Luke 21:10-19 – Persecution and Hope
Christ does not prophecy smooth and easy things for His disciples. He does not promise them comfort, but persecution, imprisonment, betrayal, murder, and hatred. The book of Acts gives us many instances of the fulfilment of this prophecy. And the history of the church also shows us the truth of this prophecy. Wherever there have been followers of Christ, there has always been more or less persecution. We need to get our heads round the fact that a true Christian will suffer for being a Christian. Our best things are yet to come because this world is not our home. If we are definite, faithful servants of Christ, the world will certainly hate us as it hated our Master. No consistency of behaviour, no integrity, no kindness and friendliness, will exempt a believer from the world’s dislike. It is foolish to be surprised at this, and it is a waste of time to complain about it.
But Christ also gives a great promise to His followers. He knows the hearts of His disciples. He understands that He has just told them something that could understandably scare them. So, He encourages them by promising that they will not perish. What does this mean? That they won’t die? No, that would contradict not only what He just said, but the facts of history. What Jesus means is that no matter what suffering a Christian has to go through, the most important thing in his life, his faith, will not be destroyed. He still has eternal life with Christ in God. His treasure is still in Heaven, and his soul is beyond the reach of harm.
Questions
- Why will Christians be persecuted?
- How are we sometimes persecuted? What should our response be?
- What promises does Christ give us?
Prayer Points
- Pray for Christians being persecuted in other countries.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.