“After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. Now the Jews' Feast of Booths was at hand. So his brothers said to him, ‘Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.’ For not even his brothers believed in him.
“Jesus said to them, ‘My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.’ After saying this, he remained in Galilee.
“But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, ‘Where is he?’ And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, ‘He is a good man,’ others said, ‘No, he is leading the people astray.’” (John 7:1-12 ESV)
Jesus said that if we follow him with our lives, and if we do the kinds of things that he did, and if we share the truth of the gospel, and if we refute the lies of Satan, like he did, that we will be hated and persecuted as he was, even by our own family members and by those closest to us, and even by those of our own faith, and even by those who are people of authority and influence within our own faith. For these were Jesus’ persecutors.
Now Jesus’ own brothers were against him, probably because they were jealous of him, but they also could have been embarrassed by him, too. For people are going to be against us for all sorts of reasons if we are true followers of Jesus Christ who are living holy lives, pleasing to the Lord, and if we are walking in obedience to his commands, although not necessarily in absolute perfection, but in daily practice.
Many of those who will be against us will be fellow professers of faith in Jesus Christ, but those who have adopted a cheapened and altered version of the gospel of our salvation. And so they will find offense in us if we are teaching what Jesus taught and what his NT apostles taught about the gospel of Christ and God’s requirements that we forsake our lives of sin to now follow him in obedience to his commands.
I gather that Jesus’ brothers were not living holy lives, pleasing to the Lord, and so they did find offense in Jesus who lived a perfect life, and so they mocked him and they attempted to bait him, too, for they wanted to shame him. And those who oppose us may also mock us and attempt to bait us into doing or saying what we should not do or say. And the religious leaders did that, too, to Jesus, for they tried to trip him up with his words many times.
But Jesus always had wise (thoughtful) responses to his persecutors. He didn’t let them bait him into saying what he should not say. Instead he said, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.” But that is not the image of “Jesus” that many are painting of him today. So many are painting a false image of Jesus who most people admired.
But Jesus told people the truth about themselves, and he didn’t sugar coat it, either. Now he was gentle with those who were truly ignorant of the truth, and who needed to be taught by him so that they could come to genuine faith in Jesus Christ. But he was bold and somewhat harsh toward the religious hypocrites who knew the truth but who denied the truth and who did not live what they professed, but who were full of evil within.
But many who had been following him eventually deserted him because they said that his words were too hard. And that is because he was teaching that we must die with him to sin and live to his righteousness in obedience to him, and that we must suffer much and be persecuted if we follow him with our lives. For he did not teach “easy believism” where you can give lip service to the Lord but then continue on the same sinful path as before.
Now just as the people were divided in thought then regarding Jesus Christ, many are still divided today. Some see him as a “good man” who went around doing good and making people happy, so they admire him, or at least the image they have of him in their minds. For they do not take into account the Jesus who cleared the temple with a whip and who chastised the scribes and the Pharisees and all Jews who were against him.
Others do not see him as good or evil, for they have no regard for him at all. And those of other religions may see him as someone who led other people astray. But there is a general picture being painted of Jesus in our world today that is not a true biblical picture of his character, but of someone who was a friend of those who practiced evil and who did not confront them in their sins, but who accepted them right where they are.
But if we are true followers of the true biblical Jesus, and if we are doing and saying the kinds of things he did and said, we are going to be treated much like how he was treated, and we will be accused of leading people astray when we teach the same gospel that he taught in opposition to so many who are teaching a false diluted gospel which requires no death to sin and no walks of obedience to our Lord, but only a profession of faith in Christ.
[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Jn 17:14; Ac 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]
All Through the Night
An Original Work / December 7, 2013
Based off Various Scriptures
Blessed are you when you’re persecuted
Because of your faith in Jesus Christ.
Blessed are you when people insult you,
And falsely say what leads folks to doubt.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is
Great in the heavens. You’re not alone.
When you are persecuted in one place,
Flee to another. God will be there.
You will be hated by all the nations
Because you testify of God’s grace.
Many will seize you and persecute you,
And put to death the foll’wers of Christ.
Yet do not fear what humans may do to you,
For I’m with you all through the night.
I tell you, love your enemies with my love,
And forgive as I forgave you.
Pray for those who do evil against you.
Rest in my love and grace from above.
https://vimeo.com/379481617
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