Mark 13:9-13

Mark 13:9-13  “You must be on your guard.  You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues.  On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.  And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.  Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say.  Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.  “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child.  Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.  All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

This passage is a continuation of Jesus' end time scenario.  One of the interesting aspects of the above scriptures is that Jesus indicates that the disciples (Christians) will be persecuted and harassed because of following Jesus.  Sometimes we in America like to change what Jesus actually said in the above scriptures to something like this:  "On account of me you will" have lots of peace and security the rest of your life.  And believe it or not, no one is going to bother you.  And for sure you won't run into any persecution or trouble.  And then we go on to say:  And you will have an abundance of prosperity and the heathen's wealth will end up in your hands.  Amen!  Of course we like that interpretation of Jesus' sayings.  It sounds so comforting, but I don't know how many of us would have signed on if Jesus would say to us:  “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child.  Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.  All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.  This doesn't sound like a very good assignment for anyone.  For sure, I would rather have the cheering crowd rain down praises on me after I cross the goal line for a touchdown and point my finger to heaven.  I would rather be the preacher before thousands of well-heeled parishioners.  But please don't give me this idea that ALL MEN WILL HATE ME for Christ's sake, that I will have to stand before the authorities of the world and make a defense for my life.  This doesn't sound like good old-fashioned American Christianity to me. 

In our day, we have skewed the calling of Christ to such a point that we have made it all about ourselves--our security, our peace, our well-being.  We have made Christianity a road free from trouble rather than a struggle.  We have said it has to be my way or I am not sure I'll believe in this Christ.  In the above passage, Jesus was preparing his disciples to realize that He, their Messiah, was not going to be crowned in their lifetime.  Instead, they would be experiencing horrendous persecution.  He was telling them to prepare for the worst, for it was to come to them.  And when the worst came, they fled.  They were by Jesus' side when the healings and miracles were performed, they were there when the 5,000 were fed, but they were not there by his side when He was crucified.  They were not there because they were afraid for their lives, and they were also totally disillusioned.  

The question is then, how many of us can face the trials and hardships of life, even the separation from family members and friends, and still have a strong faith in the Lord--still keep on witnessing, still keep on praising God, still loving him with all our strength, soul, and spirit?  This is the test of being a Christian.  Jesus said, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.  He who endures persecution, he who withstands temptation, he who faces down frustrations and disappointments will be saved.  Now can we do this in our flesh?  Hardly, we are weak in the flesh, BUT WE ARE STRONG IN THE SPIRIT.  God graciously through the Holy Spirit has come down to us to give us strength.  We who are alive in God are alive in him because of the Holy Spirit within us.  The disciples were different people after the Day of Pentecost, so are we after the infilling of the Holy Spirit.  All believers now have the revelation of Jesus Christ inside of them.  All Christians depend upon his voice that says, "I know who you are and I am with you.  You are not alone.  No temptation, no persecution, no disappointment, no defeat will drive you away from my loving arms, for I am yours and you will endure because I am in you."  Amen, let it be so!