Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness….

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons….

“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.  Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles.  When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Matthew 10:1, 5-8 & 16-20 

Only Christ Jesus is holy.  We are all sinners.  We are each separated from God.  We each have seeds of evil within us.  We each are in desperate need of God’s holy healing grace through Christ Jesus.

The events of Holy Week put the hatred and evil of the world on shocking display, and even worse, it reveals that people who believe they are God’s instruments, the chosen doing God’s holy work and who present themselves to others as such, are capable of committing atrocities against God.  Religious leaders believed they were preserving God’s church, they believed they were serving God when they killed God incarnate.  

It all happened exactly the way Jesus and God’s holy word said it would, which lends credibility to both.  So when Jesus says the world responds to His followers the same way it responded to Him – with hate, persecution and evil – we must take His words seriously.  And when Jesus sends His followers out into the world to shine His light, reveal His love and offer His life, knowing that much of the world will hate their message and persecute them, we must ask why and ponder what that means for us. 

As I contemplate this, five scenes from Scripture come to mind.  First is the account of Jesus sending the twelve out as missionaries to the “lost sheep of Israel” saying, 

As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’  Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Matthew 10:7-8 

Jesus sent them to preach good news to God’s people, the people of Israel, but He knew His messengers would be rejected and persecuted.  He continued saying,

“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.  Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles.  When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Matthew 10:17-20

Jesus sent the twelve to God’s people.  He sent them to preach the good news of the kingdom of heaven to God’s people, yet He knew they would be rejected and persecuted, or perhaps slaughtered like sheep sent into the midst of wolves.  If we are God’s people and we insert ourselves into the scenario, are we more like the sheep or the wolves?

The second scene that comes to mind takes place immediately after the Last Supper.  During the amazing prayer filling the entire 17th chapter of John, Jesus acknowledges that the world is and will be at odds with His followers.  Referring to His disciples, Jesus says, 

“the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.  I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one.” John 17:14-15

A couple breaths later, Jesus prays, “As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world” (John 17:18).  

In essence, Jesus explains that the world hates His followers because they are associated with Him and His followers need holy protection.  He also sends them out into the world on His mission.  He sends His followers out into the darkness, the chaos, the place filled with hatred directed toward them.  He intentionally sends them out into world as His agents, knowing they will be like sheep among wolves.  

The third scene takes place sometime after the first Easter.  The disciples returned to Galilee where they found their boats and nets and went back to work fishing for fish.  Jesus went to Galilee and called them back to His great mission on earth.  After blessing them with an amazing catch, cooking breakfast and eating with them, Jesus spoke to Peter.  Three times, Jesus asked Peter to feed His sheep.  He explained that Peter would lose his freedom because of Jesus, and then Jesus said, “Follow me” (John 21:19).  Jesus appointed Peter to a mission; He explained that it would cost Peter everything, including his freedom and ultimately his life; and immediately after that, Jesus said, “Follow me.”  A few sentences later, Jesus repeated the command to “Follow me” (John 21:22).

We claim association with Christ Jesus.  We call ourselves His followers, His disciples even, but are we really prepared to suffer because of our witness?

The fourth scene occurs a little later.  The disciples returned to Jerusalem and as they prepared for their new mission, Jesus appeared and taught about the kingdom of God and on the fortieth day after that first Easter, Jesus ascended to heaven as the disciples watched.  Early in Acts, Luke writes,

After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.  While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”  He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.  Acts 1:3-9

Just before ascending to heaven, Jesus sends His disciples out into the world to tell everyone about their experiences with Christ Jesus.  He sends them, and us, out into the world as His witnesses, telling others about our experiences with Christ Jesus.  He also calls His followers to go out into the world as His agents to do as He did, to continue His mission, to serve as His salt flavoring the bland world, to serve as His light illuminating the darkness, to allow His love to flow through them so that the world will know that they are truly His disciples, and to continue His mission of seeking and saving those who are lost so that they might find their way.  Jesus commands us to love our enemies and He sends us out to interact with people who hate us and to serve as agents of His loving grace to those who hate us.  And He knows His followers, His disciples, will be hated and persecuted by forces of evil in the world.

Does the thought persecution because of your association with Christ Jesus cause you concern or fear? Does it cause you to reconsider your commitment to Him?  Evil forces exist in the world, but we know God has all power and authority in heaven and on earth, and Jesus promises we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us.  We receive His power and while forces of evil, persecution and hatred exist, Christ Jesus conquers all.  His love wins.

Fifth, not only does Jesus have absolute authority over all creation, including forces of evil, He grants authority over the enemy to His people.  Like when He sent out the twelve disciples as missionaries, Jesus also sent seventy missionaries out to preach and heal saying, “Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves” (Luke 10:3).  Luke records their return like this:

The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!”  He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.  See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you.  Luke 10:17-19

Time and time again, Jesus promises that the world hates His followers.  He promises His followers will be persecuted; nonetheless, He sends us out into the world as His agents of love.  He sends us out into the darkness so that His love might flow through us, transforming the world one heart at a time.  As He sends us, He grants us a portion of His authority over evil and He promises the power of the Holy Spirit fills us.  While Jesus promises mission, love, hatred, and persecution, we know He conquers, His love wins, and we have His power and authority over evil.

As the scenes swirl in my mind, I think about how little persecution I have known.  I am not complaining, but I wonder why.  It possibly means we are submerged in a time and place so immersed in relationship with God through Christ Jesus that this little part of the world is not opposed to the kingdom of God.  It possibly means we are closer to the world than to God and our lukewarm witness is of no threat to the world, and not worthy of the energy necessary to expose the world’s hatred, persecution and evil.  It may mean we are being groomed, we are being allowed time to build a foundation, a strong relationship with God through Christ Jesus so that we are prepared for the persecution to come.  Perhaps it means I need to reconsider my view of persecution to include subtler forms of attack, or perhaps it means something entirely different.  Situations are often blends combining elements of the extremes.

Jesus sends His disciples out into the world like sheep among wolves.  He prays asking God the Father to protect His disciples from the evil one because the world hates them.  I pray we truly are His agents out in the world revealing His love, light and life, truly serving as He seeks to transform one heart at a time.  I pray our witness is worthy of attack from evil forces.  May God continue to protect you, continue to transform you into the image of Christ Jesus, continue to fill you with His Holy Spirit, and continue to reveal His glory through you.  Amen.