Read Luke 10:1-16
“Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves” (v. 3).
Lambs among wolves — what chance would they have? Jesus was sending His disciples into an environment in which they would be opposed by those who hated righteousness and loved evil. Persecution awaited them. Indeed, we only need to read the life of the Apostle Paul to know that this was true.
The Nicene Council was held in the fourth century to debate the nature of Christ. It was an important milestone in Church history — Jesus was declared to be one with the Father. Vance Havner, the well-known evangelist, reportedly declared that, of the 318 bishops who participated in the debates, fewer than a dozen had whole, healthy bodies. The rest, he said, had lost eyes or hands or had been severely hurt in other ways because of their faith in Christ.
That believers go forth as lambs among wolves is no less true today. Read the accounts of persecution in the Voice of the Martyrs magazine to acquaint yourself with modern fulfillments of Jesus’ ancient declaration. But note also that “it is the manifestation of a meek and lamblike spirit among ravenous and wolfish men which wins the battle for Christ and conquers the world” (Pulpit Comm.). Jesus does not win the world through armed conflict or coercion; He wins the hearts of men through meekness and love. (Steven E Hight)
Lambs among wolves ultimately overcome through Christ.
This is the January 20, 2014, devotional from Opening the Word.
Photo Credit: Jean-Léon Gérôme [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
