24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household! 26 Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops.”

Expect persecution, Jesus tells His disciples. If He, as their Master experienced it, they as His students will not avoid it. A significant part of discipleship is living with and embracing the constant tension of walking out of step with the world—it is the nature of the thing. The message of Christ is incendiary. It forces people to make a decision: either live for Christ or reject Him. One or the other! If one rejects the Truth, then one must also find a way to suppress the Truth.

There is no neutral ground when it comes to Christ, despite the sophisticated detachment of the pseudo-intellectuals and academics of this world. In Jesus’ time, the very religious leadership, the experts in the OT scripture, the ones you would expect would have welcomed God Himself come in the flesh, were the very ones who persecuted the Lord. They attributed His miraculous efforts to the work of Satan (Beelzebul was the name of a pagan god, meaning “Lord of the dung heap.” In ancient times people commonly attributed names of enemy deities to evil forces).

Jesus measured out His words, teaching according to what the disciples could handle, depending on their stage of growth in discipleship at any given time. He didn’t tell them at the beginning about expected persecution. But as they have grown in their understanding of and commitment to Him and His mission, He takes them deeper, now to the point of telling them about the resistance they would experience. They would not have been ready to hear this before now and, in fact, many quit following Christ when opposition came.

In speaking soberly about what to expect, the Lord challenges them to not fear any adverse surprises. The writer of Hebrews says, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Heb 4:13 NIV). Having nothing to fear, they should go and proclaim the message of Jesus and not hold back.

Lord, thank You for clueing me in ahead of time. I don’t have to fear the unknown, because I already know there will be opposition. Lord, I accept that.