would go on to become some of the greatest advocates. It probably initially seemed that Stephen had wasted his effort and his many words of testimony to those who stoned him to death. But one who heard him, Paul, went on to become the greatest champion of Christian evangelization in history.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
It is not only in extreme situations, when our lives are on the line, that we need to rely on Jesus for wisdom in speaking. Preparing our defense beforehand in the way against which Jesus warned is a surefire way to make it stale, stagnant, static, and ineffective. People will hear defensiveness in our defense. They will recognize our lack of openness to the living presence to Jesus in the moment, as though we are sticking closely to a carefully prepared script. We will be as easy to dismiss as a flyer or a tract that could just has easily come from anyone and been about anything. We will, in short, sound like a sales pitch, designed to manipulate others while protecting ourselves. If we are instead open to the working of the Holy Spirit in the moment people will sense our vulnerability and sincerity and won't immediately put up their own defenses. We won't be stuck relying on trying to figure out what to say by guessing based on external clues. We will be guided by the one who knows the hearts of those to whom we speak.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
We're supposed to care more about the Kingdom of Jesus than our own lives. But we often seem to prefer, not just our lives, but our comfort and our other relationships to Jesus. In order to become good witnesses to him and to his resurrection we need to trust that he is able to keep us safe at the deepest levels of our being. Even death is, at worst, only a temporary setback when we are following him. If even death can lead to resurrection what is to stop Jesus from bringing good about any other sacrifices, large or small, that we make for him?
By your perseverance you will secure your lives.
Newsboys - Step Up To The Microphone
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