“These things I have spoken to you, that you
should not be made to stumble. They will put you
out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will
think that he offers God service.
And these things they will do to you because
they have not known the Father nor Me. But these things
I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of
them.
And these things I did not say to you at the
beginning, because I was with you.” John
16:1-4 NKJV
Those who are seeking to persecute and kill Christians are
religious zealots and leaders. In John
16:1, Jesus says, “These things I have
spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling.” “These things” refer to Jesus’
words in John 15:18-27.
Jesus did not want His disciples to stumble in their
discipleship after His departure because He knew the events that would soon
follow would take them completely by surprise. Jesus’ point is that,
apart from His warning, their faith would be shattered and they would give up
in defeat.
Remember, they were
still going to be scattered that very night (Luke 22:31). While they may have
stumbled initially, the Book of Acts demonstrates that the disciples did not
fall away; instead, they became emboldened to preach Jesus Christ.
Jesus informs His disciples of the consequences of
persecution in John 16:2-3: “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue,
but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering
service to God. These things they will do because they have not known the
Father or Me.”
Those who will expel Jesus’ disciples from the synagogue are
referred to in John 15:21-25. Being put out of the synagogue means more than
merely lacking a place to worship. It means the loss of the entire circle of
friends who attend the synagogue. It is
a social persecution.
These verses were fulfilled in the days of the early church
when the Jews believed they were on God’s side, when they put Jesus to death
and persecuted His disciples. However,
these verses also seem to have an extended relevance to today. Throughout the world, Christians are still
being persecuted and martyred.
How do we prepare ourselves to stand strong for Christ in
the days to come?
We must learn to love the world when we are hated and
persecuted. We must continually avoid
the temptation to fight back and be combative, harsh, and vindictive. When we behave in this manner, we lose our witness.
We must recognize that Jesus’ love is
the only proper response to hate and persecution. Only He can soften hearts and cause our
enemies to be receptive to Him.
It is also important to express love for our fellow
believers. One of the reasons that Jesus exhorts believers to love one another
is because we will need each other’s strength to combat the world system.
Unbelieving neighbors, coworkers, classmates, family, and
friends will turn against us on account of our faith in Christ. When this happens, we will need the strength
and security of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to “spur one another on to love and
good works” (Heb 10:24). This will enable us to persevere in our Christian
fruitfulness.
In Luke 6:22 Jesus says, “Blessed are you when men hate you,
and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of
the Son of Man.” Jesus promises those
who suffer for Him both temporal and eternal rewards.
Consequently, it makes sense to pay the price in this life
and experience Christ’s pleasure and joy in the life to come.
What do I need to keep in mind when others despise me?