Sometimes people get the mistaken idea that becoming a Christian means God will take care of you and give you an easy life. If you just have enough faith, they say, God will give you your heart’s desires, smooth sailing, and prosperity. It sounds too good to be true, because it is. Today’s Gospel is one of the passages in Scripture that directly refutes this misunderstanding of God’s care for His own in the world.
Jesus promises persecution for His followers, just as He received it. Our persecution may not lead to literal death, but perhaps little wounds like snide comments, social exclusion, unfair judgments of our motives, or caricatures of our beliefs. Even if we live as Paul admonishes us in 1 Corinthians 10 to give no offense, persecution of some kind is bound to find us in this world.
Jesus never promised us His Way, the narrow way, would be easy. He only promises us that it will be worth it!
A veces la gente tiene la idea equivocada de que convertirse en cristiano significa que Dios cuidará de ti y te dará una vida fácil. Dicen que si tienes la fe suficiente, Dios te concederá los deseos de tu corazón, una vida tranquila y prosperidad. Suena demasiado bueno para ser verdad, porque lo es. El Evangelio de hoy es uno de los pasajes de la Escritura que refuta directamente este malentendido del cuidado de Dios por los Suyos en el mundo.
Jesús promete persecución para sus seguidores, tal como Él la recibió. Puede ser que la persecución que nosotros recibimos no conduzca a la muerte literal, pero tal vez a pequeñas heridas como comentarios sarcásticos, exclusión social, juicios injustos de nuestros motivos o caricaturas de nuestras creencias. Incluso si vivimos como Pablo nos amonesta en 1 Corintios 10 a no ofender, la persecución de algún tipo seguramente nos encontrará en este mundo.
Jesús nunca nos prometió que Su Camino, el camino angosto, sería fácil. ¡Solo nos promete que valdrá la pena!
J.M. Pallas has had a lifelong love of Scriptures. When she is not busy with her vocation as a wife and mother to her “1 Samuel 1” son, or her vocation as a public health educator, you may find her at her parish women’s bible study, affectionately known as “The Bible Chicks.”
Feature Image Credit: Schäferle, pixabay.com/illustrations/stone-push-overcoming-obstacle-2127669/
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