Last Wednesday, many churches around the world observed the “Red Wednesday,” an occasion to honor the many martyrs who have shed their blood and offered their lives for the sake of Christ. On the first Sunday of Advent, I still find this theme relevant for my reflection, for as the Bible tells us, there will be heightened persecution of Christians prior to the Lord’s second coming.
In any Christian ministry, or even in the personal life of a believer, persecution will always be present. Jesus said, “No servant is greater than his master; if they persecuted me, they will persecute you, too …” (John 15:20).
Paul was no stranger to persecution. The Book of Acts narrates that he was dragged out of the temple, accused, arrested, imprisoned, seized, and beaten. Although not specifically recorded, many believe that in the end he was beheaded. All of Jesus’ apostles, with the exception of John, also suffered a martyr’s death.
This gruesome persecution of Christians continued in the first centuries of the Church. Many of the early Christians suffered a lot for their faith at the hands of Roman emperors – imprisoned, tortured, sown into two, beheaded, fed to lions, burned alive, and crucified upside down. The more that Christians were persecuted, however, the more that Christianity grew. As Tertulian, a second century theologian wrote, “The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church.”
In our present time, the persecution of Christians is still very much a reality. Open Doors, an international organization supporting persecuted Christians, reports in its website that in 2023, more than 365 million Christians suffered high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. This figure includes 4,998 Christians who were murdered; 4,125 believers, detained; and 14,766 churches and properties, attacked. These statistics were only for 50 countries; they will even be greater if all nations of the world are accounted for.
For us who live in a country where freedom of religion is protected by the Constitution, Christian persecution may not be done in extreme fashion, but it does not mean that this problem is inexistent. Many Christians of whatever denomination who really live out their faith will attest to the fact that in their personal lives, they have experienced some sort of persecution. Maybe, some were misunderstood or misinterpreted. Others were bullied or abused for their kindness; and still others were denied opportunities that are rightfully theirs in their places of work or communities. Undesirable as these acts may be, the consolation is that they are no match to the great sufferings of the martyrs of yesteryears, or to the experiences of Christians living in countries with high incidences of religious intolerance. Just like the hearers in the book of Hebrews, “in our struggle against sin, we have not yet resisted to the point of shedding our blood” (Hebrews 12:4).
We are challenged today to face courageously whatever persecutions that come our way, if these will reveal the glory of God. In one of the beatitudes, Jesus taught us, “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12). We also take courage in Jesus’ words, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).
In times of testing, let us rest in God’s promise that he will never leave us nor forsake us. He is our ever-present help in time of trouble. Not a strand of hair on our head will fall to the ground without our Heavenly Father knowing it.
