4.1 Key themes⤒🔗

• In this world, Christians are like sheep among wolves.
• Christians do not have to be afraid of persecution, because:
  - It is part of following Jesus.
  - The Holy Spirit will help us.
  - We have salvation.
  - God gave us work to do.

4.2 Matthew 10:16-23←⤒🔗

^10:16 'I am sending you out like sheep surrounded by wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

^10:17 Beware of people, because they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues.

^10:18 And you will be brought before governors and kings because of me, as a witness to them and the Gentiles.

^10:19 Whenever they hand you over for trial, do not worry about how to speak or what to say, for what you should say will be given to you at that time.

^10:20 For it is not you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

^10:21 'Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise against parents and have them put to death.

^10:22 And you will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

^10:23 Whenever they persecute you in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

© NET Bible

4.3 Sheep among wolves←⤒🔗

Jesus warned his disciples, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.” When you follow Jesus, you should expect that the world will be against you, just as the world was against Jesus. Jesus warned his disciples that they would be imprisoned, beaten, and even killed for their faith (verses 17-22). Even their own family members would do these things to them (verse 21)! In the end, all of these things happened to the disciples. Most of them were killed because they preached about Jesus Christ.

Today, Christians are still persecuted in many ways. Let us think of some examples. All of these things are happening to many people today:

• A Christian child is teased at school, because he lives in a different way from the other children.
• A Christian loses his job because he stands up against corruption.
• A pastor is arrested, because he preached from the Bible that homosexual relationships are wrong.
• A church is burned down in a Muslim country, and some church members are killed.
• A woman is kicked out of her family because she became a Christian.
• A Christian teacher or professor is told, “If you speak about Jesus in your classes, you will be in trouble.”

In such situations, we are like sheep among wolves. But Jesus tells us that we should not be afraid like sheep! No, we should be clever and wise, just like snakes that know what to do when there is danger. We should also be innocent. Just like doves, we should not try to hurt anybody or take revenge on anybody.

4.4 We do not have to fear persecution←⤒🔗

When people in power are against us, then our first reaction is to be afraid. We worry about what will happen to us. We worry about what we should do. But Jesus says in verse 10, “Do not worry.” Jesus gives us four reasons why we don’t have to worry when persecution comes:

4.4.1. It is part of following Jesus←↰⤒🔗

There are two groups of people in this world: people who are for Jesus Christ, and people who are against Jesus Christ. Jesus calls them the sheep and the wolves. Do not be surprised when there are “wolves” around you — even if they are in your family or in your church! Do not be surprised when people hate you because of your faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “All men will hate you because of me” (Matthew 10:22). Do not expect that your life as a Christian will be easy. You are following Jesus Christ, and his life was never easy!

4.4.2. The Holy Spirit will help us←↰⤒🔗

Maybe you are worried, because you think: “Will I be able to stand strong in my faith? Will I do the right thing when I am persecuted?” Jesus Christ has a special promise for a Christian who is persecuted: the Holy Spirit will give you the right words at that moment (verses 19-20). You don’t have to spend your days in fear. You can pray that God will fill you with his Holy Spirit. You can spend time reading his Word — because in that way the Spirit strengthens you. Then, when the difficult moments come, you will be ready!

4.4.3. We have salvation←↰⤒🔗

Jesus says, “He who stands firm to the end will be saved” (verse 22). What does it mean to be saved? It means that God has forgiven all your sins. It means you will continue living, even when you die (John 11:25-26). When Jesus comes again, you will receive a perfect new body and a perfect new earth! If you have been saved by Jesus Christ, then you have nothing to be afraid of. No person can do anything to harm you. Your life is in the hands of Jesus Christ, your Shepherd.

4.4.4. God gave us work to do←↰⤒🔗

Christians have a lot of work in this world! Jesus told his disciples, “When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes” (verse 23). That is because his disciples had a special task: they had to go through the whole land of Israel, to preach about Jesus Christ. Jesus said that they must not stop to do this, even if it was very difficult. There were many cities that still needed to hear about him.

As a Christian, you have also received a task from God. If you are a pastor, your task is to preach the Word without stopping. If you are a Christian who is not a pastor, your task is to serve God and serve other people, wherever God puts you. Sometimes you will also have the chance to speak about God’s Word. When other people ask you questions about your faith, you have to be brave to answer them (1 Peter 3:15-16).

Do not worry about what other people will say or do to you. God is in control — and he will help you with everything you need to do for him!