Then they called it justice.

Do You Persecute?

Do You Persecute? By Kirk Hunt

Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city

Matthew 23:34 NKJV
Read also Matthew 23: 31-36

 

Neither foreigners nor pagans persecuted any of the Old Testament prophets.  Their own supposedly devout countrymen and kinsmen tortured and murdered them.  Why?  The greater your sin, the harder it is to hear the truth.  Just ask Cheney, Goodman and Schwerner.

 

The prophets, scribes and others called God’s people back from sin and error.  Often they were met with violent opposition.  Even when Jesus walked the earth, men and women often met God’s truth with unrighteous responses.

 

James, Andrew and Michael left the safety of their homes to help register men and women to vote in their local elections.  Instead of being congratulated for their American spirit they were brutalized and murdered under the cover of darkness.  The very men (and women) charged with keeping them safe participated in the heinous act or protected the perpetrators.

 

The terrorists were American sons, born and bred on American soil.  Their targets?  Other Americans born and bred just as they were.  Sort of.

 

Jesus was sent to the Cross for healing the sick then preaching grace and truth.  Here in America, the land of my fathers, truth has also been met with violence and murder.  Still, many brave souls continue to speak out God’s truth. 

 

Roman hands may have swung the hammers, but it was Jewish priests and leaders who sought Jesus’ blood.  What is your response?  Do you persecute truth-tellers or do you respond in God’s grace? 

 

Think:        Do I encourage those who speak God’s truth, or do I persecute them?

 

Pray:           “Lord, help me to hear Your truth and respond with grace and humility.”

 

Copyright © October 2016, Kirk Hunt

 

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