Jesus exposes the Twelve to conflict

The plot thickens. As Jesus’ training of His disciples continued, He alerted His men to the reality of the hostility they would encounter. They had seen how Jesus Himself faced His critics, but they had not yet incorporated that reality into their thinking and responses. In the Sermon on the Mount (see Matt. 5-7), Jesus had clearly spoken of those who were persecuted for the sake of righteousness; then He tacked on that this kind of treatment was not new to the true followers of the kingdom.

Remember, Jesus’ view and teaching of the kingdom was radically different from what the Jews were looking for, and that included His own men. Thus far, they had not picked up this true kingdom orientation.

Have we given new members instruction on how to handle opposition to the gospel? That there is opposition can hardly be debated. But how are we handling it? And are we taking advantage of it? Remember the adage: “The blood of the martyrs [read witnesses] is the seed of the church.”

Also are we training men in seminary to teach the people of God how to handle opposition? It certainly was in Jesus’ curriculum. I never had that kind of instruction. Living in a rather tolerant culture, we can lose sight of the world’s hatred of God, the gospel, and the church. But it’s becoming more evident!

What did Jesus do and teach so His men would be well trained for their assignment? Let me outline some factors that have come to me through study of the gospels.

1) Reality versus romanticism. I’ve already alluded to this in terms of the disciples’ hope for Jesus’ structuring a kingdom that would defeat the Romans and exalt the Jews. One could also say Jesus made sure His men understood the nature of the kingdom of God in contrast to the kingdoms of this world. Here are three aspects of kingdom thinking or outlook on which Jesus focused:

Kingdom reality acknowledges we live in a fallen world. There loom so many evidences of this it hardly needs treatment. However, Jesus always spoke of reality in terms of God. The world experiences all kinds of difficulties: tsunamis, tornadoes, epidemics, economic depressions, wars, and on and on. But seldom does one hear these things in public being assessed in terms of God. Jesus’ disciples must be God-centered in their thinking.

Kingdom reality also acknowledges this fallen world is hostile toward God. This came as a result of sin’s first appearance on the earth. God said in Genesis 3:15 that He would put enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. Theologians define this as antithesis. This reality summons reconciliation in the gospel. Sinners need to be reconciled to God because He has been offended and mankind has rebelled. It’s a spiritual matter. The disciples needed to understand why people hated Jesus.

Kingdom reality versus romanticism therefore summons a radical gospel. This became a stark revelation to Nicodemus when Jesus pronounced, “You must be born again.” In short, mankind is impotent when it comes to God! When one reads John 6 and Jesus’ word that those given to Him by God would come to Him–and only those–we can understand why the disciples said, “This is a tough teaching!” They had to learn the meaning of grace. Salvation is the gift of God. While the gospel is good news, people will not receive it apart from God’s calling.

2) Self-denial over self-centeredness. This is plain in the Scriptures. Yet it seems difficult for us to grasp. This issue has two sides.

The initial side has to do with the cross and Christ. The cross in Scripture and Roman culture spoke of death, both cruel and shameful. In Matthew 16:21 there came a time when Jesus began to tell His men about His going to the cross. They couldn’t believe it. They did not yet realize that He was indeed “the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world.” It had not yet dawned on them how Jesus’ own death was crucial to their mission and central to their message.

The other side has to do with the cross and their own lives. Jesus told them, “If anyone comes to Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Matt. 16:24). The disciple’s lifestyle is one of accepting one’s own death with Christ on His cross and then taking up his own cross–a life of obeying God’s call–and walking with Jesus. It can be learned, but it’s tough. Remember, at the Last Supper the twelve were still arguing about who was the greatest!

3) Truth over tradition. Every culture has its traditions, and there was certainly not an exception in Jesus’ time. In fact, Jewish tradition had become so prominent Jesus said they could not distinguish it from God’s actual law. Two questions summarize Jesus’ instruction to His men at this point.

First, “Who is Jesus?” Jesus asked His men that question; and when Peter answered for the twelve, Jesus affirmed his answer but quietly reminded him that the Father had revealed it to him. It’s still the question of our age: “Who is Jesus Christ?” He is the central focus of biblical preaching, and in time the twelve got it. They went out as sent and preached Jesus, controversy and conflict notwithstanding.

Second, “What is truth?” Pilate asked that of Jesus, but rhetorically. John 14:6 contains the well-known words: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” In His prayer in John 17, Jesus said to the Father, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17). When you begin to recognize Jesus as the One in whom all things–and I mean all things–hang together as Colossians 1 says, you can recognize why the disciples would defy the religious leaders of their day and keep on preaching Jesus, the Truth!

We don’t court conflict, but neither are we to be surprised when we encounter it. Jesus, by His own walk and word, taught His men to be prepared for it and to not be discouraged nor dissuaded from their mission. Yet, it was not until later they would begin to catch the meaning of kingdom conflict.