Since the earliest days of Jesus’ ministry, followers of Christ have struggled with a tension: How do we engage with the world? The first disciples thought Jesus was there to overthrow the Roman government. They thought being a Christ’s disciple would come with political power and worldly status.
But they were wrong.
Jesus made that clear in John 15: 18-20 when he told them that he had to suffer and that they should also expect to face persecution. But we shouldn’t miss why Jesus says his disciples — and Christians today — should be ready to suffer.
It’s because we don’t belong to this world. Instead, we’ve been chosen out of this world by Christ. Yet, we still feel tension when we look at Jesus’ life. More than anyone in history, Jesus did good in the world. He healed, fed, and loved the socially outcast and overlooked.
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