[6] On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much [7] that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. [8] Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” [9] The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted [10] and had John beheaded in the prison. [11] His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. [12] John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

Matthew 14:6-12

Have you ever felt drawn into an action that you know you shouldn’t take as a result of peer pressure? I think I’ve reached the age where this is less of an issue for me than it used to be! I do remember, though, finding myself confronting situations like this when I was younger – particularly when I was at university. Often these incidents involved drink; I felt myself led into drinking perhaps more than I should have done to conform to the expectations of the crowd that I was with. I remember feeling that it was wrong at the time, and then that feeling of guilt afterwards, and anger at myself for having done something that I shouldn’t have done.

That’s the situation in which Herod finds himself in today’s reading. He is so entranced by the dancing of his step daughter (who also happens to be his niece, since his wife, Herodias, had been the wife of his brother…!) that he agrees to give her whatever she asks for. I can almost feel his heart dropping as he hears what she asks for – the head of John the Baptist on a platter. He knew that it would be entirely wrong to execute John, but decides that, in order to please both his wife and his stepdaughter/niece he needed to follow through and carry out the action. So it is that John the Baptist, the last of the great Old Testament prophets, the friend and cousin of Jesus, finds himself reaching the end of the road in a horrible and gruesome fashion.

What had John done to displease Herod in the first place? He had told him that it was not lawful for Herod to marry Herodias. Herod had wanted to kill John, “but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.”

Ultimately, then, John was executed because he had stood up for what he believed to be right. He had sought to uphold the Jewish laws (Leviticus 18:16 states, “Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would dishonour your brother.”) and had lost his life as a consequence.

John was not the first to lose his life for holding true to the way of the Lord, and he was by no means the last. Jesus himself, of course, was executed for refusing to stop teaching the Gospel. 

Hopefully few of us will ever face the situation where we face death for holding firm to our beliefs – but it is always worth pondering what we would do in these circumstances. We may well find ourselves confronting other difficult situations, though – losing out on a promotion or even losing a job because of our faith; losing friends because we hold firm to what we believe; even being rejected by our families. Should we find ourselves confronting these scenarios – what we do? Is our faith strong enough to sustain us through difficult times? Can we always confess our faith in Christ rather than disowning him, denying our relationship with him?

As we begin a new week, I hope that your faith will continue to strengthen and develop, and that you will have the courage to hold firm to your beliefs, no matter what the world throws at you. 

I hope the same for me too!

This post was originally published in my Bible Notes email. To receive this directly in your inbox signup below:

[41] The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. [42] They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. [43] Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

Matthew 13:41-43

As we approach Christmas, it is time in my house for a little sorting. I suspect that, if my children are on Father Christmas’ good list, they might receive some presents – perhaps some new toys and books. Since we have limited space in our house, the time has come, therefore, to sort through all the toys and books that we have already. Some we will keep, and some we will get rid of. This won’t be easy since my son in particular gets quite attached to his things, and there will probably be tears as books and toys that he loves are sent away to charity shops, or, if they’re not good enough to be given away, thrown in the bin.

Today’s passage is part of a longer sequence of Jesus’ teaching which includes the Parable of the Weeds. It is well worth taking the time to read that today if you get a chance. You can find it in Matthew 13:24-40.

The section we’re looking at is Jesus’ explanation of this parable. It makes for challenging reading! It explains that on the day of judgement, the Son of Man (that is, Jesus) will send his angels out to assist with the judgement of all of humanity. Jesus says that the angels “will weed out of [Jesus’] kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.” What happens to these people? The angels will “throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

This is a pretty horrifying prospect. Let’s break it down a bit.

Firstly, who are the people who will endure this horrible punishment? 

Anyone who causes sin. This category no doubt includes anyone who leads people astray and encourages them to engage in acts which displease and dishonour God. We need to be mindful of these acts. We need to ensure that we do not fall into this category. Is there anything in our behaviour or in our speech that might have a negative impact on the Christian life of another person? Do we do anything, consciously or unconsciously, that adversely affects the faith of another person? It is people such as these who will find themselves thrown into the blazing furnace on the day of judgement.

