But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. (Mark 13:9-10)
This comes from what Christians have long called the Olivet Discourse, because it was a teaching Jesus gave to His disciples on the Mount of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem and the temple mount.
One purpose Jesus had in the Olivet Discourse was to prepare His disciples to endure persecution. Those who heard him utter these words would be persecuted, and only one of them would die a natural death.
Therefore, Jesus told them – and all His future disciples – watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils. Jesus told His disciples to be prepared for the persecution that would come against them before the end. This persecution was not the sign of the end but simply should be expected. They could expect to be persecuted both by the religious (you will be beaten in the synagogues) and by the government (rulers and kings). In such difficult times, the believer should not despair because they suffer for the sake of Jesus, and as a testimony to their persecutors.
It is easy for those of us who live in the Western world to underestimate how difficult a time of persecution can be. While few Christians in the Western world face persecution, Christians in other parts of the world often face these trials.
– If I came from an orthodox Jewish family, they might consider me a blasphemer and account me as dead for choosing Jesus.
– If I came from a strict Muslim family, I might be rejected by my family and be literally killed for choosing Jesus.
– If I came from a Hindu family in India, I could be rejected and martyred for choosing Jesus.
– In China, I might be allowed to practice Christianity only in the state-sponsored church. My church might be one of the thousands destroyed since the year 2000.
– In Nigeria, I might be killed or maimed in the bombings and attacks common around Christmas and Easter.
It’s easy for Western Christians to almost romanticize persecution. It’s true that God works miracles in and through His people in such times, but they are extremely trying and stressful for believers. Of course, those who directly suffer the persecution must trust God for endurance, but so do believers who simply live under the threat of persecution. That is a great burden to bear, greater than most people realize.
While times of persecution are difficult, God works through them. I remember the testimony of a pastor I met in Erbil, Iraq. He told them that God was moving so mightily in their midst, that despite the difficulty of the persecution, they had stopped asking God to take it away. Now their prayer was for God to do great things for His sake, and as a lasting testimony.