This sermon was preached to Grace Church Guildford on 30 October 2022. The full video recording of the service can be found below along with the transcript.
What did you expect? What did you expect when you became a Christian? If like myself, you grew up in a family that went to church, had parents who followed Jesus themselves, then you probably expected them to be delighted with the news that you too had become Christian. And not just your parents, but your siblings, friends from youth group, older church members who taught you Sunday School or Bible Class. You probably expected the news of your new faith to be an encouragement to many. We’ve had several baptisms this year where this has been the case. Where a young person who grew up on the fringes of our church family has decided to come inside, to publicly declare through baptism that, like us, they too trust in Jesus. And hearing about this faith has rightly been a cause of celebration and rejoicing for us as a church. And yet, expecting our Christian faith to cause others to celebrate, can be misleading. For while that may be true in here, that is not the case out there. While sharing about our faith may cause other Christians to celebrate, we should not, we cannot, expect the world to do the same. In fact, the Bible is very clear that we should expect the opposite. For when we share our faith with those around us in the world, the Bible tells us we should not expect to be celebrated. Instead, we should expect to be persecuted.
We see this so clearly in our passage this evening. If you remember, last week we began working our way through this second section of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew’s Gospel. The first is the most famous, covering chapters 5-7, it is known as the Sermon on the Mount. However, here in chapter 10 we have the second teaching section, which we could call the Sermon on Mission. For Jesus calls his disciples together in 10:1-4 and then Jesus commissions them in 10:5-15, that is sends them out on their first mission as his apostles, as his special messengers. We see the task they are given in 10:7, where Jesus tells them to go out proclaiming that ‘The Kingdom of heaven has come near.’ However, in 10:8 we see they are not only sent with a message to proclaim, but also miracles to perform. For we read they are to: [READ].
Last week we said that these were the very miracles that Jesus accomplished back in chapters 8-9. What Jesus had been doing up to this point, these apostles are now sent out to do. I’m sure this filled them with confidence, reminded them that God was on their side, perhaps it even gave them somewhat optimistic expectations. After all, how could anyone reject such authority? How could any town hope to hold out against this Kingdom of Heaven? Like those soldiers who signed up at the beginning of WWI, perhaps these disciples also thought this war would probably be over by Christmas. And yet, Jesus quickly corrects any such expectation, for he tells them that the war which is about to begin will be longer and more drawn out than they could ever imagine. Before the apostles head off with the impression that they will sweep through Israel in a few months, be welcomed into towns with open arms, celebrated by crowds as they proclaim Jesus to be the long-awaited King, the Son of David, the Messiah, Jesus adjusts their expectations, teaches them in 10:16-23 that rather than celebration, it is persecution that they should expect. That he is sending them out into trouble and tribulation, sending them out to suffer.
And yet, despite this, we shall see that Jesus teaches there are two rays of light, two glimmers of hope in our passage. For in 10:16-23 we are told two things about such persecution: (1) The Purpose of Persecution (10:16-20); and (2) The Promise of Persecution (10:21-23). Let’s consider these two things together this evening.
1. THE PURPOSE OF PERSECUTION (10:16-20)
That image Jesus begins with in 10:16 is a strange one, isn’t it? Did you notice that? Sheep among wolves. That’s the very opposite of what the Bible usually says. We are usually told of how dangerous it is for a few wolves to find their way into a flock of sheep. However, Jesus reverses that here, and speaks not of a few wolves in a flock of sheep, but a few sheep in a pack of wolves. You can only imagine what kind of carnage that would cause. These sheep don’t stand a chance! They’ll be turned into a tasty meal in a few seconds, nothing would be left to show except for a few scraps of wool! Given this, we might wonder how Jesus can elsewhere be called the Good Shepherd given what he does here. Shepherds are supposed to keep their sheep from wolves, not send their sheep out among wolves! And yet, this is exactly what Jesus says he is doing.