Another group of people who will endure this horrible punishment are those who do evil. Those who, perhaps led astray by others, perhaps of their own volition, are tempted to engage in acts which displease and dishonour God, whose lives fall short of the standards expected by God. The concerning thing here is that ALL of us act in this way, every day. We ALL fall into this category. We ALL deserve the punishment Jesus outlines here. The good news that, if we repent of our sin and place our trust in Christ, the punishment that should have been ours to endure has already been taken for us – by Jesus on the cross. Since the punishment has been borne, it is more incumbent on us than ever that we strive to live lives that DO please and honour God, out of respect for the one who paid the ultimate price for our sin.

Secondly, what is the punishment meted out to those who cause sin and do evil? It’s pretty bleak!
Jesus says that the angels will throw these people “into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

It’s one thing to be thrown in a blazing furnace but – contrary to what you might expect – this isn’t the end. It’s not a case of being thrown into a fire and that being the final end. Jesus says that once in the furnace there will be weeping – enormous sorrow at having failed to follow Christ – and gnashing of teeth – anger at having chosen to follow a path that diverged from Christ’s expectation. The picture here is of an eternal, never ending punishment.

There is something positive amongst all these rather depressing teaching! 

Jesus concludes by making a statement and giving an appeal.

He states, “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” Those who do chose to follow Jesus, rather than enduring an eternity of flames, will find themselves in God’s eternal kingdom, where they will shine like the sun. They will reflect the goodness of God and there will be no sin to darken their lives and souls. They will mirror God’s goodness – just as was intended when God created humanity. 
We can’t achieve this goodness on our own, however, because no matter how hard we try, we consistently fall short of God’s expectations. This is why we need to listen carefully to the final appeal that Jesus makes in this passage.

What is that final appeal? “Whoever has ears, let them hear.” If we want to find ourselves amongst the shining righteous rather than the burning evil, we must listen to Jesus. Listen to all he teaches. Reflect on his words. Try to live out his teaching in our lives. Strive to emulate him in how we live. And ultimately, recognise him and embrace him as our saviour, whose death and resurrection alone makes it possible for us to cross from the category of those destined to endure the flames of eternity to the kingdom of our father.

The rewards are great, but the punishment harsh!

This post was originally published in my Bible Notes email. To receive this directly in your inbox signup below:

[1] That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. [2] Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.

Matthew 13:1-2

It seems like a long time since I have seen a street performance. That might be because, for obvious reasons, I’ve not been out much in the last couple of years – or perhaps it’s because the street performers themselves have stayed away from busy spaces. I hope that they’re coping with the current global situation – not least because so often they bring enormous joy to public spaces. I do enjoy watching an escapologist teasing the crowds, drawing out his escape from the chains for as long as possible in order to build up an ever larger audience. One of my favourite street entertainers was a perfectly ordinary tuba player performing in Trafalgar Square. Perfectly ordinary apart from the rhythmic jet of flames coming out of the top of his instrument! I wonder if he realised quite how close he came to setting his hat on fire! The largest crowd I’ve seen gathered was for some truly remarkable dancers/acrobats in a square in Seville. They were incredibly talented and great fun to watch.

Today’s verses come right before Jesus teaches the Parable of the Sower. I’m sure you know the story well. Rather than thinking about that story, I thought it might be worth looking at the verses that precede it. Matthew 12 tells us about a very busy day in the life of Jesus. He started the day walking through grain fields, talking to his disciples about the Sabbath and got into an argument with the Pharisees. He then went on to a synagogue where he healed a man with a shrivelled hand, which led to the Pharisees plotting to kill him. He withdrew but was followed by a large crowd, many of whom he healed. Next he healed a demon-possessed man, which led to another row with the Pharisees. Then his mother and brothers tried to talk to him, as we saw in yesterday’s Bible Notes. All in all, quite a busy day!

But it didn’t end there. Matthew starts chapter thirteen of his Gospel by saying “that same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.” I would imagine that by this point in the day he was feeling exhausted, and simply wanted a moment of peace by the lake. 

That may have been what he wanted, but that wasn’t what happened. Instead, huge crowds gathered around him. In order to stop being mobbed, and in order that he could see and be seen, he jumped into a boat and pushed off into the lake. From there he continued teaching the crowd. He was driven by a desire to teach as many people as he could, and to take every opportunity to do so. 

