Mark 13:9 – 13 – Overcoming hardship

Having urged them not be deceived, the Lord now turned His attention to warn His disciples about what would happen to them personally. In verses 9-13, He said to then, “But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them. The gospel must first be preached to all the nations. When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”

Earlier the Lord warned them against the proliferation of false teachers and teachings, now He warned them against persecution and personal hardship. The persecution would not come from the religious leadership only but it would also come from the secular authorities. He warned them to anticipate hard times ahead. To the Lord, persecution was not an indication of the end of all things, but an opportunity to proclaim the Gospel.  To Him the Gospel must be preached to all the nations.

The Lord promised believers that the person of the Holy Spirit would be present in each situation to assist them in their witness. Believers are not to be unduly worried about what to say for they will be prompted at the critical moment. Jesus told believers that they would also experience intense hatred even by close family members – one’s own brothers, children and even parents. Some believers, He said, would be put to death. All men would hate believers on account of Jesus. It’s true that when we are radically committed to the claims of the Gospel, we must be prepared to be shunned by people who claimed to love us. When we choose to follow Christ and make a stand for Him, we can expect to be ostracized and even ridiculed. Why? It’s because the values of Christ’s new community are radically different from that of the world. It will show them up. And it’s natural for them to want to eliminate all seeming oppositions.

The Lord then rounded up with a call for believers to stand firm to the very end because they will be rescued. As Christ’s followers, we are to persevere regardless of the hardship. We are called to remain faithful to the very end. There is always the tendency and temptation to quit when the time is tough. We need to learn to place our focus in the Lord during hard times. Where we focus will determine our victory. We will either see the thorns or the roses. Don’t ask “Why must there be thorns among roses?” Instead say, “Praise God that even among thorns there are beautiful roses!”