Further, it is not as if Jesus is unaware what is going to happen, for in 10:17 Jesus tells them before they set out they ‘will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues.’ Jesus tells these apostles they will be persecuted. This is a significant step up, escalation, of what Jesus has said before. Back in 10:14, he spoke of how they may be turned away from houses, not welcomed in to stay with that family. However, here, such social rejection has grown into more formal accusations and even physical punishment in 10:17, for they are to ‘be flogged in the synagogues’, flogging being the standard sentence in Jewish communities for breaking their codes and traditions. Further, in 10:18, Jesus says this persecution will continue to grow and develop, for they will ‘be brought before governors and kings’, both of which are official positions of power that were held by Gentiles in the region. Here Jesus predicts there will be a steady increase in persecution: moving from social rejection in 10:14, to accusations and punishment within the Jewish community in 10:17, to standing trial before the powers of the day in 10:18. The path set before the apostles then is one of progressive persecution, gradual growth in opposition and oppression. This is what Jesus predicts, and this is the story that Matthew and the rest of the New Testament tells. For while the apostles do not reach the peak of this persecution in their first mission, as we follow their story we see that Jesus is right every step of the way. For example, in Acts 5:40, the apostles are dragged before the Jewish council in Jerusalem and flogged. Or in Acts 25 the Apostle Paul is brought to stand before a Gentile governor Festus and King Agrippa. Before sending the apostles out on their first mission, Jesus warns them that there is long hard road of persecution ahead.
When we follow the story of Christianity beyond the New Testament and into church history, we see that after these apostles pass down this pathway of persecution, many will soon follow in their footsteps. Indeed, we can conclude with Paul in 2 Timothy 3:12, that it seems ‘everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted’. During some periods of history, Christians have suffered social rejection similar to what the apostles experienced at the beginning in 10:14. They have lost friends because of their faith, been shut out of social circles, criticised by their culture. At other times, they have faced legal penalties and punishments. Christians have not been allowed to own property, or vote, or hold important offices or positions of power. And of course, during some periods, persecution has even risen to the point of martyrdom, of men and women, boys and girls, dying for the name of Jesus. Whether by being thrown to the lions in a Roman colosseum, or burnt at the stake during the Reformation. When you look across the history of this world, you begin to understand why Peter writes in 1 Peter 4:12, ‘Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you... as though something strange were happening to you.’ For friends, it is not strange for Christians to face persecution. In fact, it is strange for Christians not to be persecuted. Whether we look through the pages of the New Testament, or the periods of church history, we will find that the normal context for the Christian life is opposition, persecution. That most Christians in most places in most eras of history have experienced persecution in some shape or form.
Friends, this is even true in our own country. We have a wonderful Christian heritage and history here in the UK. However, we must not allow national pride to stop us from acknowledging that this country has rarely been kind to evangelical Christians. For around 1000 years after Christianity arrived on these shores, despite an occasional flicker of light, most were captive to Roman Catholic theology, that form of gospelless hopeless Christianity that dominated Europe during those years. But even when the Gospel was more widely proclaimed at the Reformation in the 1500s, there was much persecution. The great English Bible translator, William Tynedale, was strangled and burnt at the stake. The author of the Book of Common Prayer, Thomas Cranmer, was likewise executed. In the 1600s, the masterpiece of Pilgrim’s Progress was written during the 12 years that John Bunyan spent in jail for proclaiming the same news these apostles were sent out to preach. In the 1700s, preachers like Wesley and Whitefield suffered much at the hands of the crowds they sought to preach to, indeed their colleague William Seward was literally beaten to death by a mob while trying to share the Gospel with them. During that same century, Baptists like us could not vote, hold public office nor go to university. Even the popular preacher, Charles Spurgeon, in the 1800s faced fierce criticism in the press, which likely contributed to his struggle with depression and early death. Friends, like those battlefields in WWI, every inch of ground Christians have gained in the history of this country has been bought at the price of much blood, come at the cost of many tears. If in the last century, we have faced less persecution than before, we must see this as the exception, not the rule. For even in this country, it is no strange thing for Christians to be persecuted.