I find it incredible the numbers that Jesus attracted. Everywhere he went, he was followed by huge crowds. It’s hard to think of a modern day comparison. There was just something about this poor carpenter from Nazareth that people found deeply engaging. I’m sure that the miracles, and the hope of miracles, was in no small part responsible. But here in Matthew 13 we have Jesus teaching them in parables from a boat. If it was just about the miracles the crowds would have withdrawn, but no, they continue to follow him, hanging onto his every word, listening intently to all that he had to say. How remarkable it must have been to be in that crowd. How lucky they were to hear Jesus teaching. 

Perhaps we are even luckier! We have four Gospels, all of which set out Jesus’ best teachings so that we can study them at our leisure, ponder them, reflect on them. We have preachers and pastors who we can listen to as they unpack and explain them to us. We have YouTube and podcasts where we can watch and listen to people around the world drawing out the salient points. We have thousands upon thousands of books, thousands upon thousands of websites, exploring Jesus’ teaching and encouraging us to reflect upon his words.

How lucky WE are!

Do we take advantage of this? Do we understand how lucky we are to be able to access Jesus’ teachings so easily – his crowd-drawing, life-changing, heaven-opening words that can transform us, that can transform our world?

Why not commit to studying Jesus’ teaching more in the coming weeks? Why not try to study a little of Jesus’ words each day?

Question for reflection: am I as excited about the teachings of Christ as the crowd that followed him in the Gospels? Why/why not? How can I feel more of that excitement?

Idea for action: why not consider how you can support the Bible Society as they seek “to bring the Bible to life for every man, woman and child.” Find out more at https://www.biblesociety.org.uk.

This post was originally published in my Bible Notes email. To receive this directly in your inbox signup below:

[46] While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. [47] Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” [48] He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” [49] Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. [50] For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Matthew 12:46-50

A brother is someone with whom you share the same parents. That’s in the strict sense of the word. But actually, we use the word ‘brother’ much more broadly. You probably have a friend, or even friends, of whom you might say, “he’s like a brother to me.” I certainly have a good bunch of friends of whom this could be said. Indeed, the term ‘brotherhood’ actually has three definitions:

1. The relationship between brothers
2. The feeling of kinship with and closeness to a group of people or all people
3. An association or community of people linked by a common interest, religion or trade.

It is this third idea that is most important today.

In our passage this morning, Jesus is teaching. A large crowd has gathered, and his family are outside wanting to speak to him. You can imagine them trying to force their way through the gathered throng, trying to get to Jesus, but being pushed back by others desperate to hear what Jesus has to say. They manage to get a message through to Jesus – “tell him we want a word, will you.” They probably expected Jesus to pause, leave the building, and to head out to meet them. But he doesn’t! He’s teaching the crowd – something that he believed was a fundamental part of his mission. It was important to him that he was able to continue teaching the crowd.

His response to the person who passed on his message is interesting. He asks, “who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” I can imagine the messenger being a little confused by this response! Maybe he started to say something like, “those people waiting for you outside!” or maybe he just shrugged in confusion.

Jesus then pointed to his disciples and told the messenger, “here are my mother and my brothers.” Here, then, is the ‘association or community of people linked by a common interest, religion or trade’. At times we might read about the actions of the disciples and wonder why they were so slow, why they failed to grasp the true identity of Jesus, or why they let Jesus down so often. Maybe Jesus felt this way at times. But ultimately, they are his followers. They share Jesus’ mission. They’ve invested their lives in following him, sharing his message of hope with others, helping people to understand that the Messiah has come, and that Jesus is that Messiah. I can’t imagine that there’s a much closer bond than that!

What’s more, when Jesus points at the disciples, we too can be included in that group. We too can number ourselves amongst Jesus’ brothers – and sisters. Jesus says that, “whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

If we do the will of God, we too can join that special family of Christ.

But how do we do the will of God? Primarily be striving to be more like Christ, to follow his teachings, to live a life that honours him, and to put him first in all that we do and every decision we take. Reading and studying the Word of God as found in the Bible will be a huge help here, since by doing so we can uncover exactly how God wants us to live.

