Dear Student of the Word,
Thank you for your help in preparing this study of Luke's gospel for publication. How are you doing that, you may ask? I am editing these studies to get them ready for book format, and sending them to you gives me the incentive to get each one edited. This week, we look at Jesus' often misunderstood teaching about the coming destruction of the Temple, which many people believe to be a teaching about the end times of Jesus' return. It is not. This week, I wrote in part three of this seven-part study, which can be downloaded at the end of this entry:
Study Twenty-Nine, Part Three
12 "But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 This will result in your being witnesses to them. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 All men will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By standing firm you will gain life.
21:12&13 – Jesus isn’t describing the end of the age in this verse, but the end of Jerusalem and consequently, Old Testament Judaism. He warned the disciples that they would be hunted, persecuted, and brought before leaders for trial and judgment. Of course we know that God used this persecution to send His servants to declare His word even to Caesar. Persecution is a way of life for Christians, as Jesus said earlier in Luke: “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets”(Luke 6:26).
This fact should not surprise us, and does not mean we should do stupid or rude things that draw the anger of men. If we are standing for truth and God, however, we will inevitably upset those with money and power. What’s more, we should rejoice when it happens:
They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name (Acts 5:40-42).
21:14&15 – We should be at peace even when we are persecuted and forced to defend ourselves and God. God will always give you what you need when you need it, including the words to refute your enemies. What an important promise that is! Jesus was saying, “When they arrest you and bring you to trial, relax. The Spirit will work with you and speak through you.” We see this happening in the case of Stephen, the first martyr, as described in Acts 7. He did such a good job defending his faith that they stoned him to death, but God used his death to spread His word and many came to faith in Jesus. We must take seriously the warning that was written in Revelation:
“They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!” (Revelation 12:11-12).
21:16&17 – At this point, the disciples were probably sorry they had raised this issue and asked these questions. Jesus went on to tell them that their families would turn against them and that some of them would be killed. Jesus waited until near the end of His time on earth before He shared this truth with them. I am sure that there are things that Jesus has yet to show me because He knew I couldn’t handle them until now.
Family betrayal may be one of the hardest issues to endure. My wife and I went through this years ago when we first became Christians. Our families weren’t happy with us at all, and at one point, we didn’t see my wife’s folks for six years. We endured and rejoiced, however, and eventually our relationships were restored. Before that, however, it was a difficult time, but it definitely taught us to look to Jesus and keep our eyes fixed on Him.
Are you facing any persecution? Is it because of sin or because of your stand for Jesus? If it’s sin, then you need to repent. If it’s because you are a Christian, then you need to rejoice.
21:18&19 – We may lose our earthly lives, but God will preserve us for all eternity. That should give us confidence and the ability to stand firm.
As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled Your Life Matters: Daily Reflections from the Book of Psalms. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Luke's gospel from God's word.
Comments