Outsiders

One of the confusing things about Jesus is that he sometimes talked about the end time as if it was already here, but then warned not to follow those who said it was.

When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them. “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. “But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls. - Luke 21:5-19

I guess the message is that we will not know when the time comes, until it does.

Yet, those who follow Jesus may find the time before to be quite difficult and challenging.  They will be brought before leaders and have to testify to their faith, possibly being punished for it.

It may seem unusual for someone to tell their followers they will be persecuted for believing.  You wouldn't think many would want to join if they knew it would lead to death.

How miserable must life be for someone to face this possibility?  

I heard an interview recently that made me think that we just don't always see things the way they are.  We sometimes accept being oppressed without realizing things could be better.

A young woman escaped North Korea and made her way to the United States, seeking asylum.  Here, she attended the university, where she discovered the students were being indoctrinated in a similar manner as what she had escaped.

For us, this sounds preposterous.  In our country, we are free to think as we wish, right?  But we see things from inside and not from outside.

Jesus saw the world we live in as an outsider who came in.  And he tried to show us that what we are seeing is wrong.

But not everyone believed.  And many were threatened by what he said.

So, those who believe and seek freedom of thought, are punished.

Maybe we are still learning that lesson.

More to come...