Matthew 10:16 - 26

16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

17 But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.

18 You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.

19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak;

20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

21 “Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.

22 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

23 When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.

25 It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!

26 Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

These men who He was sending out as laborers in the fields are now being told how to handle themselves.

This is a world which the leaders were wanting to kill their master, so they should not expect to have everyone welcoming them with open arms. Jesus is warning them they will be like sheep being placed in a field with a pack of wolves near who will look to them as prey. For them to survive they would have to be as smart as the serpent and appear as harmless to the wolves as a dove. They would need to be as discreet and astute in their dealing with individuals of the Jewish towns they were working.

The highest courts the Jews were permitted to have were the sanhedrins, these are the councils Jesus is referring to when he warns them, the synagogues are the buildings where the Jews met for their religious services. The reason they would be placed into the councils were to persecute them, and the same was the situations if they were delivered to the synagogues. The scourging was a very cruel type of whipping used in those times.

The Jews would make charges against them in the Roman courts when they were not happy with the results of their persecutions. But these persecutions would bring opportunities to give testimonies of Jesus being the Son of God and bring forth the good news of the Gospel message.

They are told not to worry about what their speeches would consist of, the Holy Spirit would provide the necessary material for their testimonies. These testimonies would be tailored to the situations the faced each time.

This same opposition which would bring persecution and the apostles into the courts will also divide families, some will be adamant about Jesus being an impostor, some will believe He is the Son of God and accept Him as their Savior it will cause much friction and persecution in the family unit and in the communities. Jesus talks about the results of His teaching in the family in (Luke 12:51 - 53[ Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. 52 For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. 53 Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” ])

The peace promised by the angels in Luke 2:14, is not peace with mankind, but for those who accept Jesus as their Savior will have peace with God.

The apostles because of their loyalty to Jesus as the Son of God would be hated by men wherever they worked. But Jesus promised them whoever is strong enough to withstand the persecutions until the end of their lives would be saved eternally.

To endure persecution does not mean to needlessly expose oneself to possible death, if the opportunity arises to leave the area of persecution and go to another area without compromising the truth or evading duty to Christ, then one should do so and be able to continue doing good in another location. Jesus said there would be plenty of places to preach if rejected and their lives endangered in one place. He told them to go elsewhere, they would not run out of places to work before their period of work was over. That was why He had restricted who and where they should work in verse 11.

Never is a servant or follower of someone any more entitled or expecting better conditions than their leader. Our world today has a saying “Rank has its privileges” Jesus is not teaching this, but he is pointing out that if He suffers persecution and even death, then it should come as no surprise that his servants and followers would also fall into those types of situations.

Even to the Pharisees calling Jesus “Beelzebub” in (Matthew 9:34)in their attempt to deny his Godly powers, if they said He was in league with Satan, then the followers would be painted with the same brush. However they condemned Jesus, his followers should expect the same.

No matter what deceit and false practices and immoral manners the ones persecuting Jesus and His followers use, they will eventually be exposed and the false charges be proven to be lies. The truth of God will overcome the evil lies of the Jewish hierarchy.