You have been warned
John 15:26-16:4
26 ‘When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. 27 You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.
16 ‘I have said these things to you to keep you from stumbling. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God. 3 And they will do this because they have not known the Father or me. 4 But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them.”
Jesus said back in John 15:20 “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you.” He repeats those thoughts again in this passage. Being a follower of Jesus is costly business. Some followers of Jesus are called to pay the ultimate price and they will be killed. Some followers of Jesus will be persecuted by people who think they are acting in God’s name, believing that the persecution of Jesus’ followers is the right thing, the moral thing, to do.
Jesus has two things to say about that:
First, the followers of Jesus will have the Holy Spirit (the Advocate, the Spirit of truth) as their connection to God, testifying to God’s hopes, desires, plans in the world. And reminding them that they belong to God. In the midst of opposition and persecution. God holds those who are being persecuted in his faithful grasp.
Second, Jesus is speaking these words has warned his followers that persecution is coming, and so they will not be caught off guard when it arrives. To be forewarned is an invitation to be prepared. To be forewarned is to be told that the road ahead will be hard, for following Jesus is costly and demanding.
If those things were true for the disciples, they will be true for us as well. Following Jesus is costly, but we have the promise that God holds us in his faithful care.
PRAYER:
Lord God, we thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, who walks with us through the challenges of being your people. By the Holy Spirit remind us of the promise that you will be faithful in holding us fast, no matter what may befall us. WE thank you that you have warned us to count the cost of following you, help us to do that wisely, and to then choose the way that leads to life, life in your Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.