One verse that summarises this all really clearly is to be found in the Old Testament, in the book of Micah:

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8

What is the will of God? For us to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Much more could be written about this, but these Bible Notes are supposed to be brief!

Perhaps I’ll leave that with you to reflect on today.

Just think how wonderful it is to be a brother or sister of Christ!

Question for reflection: What does it mean to you to “act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God?” How might you do this in the days, weeks and months ahead?

This post was originally published in my Bible Notes email. To receive this directly in your inbox signup below:

Good morning! I hope and pray that your week has got off to a good start. It’s particularly cold here in the UK at the moment; I hope that you’re managing to keep warm.

In today’s Bible Notes we continue looking at the teachings of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel:

[33] “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. [34] You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. [35] A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. [36] But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. [37] For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned .”

Matthew 12:33-37                

I once knew someone who worked in the RAF. One day lunch I asked him about erroneous missile strikes. There had been a spate of them at that time, including one incident where a hospital in Iraq had been struck. I asked my friend who such calamitous errors could occur in a time when we have such advanced technology. I wasn’t trying to apportion blame, I was just genuinely curious how these dreadful mistakes happened. I remember his answer: “stupid in, stupid out.” The system might be clever, but if human error leads to mistakes in the coordinates being entered, then of course there will be mistakes. If you want to ensure that your missiles hit the right target, you have to put the right data in. Stupid mistakes lead to stupid mistakes. (I did posit that a better way of avoiding civilian targets being hit was to avoid missile strikes altogether, but apparently this is an oversimplistic view).

I do find that idea of “stupid in, stupid out” interesting though. I suppose the same is true if you build a house. If you build lousy foundations you’ll get a lousy house. If you use low quality ingredients in a cake you’ll get a low quality cake. If you eat poor food then you’ll have poor health. If you feed your brain unpleasant stuff, then the changes are you’ll be an unpleasant person.

It’s this last point that Jesus picks up in his teaching today. In verse 35 he says, “a good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.”
If we binge on filth, whether that’s stuff we read, stuff we watch, or stuff we see, it’s likely that we will not be the most pleasant of people. This will manifest itself in the way we see the world, the way we regard people, and the way we interact with people. How can it not?

Instead, if we fill our hearts and our minds with positivity and goodness, that will be the way that we see the world and other people.

I’m aware that these are tough times we’re living through. Really tough. Our freedom is restricted. Our ability to meet up with those we love is frequently limited. Even getting hold of our favourite things is tricky. Being positive and good, thoughtful and generous, is perhaps harder than at any point in our lives. But if we fill ourselves with positivity, thoughtfulness and kindness we can change ourselves and the lives of those whom we encounter.

Where do we find this goodness? How do we store up goodness within us?

I would suggest that immersing ourselves in the teachings of Christ, reading his word, and striving to follow his example in all that we do is a great way to start. Ask him to send his Spirit into our lives, to refresh us and renew us, would be a very positive thing to do. Apologising for times when we’ve turned away from him and his way, and committing ourselves to follow him would be a great step to take.

However you’re feeling, whatever your perspective is, why not try to do that today?

Question for reflection: what are the negative, evil influences in our lives? Do we need to take active steps to move away from them? What can we do to fill ourselves with love and goodness instead?

This post was originally published in my Bible Notes email. To receive this directly in your inbox signup below:

Good morning, and happy Friday! I hope that you’ve had a good week thus far.

In our final Biblenotes.email of the week we consider Jesus’ credentials after John the Baptist asked his disciples to find out if he was the Messiah or a prophet. Our reading comes from Matthew’s Gospel:

2 When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” 4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

Matthew 11:2-6

One of the changes brought about by COVID is that there are far fewer people calling door to door. Previously we used to get quite a number of charity collectors visiting our house, as well as lots of people trying to encourage us to sign up for weekly menu boxes – pre-measured produce and recipe cards that you use to make your own meals. One of the most memorable people to visit our door, though, was a guy dressed in a three-piece suit and sporting a trilby hat plus a classic pocket watch. He spoke with a gravelly smoker’s voice and reminded me very much of Frank Butcher in the old days of EastEnders. ‘Frank’ used to turn up once every couple of months or so and wanted to know if we had any spare gold to sell. Quite why he thought we might have is beyond me! He struck me as a bit of a dodgy wheeler-dealer, and, if I was going to do business with him, I would definitely ask to see his credentials!

