Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Holy smokes does it look like Jesus could have used a public relations advisor, marketing guru, or spokesperson! Are these the words of someone looking to spur a revelation that sweeps the world and alters history?!
In our marketing-saturated, comfort-driven, ease-seeking culture, telling people that things will be hard (and deadly) does not attract the masses. In this passage, Jesus sets the reality of the mission before His disciples, acknowledging that it will be so hard that it will cost some of them their lives. Despite this, He also acknowledges the hope set before them that makes it all worth it: the Gospel fully realized.*
Jesus wasn’t looking for the masses; He was looking for those willing to respond to the call of God on their lives no matter the cost. Truly, not all who said yes to Jesus that day died because of their faith, but all were asked to be willing.
Signing up to follow Jesus too often looks like the comfort of knowing that our place in heaven is secured and that Sunday mornings in a building with others who want to know about God are on the calendar. Jesus describes a costly discipleship that involves total commitment to Him in a way that mirrors His commitment to the Father.
Growing up, I often wondered if I could answer “yes” in the same way that those martyred in history did when asked if they believed in Jesus. A simple “no” would have saved their lives. In praying about it, I realized that the “yes” that cost them their life for Jesus that day was the same “yes” that they said the day before that and the day before that. Every day of their lives were lived for Christ.
God may not ask us to lose our lives, our belongings, and our family. He will ask us to be willing, though. There are two responses available to His invitation: endurance, or falling away. The choice is ours today.
Remember, if you are enduring hardship today, it is temporary. There is hope set before us, and the Hope is here and now.
I pray that you see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13).
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to surrender all to Him. Perhaps God has been asking you to give up something hard, or step into a risky space and today He is asking for your “yes.” Maybe God wants you to take a step by being willing to give Him all that He asks for. Perhaps today He wants to remind you of the hope set before you because the struggle is temporary.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.
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*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 599–602, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 24:9–13).) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).