Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child;
children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.
Matthew 10:21
We now switch gears for the rest of the study to look at verses and passages that will guide us in the present. Perhaps no other harassment can be more painful for a Christian than when it comes from his or her family. Jesus stated this warning above and elaborated in Matthew 10:35-36: “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 – a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household’”.
The book of Mark records that Jesus’ own family thought he had gone crazy (3:20-25). He was at a house with the disciples. A large crowd was following Him. There were so many people around that He and the disciples couldn’t even eat their meal. Jesus’ family heard about this large following, so they went to get him from the crowd, saying, “He is out of his mind”.
Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived, and they sent someone in to bring him out. When told of their arrival, Jesus gestured to those sitting around Him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother”. We, too, have a spiritual family known as the Body of Christ.
What do you think would be the hardest to deal with – persecution from strangers, friends, or family? Think about your own life. What emotional wounds usually hurt the most – ones that come from someone close or someone you don’t know? There’s no doubt it’s almost always family. Most of us at some point in our lives have been deeply wounded by a family member, usually a parent.
The Gospel divides people to the point where even family will hate, persecute, and kill other family members that are followers of Christ. Does this apply to today? Certainly! The kind of situation Jesus faced from His family does in fact take place in America – maybe even in your family. You might be able to relate to His story because you have family who feel the same about you being a Christian. So take comfort that the Lord knows what you’re going through.
Maybe you’re a Christian, but you have family members who don’t believe. They think you’re crazy, that you’ve made a ludicrous decision by following some fanatic who lived in the First Century. Always respond in love, never in anger. Pray for their salvation. Pray for the veil of sin and darkness to be removed from their eyes. Persevere in your prayers. It may take years of prayer before they accept Christ, so don’t give up.
