Coming Persecutions^(A)

^16 (B)“Listen! I am sending you out just like sheep to a pack of wolves. You must be as cautious as snakes and as gentle as doves. ^17 (C)Watch out, for there will be those who will arrest you and take you to court, and they will whip you in the synagogues. ¹⁸ For my sake you will be brought to trial before rulers and kings, to tell the Good News to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹ When they bring you to trial, do not worry about what you are going to say or how you will say it; when the time comes, you will be given what you will say. ²⁰ For the words you will speak will not be yours; they will come from the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

^21 (D)“People will hand over their own brothers to be put to death, and fathers will do the same to their children; children will turn against their parents and have them put to death. ^22 (E)Everyone will hate you because of me. But whoever holds out to the end will be saved. ²³ When they persecute you in one town, run away to another one. I assure you that you will not finish your work in all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

^24 (F)“No pupil is greater than his teacher; no slave is greater than his master. ^25 (G)So a pupil should be satisfied to become like his teacher, and a slave like his master. If the head of the family is called Beelzebul, the members of the family will be called even worse names!

Whom to Fear^(H)

^26 (I)“So do not be afraid of people. Whatever is now covered up will be uncovered, and every secret will be made known. ²⁷ What I am telling you in the dark you must repeat in broad daylight, and what you have heard in private you must announce from the housetops. ²⁸ Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather be afraid of God, who can destroy both body and soul in hell. ²⁹ For only a penny you can buy two sparrows, yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father's consent. ³⁰ As for you, even the hairs of your head have all been counted. ³¹ So do not be afraid; you are worth much more than many sparrows!

Confessing and Rejecting Christ^(J)

³² “Those who declare publicly that they belong to me, I will do the same for them before my Father in heaven. ^33 (K)But those who reject me publicly, I will reject before my Father in heaven.

Not Peace, but a Sword^(L)

³⁴ “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the world. No, I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ^35 (M)I came to set sons against their fathers, daughters against their mothers, daughters-in-law against their mothers-in-law; ³⁶ your worst enemies will be the members of your own family.

³⁷ “Those who love their father or mother more than me are not fit to be my disciples; those who love their son or daughter more than me are not fit to be my disciples. ^38 (N)Those who do not take up their cross and follow in my steps are not fit to be my disciples. ^39 (O)Those who try to gain their own life will lose it; but those who lose their life for my sake will gain it.

Rewards^(P)

^40 (Q)“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. ⁴¹ Whoever welcomes God's messenger because he is God's messenger, will share in his reward. And whoever welcomes a good man because he is good, will share in his reward. ⁴² You can be sure that whoever gives even a drink of cold water to one of the least of these my followers because he is my follower, will certainly receive a reward.”