In our verses today, John the Baptist is in prison. He has heard news of what Jesus is up to, and sends his disciples to find out if Jesus was the Messiah – the rescuer of God’s people promised throughout the Old Testament – or merely a prophet, preparing the way for the coming Messiah. As instructed, John’s disciples go to Jesus and asked him if he was the Messiah.

Jesus responds not by confirming or denying that he is the Messiah, but by showing them his credentials. Look at what I’ve done, he says, and make up your own mind. Tell John that through Jesus, “the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.”

How could anyone other than the Messiah, God himself, have accomplished this?

Look at me, Jesus says, and decide for yourselves. Surely the only conclusion is that Jesus is the Messiah?

Of course, for those who knew their scriptures, Jesus was making clear reference to the prophecies in the Old Testament of the Messiah. 

Jesus tells John’s disciples how he has given the blind sight, enabled the lame to walk and enabled the deaf to hear, a clear fulfilment of the prophecy in Isaiah 35:5-6: 

Jesus tells John’s disciples that as a result of him, “the good news is proclaimed to the poor,” a clear fulfilment of Isaiah 61:1-2

Here, then, are Jesus’ credentials as John would have understood them. Jesus is the fulfilment of the prophecies of Isaiah. Here is the one foretold throughout the Jewish scriptures, the one whom the Jews were waiting. Here is the Messiah come to liberate God’s people.

How do we respond to this statement of Jesus’ credentials? If he is sent by God to rescue us, how do we respond? If he rescues us from our sin by dying on the cross, how do we respond? If he asks to take up our cross and to follow him, how do we respond?

Definitely worth a moment or two of reflection on a Friday morning!

Have a great weekend. We’ll be back bright and early on Monday morning with another Biblenotes.email.

This post was originally published in my Bible Notes email. To receive this directly in your inbox signup below:

Take up your cross

Good morning! Here we are with another reflection based on Jesus’ words in Matthew’s Gospel. Once again, we find Jesus teaching his disciples, preparing them to go out into the world and continue his ministry themselves. As yesterday, today’s words are challenging to say the least!

38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

Matthew 10:38-39

A few years ago I did a Masters degree, part time, whilst working full time. When I signed up for it, it seemed like a good idea. For the most part I really enjoyed it; the classes were interesting, the seminars illuminating, and the camaraderie great. Every time I found myself up against an essay deadline, though, I began to wonder quite why I was bothering! In fact, I don’t think there was a single essay where I didn’t think to myself, “that’s it! I’m packing this in and giving up!’ On each occasion, though, I was able to calm myself down, and just get on with it. I knew that ultimately the sense of achievement on graduating would make it all worth while. Plus I’d have learnt a lot by the end, and it might even help me in my life and career.

It’s often the case that difficult things are worth persevering with. In the words of that old American Football phrase, popularised by Billy Ocean, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

In today’s verses, Jesus makes it clear that following him is no walk in the park. Christians are called to “take up their cross” and follow Jesus if we want to be found worthy of him.

This is one of the most famous expressions of Jesus, and one which is often spoken in wider society. But what did Jesus actually mean when he told his followers that they must take up their cross and follow him?

Quite simply, “taking up your cross” means to be willing to endure death by the most painful and humiliating methods of execution ever devised by humanity. This is the only image that his disciples, to whom he was speaking, would have had in mind. 

Of the twelve apostles (thirteen if we include Matthias, who succeeded Judas after he committed suicide), two (Peter and Andrew) literally took up their crosses and were crucified. Of the others, only John is said to have died a peaceful, natural death, with all the others dying for their faith.

Taking up your cross means being willing to give up your life in the service of Jesus Christ. He died for us, and we too should be willing to die for him.

That is not an easy message. But it’s one that is definitely worth pondering. If it came to it, would I be willing to die for Jesus?

