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12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though something strange were happening to you; 13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at the revelation of His glory you may also rejoice and be overjoyed. 14 If you are insulted for (or in) the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory, and of God, rests upon you.

 

The New Testament writers speak of suffering for Christ, or in the name of Christ, and are careful (as in the verses following our reading) to differentiate suffering that happens because of being identified with Christ, as opposed to suffering that happens to Christians that has nothing to do with Christ, but instead is due to bad behavior. It has been a temptation for disciples of Christ to think that they’re being persecuted for “doing the Lord’s work”, when it’s more a case of either actual crime, other sin, or even as someone who is a “busybody in other peoples’ matters” (see 1 Pet. 4:15).

In this case, the gospel reading from Matthew 2:13-18 sheds some light on the subject. Mattew 2 tells of what happens in the aftermath of the visit from the Magi. King Herod told the Magi that he wanted to know where the child was, that he might also go to worship him. Instead, he wanted to kill him, as Jesus represented a threat to his rule. When the Magi left without reporting back to Herod, Herod ordered the killing of all boys two years old and under, in the vicinity of Bethlehem. Those innocent victims were identified with Jesus and died as a result. It wasn’t because of any specific thing they did, but only because they might’ve been Jesus, that they were Herod’s targets.

 

If you are being mistreated (or worse) merely because you’ve been identified as a follower of Christ, then you are truly sharing in Christ’s sufferings, and are called to keep rejoicing in that. But we need to be honest with ourselves, and one another, to be sure we’re truly suffering in his place, and not because of our own bad behavior.

 

Lord, let us not be afraid to be identified as your disciples, but always keep us mindful of your ways, and guide us to follow your example, that our identification with you reflects you always. Amen

 

Damon Glassmoyer jwl1040@gmail.com

Prayer Concern: For those in relief ministries in our country and around the world, that they don’t grow discouraged in their work.