Suffering Persecution Base Text: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:10)

The Cost of Discipleship
When Jesus called his twelve disciples to follow him, they left everything they were doing and came after their Master. Levi, or Matthew, left all their accounting work and followed Jesus. The brothers Peter and Andrew, James and John left fishing nets and boats and joined the group of followers of the sweet Rabbi of Galilee. It was “all or nothing”.
Following Jesus means putting him in first place in your life and heart. Following Jesus means “to leave everything” for Him.  To follow Jesus means to seek His will first, along with his Kingdom and his righteousness.
When Jesus told his disciples about his death on the cross, Peter, thinking he was doing something right, tried to divert the eyes of the Lord off of the will of the Father: there would be cross for Him, but Jesus called the disciples and the crowd and told them: “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.” (Mark 8:34-37).
In the New Testament times, under the oppression of the Roman Empire, if a person walked through the streets carrying a cross on their shoulders, it meant that person was already “dead.” He/she was going to martyrdom. They had already been tried and convicted by the world. He/She was literally “dead.” And Jesus wanted his disciples to know exactly this, that his followers would also have to take up their cross to follow him.
When the Lord walked to Jerusalem, before the cross, there were people who wished to follow him. One of the followers, who also went to Jerusalem, said: “Lord,  I will follow you wherever you want to go. And Jesus said unto him, “The foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.
And he said to another: “Follow me.”  But he said, Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” But Jesus said unto him, “Let the dead bury their dead: but you will go and preach the kingdom of God.”
Another also said, “Lord, I will follow you, but let me first say goodbye to those in my house.” And Jesus said unto him, “No man, who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God “(Lk 9:57-62).

Suffering for Christ
Have you ever noticed that when we take the cup of supper, there is always “a little left over”, or a few drops of wine or grape juice? We are not able to drink everything, even if you bring the cup to your lips again.
So, too, the Lord left us a bit of the “suffering of Christ” to partake of.