As he puts it elsewhere, Jesus teaches in 10:16-20 that in this world we will have trouble. And yet, we see this is persecution with a purpose. This shepherd is not sending sheep among wolves for no reason. O yes, in 10:17-18 he tells them to expect suffering, but at the end of 10:18 he explains why they will suffer. For he says, ‘On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them.’ Their opponents may think they are taking the apostles to trial to be defendants in the dock, but here we see they will actually be acting as witnesses. Far from suffering silencing us, it actually gives us a chance to speak. Rather than persecution being an obstacle, it's really an opportunity (Leithart). Persecution is a platform from which we can proclaim the hope of the Gospel. This is what Jesus drills down on in 10:19-20, where he tells us not to worry about what to say or how we will speak in those moments, for the Holy Spirit will give us the words we need. God himself will speak through us, in the most difficult dangerous moments that we face.
Christian brother or sister, do you worry about what to say or how to say it when you have a chance to speak about Jesus? In one way, it’s natural to feel like that. Sometimes we won’t know what to say, because none of us have all the answers. Sometimes we won’t know how to say it, put it in a way that meets people where they are, causes no unnecessary offence. And yet, we see here that if we open our mouths in those moments, step forward and say something in some way about our faith, that God can speak through us.
Friend, when you get a chance to say something about the Gospel this week, will you take it? When a crack opens up in a conversation with a colleague or classmate, a friend or family member, will you step out into that opening? Will you say something like, ‘You know I was at church on Sunday and one of the songs talked about that...’ Or ‘That’s interesting what you say, because the Bible tells us...’ Or ‘I know it’s workplace policy, but I feel uncomfortable with that because I’m a Christian and...’ Friends, when those cracks appear in conversations, will you step into them, take the opportunity to start a sentence, even if you don’t know how it is going to end? For if you do, God can speak through you in those moments.
In 10:19 we see that God can do this even when we are standing trial, arrested with our lives on the line. Friends, if we can trust him in a moment of great persecution like that, surely, we can trust him when we are having a coffee with a colleague, or chatting over lunch with a friend, or on a walk with our family. Surely, he can even trust him to speak through us when the conversation starts to turn toward more controversial issues, when sexuality and gender questions are put on the table, and we start to experience the social rejection that Jesus spoke of in 10:14. Friends, do you see now that far from such persecution being obstacles to the Gospel, they are opportunities for us to witness. That by causing the world around us to ask more questions, persecution actually gives us the chance to provide more answers. Persecution actually has a purpose, for it allows us to be Christ’s witnesses in this world.
2. THE PROMISE OF PERSECUTION (10:21-23)
So what did you expect when you became a Christian? Some of us, as we said earlier, expected a positive reaction. However, even if we initially got this from those who were closest to us, we have gradually learnt that we cannot expect this from everyone. That the world would rather we kept quiet about our faith, stopped spreading the news about Jesus. And yet, I know some of you never had the luxury of this gradual realisation. Instead, from the very beginning, you knew that Christianity would cost you much. Far from expecting those closest to you to celebrate, you knew they would see your new faith very differently. It brought an end to a long-term romantic relationship, or it meant being cut off by your parents, or having friends who blocked your number and no longer speak to you. And over the years, the relational difficulties haven’t got any easier. Perhaps your faith is still a flash point in your marriage, it sets your spouse off every time you go to church. Or it is still a point of controversy with a child, and they react every time Christianity or church comes up at the dinner table. For some, persecution isn’t merely something we face out in the world, but it is even found in our homes. For some, persecution is painfully personal.
And yet again, we see here in 10:21, that Jesus predicted that this would be the case. He predicted that persecution would not only tear families apart, but would even turn them against each other. For we read:[READ 10:21]. Here we the persecution Jesus has been warning the apostles about progresses to its final stage. Remember it started in 10:14 with social rejection by strangers. Now in 10:21, it reaches its ultimate end. Here there is a final escalation in the identity of the persecutors, it is no longer strangers or even members of our community, but our own family who are acting against us. Here we see that even families can be turned into packs of wolves. That even our homes are not safe from danger. As Jesus puts it in 10:22, ‘You will be hated by everyone because of me...’. Those who should love us most will end up hating us, because we believe in and follow Jesus.
