Opposition

Matthew 10:24-25

“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul—the price of demons—how much more will they do so to those of his household.”

A. Orendorff

From whom should we expect the kind of persecution Jesus predicts in Matthew 10:16-25?

Most often, we assume the bulk of the church’s opposition will originate from what Scripture calls the “world,” from those outside the hallowed ways of God’s believing people. However, in answering that question, we must pay attention to two facts. First, we must remember who it is that Jesus is sending his disciples out to: namely, to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (10:6). The first “missionary” journey to which Jesus deploys his disciples was not focused on outsiders, but insiders. These were God’s people, people who (at least at a surface level) believed the right doctrines and supported God’s cause. Nonetheless, Jesus insists, these sheep are “lost.”

Second, in the v. 21, Jesus elaborates upon this point, “Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death.” Not only will opposition come from within the “believing” community (i.e., the nation), it will also arise from within our families. This is an unsettling thought to say the least.

In both instances, the thrust is the same: opposition will come from within—from within the nation, from within the community, from within the church and from within our families.