Today’s Scripture Readings

Gospel Reading

NRSV

‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. ‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.’ Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities.

Do you remember the children’s book “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt!” It’s about a family that is looking for a bear marching through the countryside, and as they come across the different terrains, like long grass, cold rivers, oozy mud and the dark forest they have a family mantra they declare ‘We can’t go over it, we can’t go under it, we’ve got to go through it!’ through it they go. And so must we.

Jesus makes a prediction in today’s gospel that the disciples are going to suffer, and as disciple of today’s era, this prediction is for us too. We are going to suffer, there are going to be times where this life as a follower of Christ is going to cost us; it’s going to be hard. And where the message of the world is to avoid suffering, to reduce pain and get around it, run away from it. The message of Christ, is like that of the children’s story ‘We’ve got to go through it.’

It’s not suffering itself we must overcome, but the fear of suffering. We do not need to be afraid, Christ has overcome it all. He who suffered the cross conquered death. He who made a way for us leads us to his Father’s kingdom. He is with us. You are not alone in your suffering, Jesus is before you, he is beside you, he will lead you through it.

How do you embrace suffering in your walk with Jesus?