Matthew 10:16 – 23 ESV “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”
Trouble, trials, and persecution are often part of God’s plans for His people. Yes, you read that correctly. God uses difficult situations for His purposes. Some argue that God only gives good things and all of the bad comes from the devil. In a sense I agree. What God gives is for our ultimate good. Yet often times the process God uses is uncomfortable, even painful.
Jesus said He was sending His disciples out as sheep among wolves. Modern Christians are also Jesus’ disciples and He continues to send us into the wolves. Being in the midst of wolves is always uncomfortable for sheep. The only thing that makes it tolerable is the presence of The Shepherd who is always with us and fully capable of protecting us against the fiercest predator.
Why does God, our loving Father, put us into such situations? This passage gives three reasons. First of all, to be a witness. God loves His sheep but He loves the wolves too. They are His creation and He wants everyone to hear the gospel (2 Peter 3:9). If Christians stay secluded they may be safer but then who will spread the Good News of God’s offer of salvation. Jesus specifically tells the disciples that they will be put in stressful, uncomfortable situations but that those times will be opportunities to tell people about God’s love.
The second reason is to reward us. Jesus said that whoever endures the trouble will be saved. Other places talk about receiving rewards (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26, 3:5, 12, 21) . In high school I had a math teacher who told us on the first day that he didn’t give tests. He gave opportunities to earn points. To get an A in his class we needed X amount of points. Y points got us a B, Z points earned a C and so on. At the start we had 0 points but periodically he would give us opportunities to pick up points. I believe God does the same thing. He puts us in situations that we can overcome and earn rewards. NOT SALVATION! That is a free gift.
The third reason is to motivate us to action. If we are comfortable we can get complacent. Sometimes God brings, or allows, persecution / hardship to get us moving. That is what happened in Acts. Jesus gave the great commission to spread the gospel to the world but the early church stayed in Jerusalem because it was comfortable. It took persecution to get them to fulfill Jesus’ command. Sometimes we need a struggle to launch us into action.
Heavenly Father, I have no desire to struggle, suffer, or be persecuted. I do desire to be effective in Your service. If that requires being a sheep among wolves, then grant me the courage and strength to shine brightly.