Of course, most of us will not be in a position where we face death for our beliefs. But what would we be willing to sacrifice for our faith? Would we be willing to lose friends? To lose jobs? To lose our comfortable, western existence?

Is following Jesus the single most important thing in your life?

If we are willing to make these sacrifices then the rewards will be great, because as Jesus says, “whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” True life will be ours – life as God intended, a life with him in his new, eternal and perfect creation. Eternal life with no suffering, sickness, disease or death.

The Christian life is not easy. But the rewards are great, and eternal. 

Question for reflection: What does it mean for me to ‘take up my cross’? Have I committed my life to following Christ?

This post was originally published in my Bible Notes email.

Do you acknowledge Christ?

In today’s Biblenotes.email we reflect on a couple of verses from chapter ten of Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus has called his disciples and is preparing to send them out into the world. Can you imagine how they might have felt at this point? They have witnessed Jesus’ teaching. They have seen him raise a dead girl and heal a sick woman. They have seen him heal the blind and the mute. Now Jesus gives his disciples “authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness” (10:1). What a daunting prospect! I can imagine their nervousness at emulating their master in the world. Before they leave, though, Jesus gives them careful instructions about what they should and shouldn’t do, and how they should respond to the world. 

We join Jesus and the disciples at a particularly challenging point in his teaching:

32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

Matthew 10:32-33

I often see a highly decorated car parked outside the station when I walk home after catching my train back from work. It’s covered with all manner of decorations and signs. It’s rather distinctive! It’s not every day one sees such a vibrantly decorated car. Indeed, these days even car stickers seem few and far between. It used to be common to see stickers boasting of National Trust membership, or RSPB membership, or advising that the driver’s other car was, for example, a tractor. Maybe it’s just me but I don’t think there are as many of these around as there used to be. I don’t think it’s because fewer people are members of organisations. Is it because people don’t feel to proclaim their membership? Who knows!

In the verses above Jesus explains why it is so important that we do not keep our membership of his family secret, but proclaim it widely. Whoever tells people that they know Jesus, that they have put their trust in him, that they follow him and that they love him, Jesus will do the same for them when we encounter God on the day of our judgement. Jesus will proudly tell his father that here stands someone whom he loves, because this person has trusted him, followed him, loved him, honoured him and respected him. As a consequence, this person can have confidence knowing that after their earthly death, eternal life in God’s new creation will be their reward.

Conversely, those who do not proclaim their relationship with Jesus, or even deny knowing him, can expect Jesus to do the same with them when they find themselves stood before God on the day of judgement. “Do you know this person?” God the Father will ask his son. “No, I don’t,” the response will come. “This persons hasn’t trusted me, followed me, loved me, honoured me and respected me.” What are the consequences of that? Eternal separation from God, and denial of a place in God’s new creation. To put it in a word: death.

Challenging words from Jesus.

Do we boast of our love for Christ? Do we tell everyone who will listen that we are followers of Christ? When someone asks us, “you’re a Christian, aren’t you?” do we proudly respond, “yes, I am,” or do we try to avoid answering, change the subject, or even deny our faith?

For many living today, publicly accepting that they are followers of Christ can result in mockery, persecution, arrest, or even death. I wonder how I would respond if I found myself facing death if I proclaimed my faith in Christ? I hope that I would have the courage and the strength to proudly assert my faith, but how hard must it be to proclaim Christ if doing so could result in death. When there are people confronting this reality each and every day, it puts into perspective the challenges of those who live in countries where proclaiming Christ may lead merely to mockery or ridicule.

Ultimately, as Christians we take an eternal perspective on life and our existence. Proclaiming our faith might sometimes be tricky or make us feel uncomfortable, but by doing so we have the hope that Jesus will declare that we have acknowledged him before his Father, ensuring that we might spend eternity with him after our earthly deaths.

Question for reflection: How do I respond when people speak about Jesus? Do I proclaim him as my Lord, or do I avoid getting drawn into the conversation?

Visit the Open Doors website to find out how you can support those who suffer persecution and discrimination for their faith.

This post was originally published in my Bible Notes email. To receive this directly in your inbox signup below: