At What Cost?

Read Mark 13:1-13
¹ And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!" ² And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." ³ And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, ⁴ "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?" ⁵ And Jesus began to say to them, "See that no one leads you astray. ⁶ Many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and they will lead many astray. ⁷ And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁸ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. ⁹ "But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. ¹⁰ And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. ¹¹ And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. ¹² And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. ¹³ And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Jesus is clear with his disciples: the cost of discipleship is great. These disciples of Christ will experience many of the things Jesus is preparing to endure: arrests, trials, beatings and, as history tells us, almost all of them experience a martyr’s death. Why? Because the gospel must be proclaimed to a world which desires to reject Christ. This is not just the calling of those disciples but of all disciples, of you and me.

We may be lulled into passivity by living in a country that allows religious freedom. It can breed a faith that doesn’t want to rock the boat too much or come off too strong lest we offend others. We should not be fooled into believing that our country is any less aggressive in rejecting Christ, or that our calling is any less about standing firm in testimony to Christ despite any opposition we may face. We often forget that around the world we have brothers and sisters in Christ whose freedoms and very lives are threatened as they live out this very costly call to discipleship. Jesus tells us, You will be hated by all because of my name. But endure because in the end you will be saved (Mark 13:13).