Wait and See

“Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city.  That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.  Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.”  Matthew 23:34-36

John the baptist was the first New Testament prophet appearing some 400 years after Malachi, the last Old Testament prophet.  We know from scripture that John was beheaded by Herod because John had pointed out the adulterous relationship between Herod and his brother Philip’s wife, Herodias (Matthew 14:3-12).  Other men of God who were scribes and wrote what they experienced in their witness for Christ were also slain.  It has been reported by historians that Peter was crucified upside down at his request, during the period of Nero’s rule over Rome.  He had suffered imprisonment by Herod, who killed James, John’s brother, with a sword.  Paul had many trials and tribulations and spent his last remaining years imprisoned in Rome.  Tradition says that he was, like John the Baptist, beheaded.  The apostle John was exiled on the Isle of Patmos to live out the rest of his days in relative obscurity, but that resulted in his writing the books of John, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John, and Revelation.

Why did Christ allow them to suffer as they did?  We know that believers in Christ are not the most popular folks in the world.  There are many more who reject Christ than receive Him, thus, because man is not willing to humble himself and repent of the sin that he loves, he is against those who follow Christ, some unbelievers being more openly hostile that others.  If God so desired, He could have and could now withhold His word and His warnings to a sinful world, but because He is a loving Savior, He allows His word to go forth by those willing to share the gospel even if it results in their persecution and suffering.  His word is accomplishing what God intended: to bring as many as will into His kingdom.  Before we complain about someone making fun of us as a Christian, let’s remember those who have suffered and are now truly suffering for the cause of Christ.

Jesus prophesied that these religious leaders of His day would do exactly as their fathers had done, and therefore, they would be held accountable for not only their own murderous acts, but those of the fathers as well.  He deemed them responsible for all the righteous blood that was shed upon the earth, from Abel, who was killed by his brother Cain, to Zachariah, who was slain by order of Joash, the king of Judah (II Chronicles 24:20-22).  These men to whom Jesus was addressing would also be held responsible for the deaths of many of God’s servants and also of Christ Himself.  Before we get too complacent about our own righteousness and become judgmental concerning these religious leaders, we must remember that before Christ came into our lives, we all stood just as guilty before God as those who murdered Jesus.  It was our sins that caused Jesus to suffer and die to satisfy God’s requirement for justice.

Jesus also told these men that condemnation would come down upon them in short time.  Prior to Jesus’ incarnation, in 63 B.C., Jerusalem was captured by the Romans under the leadership of Pompey, Julius Caesar’s son-in-law.  Twenty-three years later, Herod the Great became ruler of Israel for 36 years, the last year was the year when Jesus was born in Bethlehem.  After Herod’s death, Jerusalem became a Roman province ruled by procurators, but the Pharisees and Sadducees were given some authority.  Pontius Pilate was the procurator at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion.  About twelve or so years after Jesus’ resurrection, Herod’s grandson, Herod Agrippa I, became ruler, but in attempting to assume divinity, God struck him down (Acts 12).  A new procurator was appointed, but conditions became worse and worse for believers who began to leave Jerusalem and travel to other regions (Act 8:1).

In 37 A.D., the Roman emperor, Caligula, came to power, in 41 A.D., Claudius, and Nero in 54 A.D.  They were all tyrants, who persecuted Christians and Jews.  In 70 A.D., Vespasian became emperor, and his military general was Titus, who seized Jerusalem, setting it on fire and destroying the temple, leaving not one stone upon another, fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy made to His disciples (Matthew 24:2).  When Jesus made this prophecy, I imagine the religious leaders likely heard about it and looked at each other and thought that He didn’t know what He was talking about.  Some of these leaders were likely still living in 70 A.D. when Rome destroyed the city that they thought was indestructible.

The bottom line is that when Jesus says something will happen, it will happen.  We are not to take a “wait and see” if it comes true, but rather a “wait and see” knowing that it will come to pass.  The religious leaders of Jesus’ day didn’t believe Him as so many today do not believe the Biblical account of creation, the virgin birth of Jesus, His ability to forgive sins, or that He will return to punish the wicked and bless the righteous.  Jesus said in Matthew 24:42 to “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”  Thus, I am watching for any day now.