Further, there is an escalation in the result of this persecution, for here we read not merely that we will be rejected, or flogged, or arrested, but that we will be put to death. Friends, see here that trusting in and sharing the good news about Jesus can cost you your friends, can cost you your family, can even cost you your life. And yet despite the extremity of this persecution, Jesus says that it not only has a purpose, but that it also has a promise. For in 10:22 Jesus says, [READ].
Like a soldier, standing firm means standing our ground, not giving way before the enemy. It means sticking at it, hanging in there, like a boxer getting battered in the ring, you just keep on our feet. Standing firm means that we persevere under persecution, hold on to the end, even if that end is death itself.
We will be thinking a lot about how we can stand firm in our morning services from Ephesians 6 over the next few weeks, as we consider the different pieces of armour God has given to help us do that. However, here Jesus reminds us of the reason why we must stand firm. For Jesus promises that if we hold onto him, stick with him, then we will be saved. No, not saved from persecution, for in 10:21-22 we see these apostles will be put to death. No, you will be saved in a far greater way than merely being kept from temporary harm, rescued from momentary affliction. You see, there is something far worse than suffering during your lifetime, for Christianity teaches it is far far worse to suffer in eternity. What is earthy persecution when compared with eternal punishment?
If you are here tonight and are not yet a Christian, have not turned from your sin and trusted in Jesus, do you see here what we Christians are holding on for? Why we are willing to undergo persecution in this life? To even die for what we believe? See here in 10:22 the promise that we are trusting in. Jesus says if we put our faith in him, stand firm in him, then we will be saved. Friend, all the powers of this world cannot undo that promise. There is no form of torture or torment that can take away this truth. Friend, if what Jesus says here is true, do you see why suffering for his name is worth it? Young people, your classmates at school may not celebrate you if you become a Christian, even your teachers may turn against you, and yet do you see what you receive if you believe in Jesus? For if you start following Jesus, stick with Jesus, stand firm in him, then you will be saved. Friend, do you see that no matter what cost you are made to pay in this world, that that prize, salvation in Jesus, is worth the price?
You see, these apostles were not the first to walk down this pathway of persecution. We’re all following in their footsteps, yet they too were following in the footsteps of another. Before these apostles were flogged by the Jewish council, Jesus himself was delivered over to be beaten by the same. Before Paul stood before governors and kings, Jesus himself stood on trial before Pilate and Herod. Before any family had turned on one of his followers, Jesus himself was betrayed by one who was closer than a brother. Accused of crimes he didn’t commit, sentenced to death on a cross, Jesus knows what it means to be persecuted. And yet, just as we do not suffer without a purpose, you can be sure that Christ did not suffer without a purpose. That the Son of God did not permit men to drive nails through his hands and torture him for hours on a piece of wood for no reason. No, Jesus died to save his people. The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus suffered so that you don’t have to.
You see, no matter what cross you are forced to carry in this world, if you trust in Jesus, you will never carry a cross like his. No matter what death you might have to die in this world, if you believe in Jesus, it will never be the death that Jesus died. Forsaken by God, afflicted by the Almighty, punished for all the sins of his people. The Bible is clear that each of us deserves to be punished by God. To suffer for our sins, to experience his eternal wrath against all our rebellion. To not only suffer in this life, but suffer in the eternity to come. And yet, on the cross, Jesus took that punishment for all who turn from their sin and trust in him, through death and resurrection he saves those who take him to be their Lord and Saviour. Jesus died for us, long before he asked us to die for him.
If you are here and not a Christian, what is it you are looking for in life? Are you looking for the most comfortable life possible? If so, I hope I have made it clear you shouldn’t become a Christian. To be a sheep among wolves is hardly a recipe for an easy life. No, if what you are looking for this evening is a comfortable life, then you will not find that in Jesus. See here that that’s not what Jesus offers. However, if this evening, what you want is the best life possible. A life of freedom and forgiveness. A life in which you are so overpowered by God’s love for you, that it doesn’t matter what the crowd or culture says. A life that is so filled by his power and strength, that you can live as a sheep surrounded by wolves. A life that is so sustained by his Spirit, that you can even go to a cross, or a noose, or a burning stake, with a smile on your face, because what you know is waiting for you on the other side. Then friend, come to Jesus tonight, because that is the kind of life he offers. A life of suffering, that then gives way to one of salvation. O yes, a cross now, but then a crown. Yes, trouble and tribulation in this world, but then happiness and all we have hoped for in the next. For Jesus promises here that those who stand firm to the end will be saved. He promises that if we take hold of him now and don’t let go, then we get to keep him forever.
