16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20 For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.”

Being a disciple is not for the fainthearted. Jesus’ message does not sound like the tract that says, “Come and discover God’s wonderful plan for your life.” Rather, being a follower of Jesus Christ is more like being part of a commando team, sent to infiltrate a lost world with the message: “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” In one regard, the disciples were at a disadvantage, like sheep in the midst of wolves. The battle plan seems rather weak…unless one realizes that the Master sending them was able to still the wind and waters with a word and before Whose presence the demons tremble. Jesus Himself was soon to be like a lamb led to the slaughter, so He conveyed to His followers the same modus operandi that He Himself lived by.

The life and mission of discipleship will invoke conflict and persecution. It cannot be avoided. People will resist the message and messengers. The desire to follow Christ will outweigh fears of rejection. The disciples’ concern will have more to do with whether their apologetics will hold up, that is, their ability to defend the message when it comes under attack. The message of Christ goes completely contrary to all other philosophies, cultures and religions, so the usual reaction from others will be negative, often hostile. The message, though clearly understood through eyes of faith in Christ, will seem intellectually untenable to non-believers. It will strike a nerve, and rightly so, because the message of Christ calls people to repentance from their rebellion against their Creator God.

Jesus assures His disciples that when the time comes, the words also will come. And this will not primarily come through intellectual prowess or theological training (helpful as these may be), but by the Spirit of God actually working within them and through them. It is a “God thing,” as young people like to say. The disciples’ role is simply to follow the Lord’s command in going out to a lost world and becoming a ready vessel through which the Spirit can work. This requires simple obedience and faith. That’s all.

Lord, thank You for the promise of Your Spirit to speak through me in reaching a lost world, that desperately needs You.