The burden of the Truth as you take up your cross…
The writer of Hebrews encouraged the Hebrew believers to “run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary, fainting in heart.” (Hebrews 12: 1-3)
He now goes on to encourage them with a reality check – “You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He flogs every son whom He receives.’ It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.” (Hebrews 12: 4-8)
The writer of Hebrews in the above verses referenced Proverbs 3: 11-12 – “My son, do not reject the discipline of Yahweh or loathe His reproof, for whom Yahweh loves He reproves, even as a father reproves the son in whom he delights.” It is surmised that Hebrews was written around AD 67-69. Persecution upon Christians was becoming more severe during this time. MacArthur writes “One thing is clear from the contents of the epistle: the community of Hebrews was facing the possibility of intensified persecution. As they confronted this possibility, the Hebrews were tempted to cast aside any identification with Christ. They may have considered demoting Christ from God’s Son to a mere angel. Such a precedent had already been set in the Qumran community of messianic Jews living near the Dead Sea. They had dropped out of society, established a religious commune, and included the worship of angels in their brand of reformed Judaism. The Qumran community had even gone so far as to claim that the angel Michael was higher in status than the coming Messiah.” (MacArthur, 2021, p. 1656)
Those who boldly continued to identify themselves with Christ, believing He was God manifested in flesh, and was worthy of their complete allegiance often faced severe persecution. The story of the first Christian martyr Stephen is found in Acts chapter 6. Stephen was full of grace and power and did great wonders and signs among the people. Some men from the Synagogue of the Freedmen started arguing with him. They could not oppose the wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking, so they had some men claim he was blaspheming Moses and God. They dragged him to the Sanhedrin (Jewish court). This is where Stephen presented to them a defense of the Christian faith from the Old Testament, illuminating how Jesus’ coming had been prophesied. After his defense he ended with these words – “You men-stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears – are always resisting the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. And which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the Law as ordained by angels, and yet did not observe it.” (Acts 7: 51-53)
The following is the account of the death of Stephen, the first Christian martyr – “Now when they heard this, they became furious in their hearts, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’ But crying out with a loud voice, they covered their ears and rushed at him with one accord. And when they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. They went on stoning Stephen as he was calling out and saying, ‘Lord, Jesus, receive my spirit!’ Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them!’ And having said this, he fell asleep.” (Acts 7: 54-60)
Jesus had told His disciples how they would be hated by the world and that if they persecuted Jesus, His disciples would also be persecuted. He also told them – “These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. They will put you out of the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. These things they will do because they did not know the Father or Me.” (John 16: 1-3)
The Christian life from the beginning was one of persecution and often martyrdom. It is wise for us to remember that Jesus’ counsel for His disciples over two thousand years ago are also for all of those who follow Him today.
REFERENCES:
The McArthur Study Bible, 2nd Edition. 2020. Thomas Nelson.