In 10:22, Jesus gives a promise that allows us to persevere under persecution. And yet, in 10:23 he reminds us not to needlessly throw our lives away. Yes, one day we may be delivered over to death, but we need not go looking for it. For in 10:23, Jesus says: [READ]. This is a wonderful application of the principle Jesus gives back in 10:16. There, because he was sending his apostles out as sheep among wolves, Jesus told them to ‘be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.’ We may be sheep, but we are to have the characteristics of two other animals as well. And these characteristics perfectly balance each other. The wisdom of a snake can turn into cunning and scheming, unless it is united with the innocence of a dove. And the innocence of a dove can turn into being naïve or gullible, unless it is united with the wisdom of a serpent. Jesus says, if we are to live for him in this world, we need to have both wisdom and innocence, be both prudent and pure.
And it is this, in 10:23, that will helps us decide when to dig in and when to move on. When to fight and when to fall back. O yes, we must stand firm as soldiers of Jesus, and yet we know that effective armies often retreat from one battlefield in order to fight the same war on another. While we must be faithful, we need not be foolish. We need not lock ourselves in to a martyrdom mindset. For we can use legitimate means to preserve ourselves, whether by pursuing legal routes that are open to us today or by literally packing our bags and leaving town, like they did in Jesus’ day. If we are being persecuted in one city, Jesus says we are to flee to the next. For we need not throw our lives away where there is no reason to do so.
And the importance of this is underlined by the rest of 10:23. The last bit on the coming of the Son of Man is difficult to interpret. However, I think it is best to read it as Jesus offering his apostles, offering us all, hope. You see, while the persecution against them will be severe, will see many put to death, this mission will still be going on when Jesus returns. When it is time for the Son of Man to come back at the end of the age, he will still have messengers carrying out this mission on earth. Yes, they may have suffered greatly, and yet some will have survived. This world will not be able to wipe out all of Jesus’ messengers. For they are still able to travel from town to town telling others about this good news of the Gospel.
Brothers and sisters, do you see how this provides hope to us today? You see, like these disciples, we know that we too will likely soon face increasing persecution. As Jamie reminded us this morning, our culture is increasingly clashing with our Christian views on issues like sexuality, gender, abortion, the exclusive claims of Jesus, and this confrontation isn’t getting any cooler. Things are heating up. We seem to be quickly leaving behind a period of peace and understanding for Christianity in this country and moving towards a era of increasing social rejection, legal accusations and in the future, perhaps even physical persecution.
And yet, brothers and sisters, we see here in our passage, that no matter how big this next wave of persecution is, it will come and go like every wave before it in the last 2000 years. No matter how long the suffering lasts or how many of Christ’s people are even put to death, Jesus’ mission in this world will still continue. Jesus will not find himself short of servants, of messengers to proclaim this Gospel.
As the Reformation leader Theodore Beza famously put it, the church is an anvil that has worn out many hammers. O friends, let us not think that this anvil of Christ’s church will finally be broken in the next few years. That after all the hammer blows of century, after century after century, that Christ’s church will finally crack now. If the bloodbaths of the Colosseum, the stranglehold of Roman Catholic theology, if centuries of political persecution and social rejection had not brought down Christ’s church, let us not think that it will fall now. For 2000 years ago Jesus promised it would stand. As he promised in Matthew 16, he would build his church and the gates of Hell would not prevail against it. Or here in Matthew 10, that when the Son of Man returns, his servants will still be spending the good news of his kingdom on this earth. In John 16:33, Jesus promised ‘In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
ALEXANDER ARRELL