I was reminded of the use/abuse of “persecution” as a ministry’s thermometer, and thought a reposting of this 2006 article from my other blog might be relevant to the conversation (then again, it might not be…)

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If you’ve spent any appreciable amount of time reading comments in Christian blogs, you’re most likely familiar with this 1-2 punch scenario:

Person A states a position and cites sources friendly to that position.

Person B comes back with Luke 6:26

Woe to you when all* men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets

Then, just to make sure their point is driven home, Person B will quote John 15:20

Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.

And thus, the implication is that people agree with Person A, and therefore he is a false prophet. Additionally, since Person A is not being persecuted, he is therefore not a servant of the Master. Game, set and match – no need for further discussion. Person B can declare victory and assume any further conversation on the topic is divisiveness, and that Person A is to be avoided (often citing Titus 3:10, just to complete the scriptural abuse trifecta).

What’s Wrong With This?

In the case of Luke 6:26, it is first important to read the entire passage, rather than just the prooftexted one:

Looking at his disciples, he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,for yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.

But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.

Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.

Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets. (Luke 6:20-26)

Jesus is giving parallel woes and blessings – demonstrating the need to temper our attitudes, and to maintain perspective. Notice also, that the woes are not curses, but warnings. This passage is not a call to asceticism, but a comfort to those in need and a warning to those currently without want (in one or more areas).

In the case of Lk 6:26, it is a warning to the person to be on guard when everyone is speaking well or agreeing with him or her, to be sure that they are not under false conceptions – it is not stating that if people agree with you and like you, therefore you must be wrong. And, just to add to the irony, people in the shoes of Person B are exactly the ones who should not give this warning, since in doing so, they invalidate it.

In the case of John 15:20, it is only necessary to include the entire verse:

Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

In the entire passage (John 15:18-27), Jesus is warning his disciples about what they will face out in the world (after all, ten would die as martyrs, one would die in exile, and one would betray him). In this particular passage, he is letting them know that the people they bear witness to who would have persecuted Jesus will persecute them and that those who would have obeyed his teaching, would obey them, too. To put it differently, from the perspective of the disciples, Jesus is telling them that he is confident enough in them that they can be just like him. The ultimate goal of a disciple is to be just like their rabbi. (Note to literalists – this is not saying the disciples thought they could be divine, but that they could be enough like Jesus that people could know what He is like through knowing them.)

One additional note to make – we, as westerners, often individualize the scripture far more than those who wrote it and who first witnessed it did. In Hebrew context, scripture is a community experience, not an individual one. Because of our difference in perspective, we may sometimes feel guilt when we are not individually persecuted, but we miss the greater point. The church is still being persecuted in many parts of the world, and it is important that we, as a body, should support those who are in the state of persecution, with support requiring action on our part. Even if I am not currently being persecuted, the church is, and it is my responsibility to take action on the part of my persecuted brothers & sisters.

Grace & peace,

Chris

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*If they are pulling it from memory or being dishonest, Person B will often leave out the important word “all”, so that you end up with “Woe to you when men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets”. This makes it much easier to avoid the obvious logical fallacy.