The Warning and The Promise

Matthew 10:16-20.  The words of Jesus.  It’s a warning and a promise.
“Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.  But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues.  You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are My followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about Me.  When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time.  For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”

Take a look back at the word “will” found all throughout this portion of scripture.
you WILL be handed over to the courts.
you WILL be flogged with whips in the synagogues.
you WILL stand trial before governors and kings.

Not such great news.
These are things Jesus is asking His disciples to be aware of.  Things they could count on to happen.
And it doesn’t sound much different for us.
We WILL be handed over to the courts.  Meaning we will be unnecessarily go through rejection and unfair treatment.
We WILL be flogged with whips.  Maybe not physically, but indeed figuratively speaking, we will endure painful hardships and mistreatment that is hurtful and damaging.  (Note, the word “flogged” here means to sell, promote, publicize.)
We WILL stand trial.  We will be falsely accused and be made to stand up for our faith.

These are what I call the “will” statements of these verses.
They are promises.
What the disciples of Jesus had to suffer, we must, alike, suffer as well.

Ahh… but look at the rest of the story.  More “will”’s…
this WILL be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about Jesus.
God WILL give the right words to us at the right time.
it’s not us speaking - it WILL be the Spirit of the Father speaking through us.

Wow.

The word WILL means this = am about to or going to, willing to, determined to, sure to, to purpose.

While these things WILL happen to us… they are determined to… God WILL work on our behalf… He will propose to!  For us! 

Amen?!

There is always the good news of Jesus to celebrate!!

The Passion Translation calls this in verse 16, “hazardous work” Jesus is assigning us to.  This means that it is full of risk, and it is dangerous.

But it goes on to say this, “Don’t be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities.  Without knowing it, they’ve done you - and Me - a favor, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news."

So good.

This is SO GOOD, friends!!!

When we experience pain and suffering - which we WILL - we are simply being afforded the opportunity to let His light shine brighter in and through us.  We WILL be given a platform in which to glorify Him!

And this is the best news I’ve heard in a long time!

You too?