‘When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.’ Then he said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.
‘Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives’” (Luke 21:5-6; 9-19).
Luke wrote his Gospel to share the words and deeds of Jesus principally with a non-Jewish audience. These Gentiles did not have five hundred years of Jewish history urging them toward the end times. How unnerving it must have been for them to hear about Jesus’ predictions about earthquakes, famines, and plagues, and being persecuted, imprisoned, betrayed, hated, and possibly killed. But for those who hid, fearing the authorities, for those who sat in prison, Jesus' words actually offered consolation.
For over five hundred years, the Jews had been oppressed and had sought liberation through prayer and obedience. They could not see how this could happen to “God’s chosen people” or how justice would ever prevail. Jesus tells his followers that persecution and arrest are opportunities to deepen faithfulness and trust in the Gospel. He provides his followers with the voice and the strength to share the truth with their persecutors. God will not abandoned them to these disastrous circumstances, but when they occur, “not a hair of your head will perish.” Jesus’ resurrection offered new hope to people who were looking for the triumph of God’s justice and love.
We who make up the Church today also find these words difficult to hear. Almost two thousand years later, the end has not arrived. We have witnessed the destruction of great buildings; we have seen wars and insurrections, earthquakes, famines, and plagues. Few of us have escaped personal tragedy. In different parts of the world, many people hide their faith out of fear. Our comfort and our mission, in the midst of all of this, arises from the reality that we are the people of God—the community that enfleshes the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whatever joy or tragedy swells around us, our place is with Jesus and the hope his resurrection brings for life after our physical deaths, whether in this age or the next.
- Jesus speaks about the opportunity to “testify.” How do I talk about my faith with others?
Adapted from Word on the Go, a downloadable resource from RENEW International.