We see that Matthew shows right up front that true disciples are expected to face
abuse from unbelievers.
In fact, if a Christian suffers no persecution, one may wonder just how sincere he is. A problem has to do with the division of Christianity into the "professional clergy and missionaries" and everyone else. It's as if everyone else merely audits a class in Christianity weekly or biweekly but is sufficiently conformist to avoid the wrath of people with power to disrupt their lives.
In any case, Jesus is saying, why grieve over such wrongs? You have a wonderful payoff coming!
Some who turn to Christ fall away when persecution comes. They have not considered that following Jesus requires the total commitment of one's being. [BT.4i*]
You must be willing to turn away from those who seek to impede you from following Jesus with all your heart, soul and mind. If not, you will be torn between two masters (see upcoming: Matthew 6:24).
All this sounds like a very tall order. But, because of the grace of God, it is not really too hard. In fact, "my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:30) [BT.4iv*]
Let us pause for a moment to think upon the numerous horrendous persecutions of the past, along with many that occur in modern times in places other than America. Right from the gospel's Roman beginnings, Christians endured unspeakable atrocities as the authorities made strenuous efforts to exterminate the new faith. Yet, the gospel was unstoppable, in those years spreading without use of the sword and in the face of severe sanctions.
Eventually, the church prevailed, only to find that the mix of temporal and spiritual power that followed brought great difficulties. In fact, some sincere believers, over the centuries, were martyred for refusing to recant under pressure from church authorities.
We have
We can learn something from this veiling. A Christian can make an effort not to throw his "holy" around by instead striving for a humble attitude, always considering as better than himself those who are less fortunate in not yet having the light. After all, they are weaker and so are asked to endure more; they are heavy laden by the sufferings due to blindness and their situation as spiritual zombies. Much of the time a Christian who keeps a low profile will avoid trouble. But every now and then – and this could include the act of going to church or of giving someone a Christian tract – the Christian's light sets off anger (=fear) in the worldling. Though it may seem paradoxical, a Christian who maintains a lowly profile is letting his light shine – on those who can receive it.
In fact, if a Christian suffers no persecution, one may wonder just how sincere he is. A problem has to do with the division of Christianity into the "professional clergy and missionaries" and everyone else. It's as if everyone else merely audits a class in Christianity weekly or biweekly but is sufficiently conformist to avoid the wrath of people with power to disrupt their lives.
In any case, Jesus is saying, why grieve over such wrongs? You have a wonderful payoff coming!
Some who turn to Christ fall away when persecution comes. They have not considered that following Jesus requires the total commitment of one's being. [BT.4i*]
You must be willing to turn away from those who seek to impede you from following Jesus with all your heart, soul and mind. If not, you will be torn between two masters (see upcoming: Matthew 6:24).
All this sounds like a very tall order. But, because of the grace of God, it is not really too hard. In fact, "my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:30) [BT.4iv*]
Let us pause for a moment to think upon the numerous horrendous persecutions of the past, along with many that occur in modern times in places other than America. Right from the gospel's Roman beginnings, Christians endured unspeakable atrocities as the authorities made strenuous efforts to exterminate the new faith. Yet, the gospel was unstoppable, in those years spreading without use of the sword and in the face of severe sanctions.
Eventually, the church prevailed, only to find that the mix of temporal and spiritual power that followed brought great difficulties. In fact, some sincere believers, over the centuries, were martyred for refusing to recant under pressure from church authorities.
We have
Romans 8:28
In any case, the world turns against you because it cannot stand your
light, which is the light of Christ. Let us reflect again on Moses descending Mt. Sinai, his face glowing with divine light. The people
recoiled to such an extent that he was forced to wear a veil in order
to protect them from too much God. [BT.8*] Those people were not ready for
that much God.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
We can learn something from this veiling. A Christian can make an effort not to throw his "holy" around by instead striving for a humble attitude, always considering as better than himself those who are less fortunate in not yet having the light. After all, they are weaker and so are asked to endure more; they are heavy laden by the sufferings due to blindness and their situation as spiritual zombies. Much of the time a Christian who keeps a low profile will avoid trouble. But every now and then – and this could include the act of going to church or of giving someone a Christian tract – the Christian's light sets off anger (=fear) in the worldling. Though it may seem paradoxical, a Christian who maintains a lowly profile is letting his light shine – on those who can receive it.
