S116P10 – Difficult truths: the servants of God
Mat. 10:16-20
I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time, you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
The job was simple in concept but quite difficult in execution. They only had to go door-to-door and try to sell vacuum cleaners. Part of their training went over how to deal with people declining the pitch or showing a lack of interest. Of course, selling anything door-to-door could lead to much more tense and uncomfortable situations. The brothers felt like they were ready to hit the ground running, focusing on the fact that they only had to sell 3 machines a week to do well. Right away, it was one slammed door after another. They were yelled at, belittled, and even threatened just because they were trying to make a living. Ultimately, they decided that the mere prospect of a sale just was not worth all that.
We can feel like we are in sales when we are trying to reach the lost for the kingdom of God. Many people will not be interested in what we have to say, and we never know which role is ours to play in a soul being saved. While some plant and others harvest, many will just spend their days tilling the rather unglamorous soil. Beyond sometimes being uneventful or even unpleasant, spreading the gospel can be dangerous. It will mark us in the world right away because we are going against the grain. We can go from being simply unpopular to being truly hated. The disciples were told plainly the severity of what they were certain to face, but they also were given a promise.
Behind every difficult truth is a nugget of goodness. It would be very easy to receive the words of Jesus here and simply think about how dangerous the work ahead will be. It would be very easy to want to flee from that danger. However, Jesus was not telling his disciples these words to instill fear in them. He was giving them the glorious promise that they would share in his suffering and also be supported by the Spirit during that time. It was a foreshadowing of what He would endure just as He endured it. Just like the work of Christ, the difficulties we are certain to experience in this Christian life are worth it because of the prize there is to gain. Father, give us the clarity to see the good and holy purpose to every difficult lesson or instruction You bring us.