Matthew 10:32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven. 34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn “‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— 36a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household. 37Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor in Nazi Germany and a founding member of the Confessing Church, a group that staunchly held to Biblical principals at a time when the Nazi regime was manipulating the state Lutheran church for its own purposes. Bonhoeffer vocally opposed euthanasia and the extermination of the Jews. For these stands, Bonhoeffer was imprisoned in two different prison camps, eventually being executed 21 days before Hitler hanged himself and the Nazi regime came to an end. Bonhoeffer was 39 years old at the time of his death. Bonhoeffer’s book “The Cost of Discipleship” is a classic call to follow Christ, no matter how many difficulties we may encounter.
Today many Christians face persecution for their faith. Muslim extremists are attempting to exterminate Christianity by massacring whole congregations in Africa, Asia and the Philippines. Christians in India are being attacked by their Hindu neighbors. Christian missionaries have been kidnapped and/or killed in several parts of the world.
Jesus made no pretenses to his disciples; they would face persecution and death. And they had to expect that even members of their own household would turn against them. Jewish culture was a close – knit affair, and it was assumed that one’s relatives would also be one’s biggest supporters. The idea of these relationships being torn apart must have horrified the disciples. And to make matters even worse, Jesus made reference to the Roman practice of crucifying prisoners. Crucifixion was one of the most shameful deaths possible. Criminals on their way to crucifixion would carry their own cross bars as an additional form of punishment. Jesus is not merely promising suffering; he is guaranteeing that this suffering will be shameful as well.
Jesus laid out the cost of discipleship to his followers so that nobody could come back later and complain that they had not been warned. Today all over the world there are emergency workers and health workers putting their lives on the line to care for COVID – 19 patients. In Italy 6 older doctors and at least 1 nurse paid with their lives; in the U.S. there are nurses who are now on ventilators because they took the risk.
In this life there are no guarantees. We have no control over the way in which we will die. But we can choose whom we will worship and whom we will serve. Jesus’ challenge to his disciples was quite clear: Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” Whom will you serve today? Choose wisely, for you are choosing for eternity.
PRAYER: Father God, today we are afraid of so many things, but we want to follow you. Please give us the grace and courage so that we will always choose you, even at the cost of our relationships with our families. In the matchless Name of Jesus. Amen.
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