"Brothers and sisters will hand each other over to be executed. 

A father will turn his child in. Children will defy their parents and have them executed.

You will be hated by everyone because of my name. 

But the one who endures to the end will be saved."

Matthew 10:21-22 CSB

There's some things that Jesus says that just seem weird, hard to understand, just want to skip past to the good parts. 

But Jesus is warning his team that there's terrible things that happen in this life, and at least some of them because of your faith. 

We don't have to look far in our culture at the way siblings have harmed one another, parents harmed children, children harmed parents.

We've seen waves of hatred and distrust and the differences of culture, religion, ethnicity, being held in some way as being wrong. 

So these things that Jesus was warning the 12 about as they went out in his name are all around us. 

And it's not how it should be. 

Yesterday I was at the funeral of a wonderful Aunty and when I looked around at the diverse collection of her children, grandchildren, & great grandchildren, all of whom knew her love and acceptance, her welcoming and belonging, there was a picture of the antidote to the world that Jesus was warning his team they were stepping into. 

May we in this harrowing world that has so much discord, be part of the antidote story of acceptance and love.

#wordsofJesus 

#redletterBible

#lovewins