Jesus Warns About Troubles (Mk. 13:9-13; Lk. 21:12-17)

¹⁶"Listen! I am sending you, and you will be like sheep among wolves. So be smart like snakes. But also be like doves and do nothing wrong. ¹⁷Be careful of people. They will arrest you and take you to be judged. They will whip you in their synagogues.* ¹⁸You will be taken to stand before governors and kings. People will do this to you because of me. You will tell about me to those kings and governors and to the non-Jewish people. ¹⁹When you are arrested, don't worry about what to say or how you should say it. At that time you will be given the things to say. ²⁰It will not really be you speaking. The Spirit of your Father will be speaking through you. ²¹"Brothers will turn against their own brothers and give them to be killed. Fathers will turn against their own children and give them to be killed. Children will fight against their own parents and will send their parents to be killed. ²²All people will hate you because you follow me. But the person that continues strong until the end will be saved. ²³When you are treated badly in one city, go to another city. I tell you the truth. You will not finish going through all the cities of Israel before the Son of Man* comes again. ²⁴"A student is not better than his teacher. A servant is not better than his master. ²⁵A student should be satisfied to become like his teacher. A servant should be satisfied to become like his master. If the head of the family is called Beelzebul (the devil), then the other members of the family will be called worse names!

Fear God, Not People (Lk. 12:2-7)

²⁶"So don't be afraid of those people. Everything that is hidden will be shown. Everything that is secret will be made known. ²⁷I tell you these things in the dark (secretly). But I want you to tell these things in the light. I speak these things quietly and only to you. But you should tell these things freely to all people. ²⁸Don't be afraid of people. They can only kill the body. They cannot kill the soul. The only one you should fear is the One (God) that can destroy the body and the soul. He can send the body and the soul to hell. ²⁹When birds are sold, two small birds cost only a penny. But not even one of those little birds can die without your Father allowing it. ³⁰God even knows how many hairs are on your head. ³¹So don't be afraid. You are worth much more than many birds.

Telling People About Your Faith (Lk. 12:8-9)

³²"When a person stands before other people and says he believes in me, then I will say that person belongs to me. I will say this before my Father in heaven. ³³But when a person stands before people and says he does not believe in me, then I will say that person does not belong to me. I will say this before my Father in heaven.

Following Jesus May Bring You Trouble (Lk. 12:51-53; 14:26-27)

³⁴"Don't think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace. I came to bring a sword. ^35-36I have come to make this happen: 'The people in a person's own family will be his enemies. A son will be against his father. A daughter will be against her mother. A daughter-in-law will be against her mother-in-law.' Micah 7:6

³⁷"Any person that loves his father or mother more than he loves me is not good enough to follow me. Any person who loves his son or daughter more than he loves me is not good enough to follow me. ³⁸If a person will not accept the cross (suffering) that will be given to him when he follows me, then that person is not good enough for me. ³⁹Any person that loves his life [more than he loves me] will lose true life. Any person that gives up his life for me will find true life.

God Will Bless People Who Accept You (Mk. 9:41)

⁴⁰The person that accepts you also accepts me. And the person that accepts me also accepts the One (God) that sent me. ⁴¹Any person that meets a prophet* and accepts him will get the reward of a prophet. And any person that accepts a good man because that man is good will get the reward of a good man. ⁴²If any person helps one of these little ones because they are my followers, then that person will truly get his reward. That person will get his reward even if he only gave my follower a cup of cold water."

synagogue(s) Synagogues were places where Jews gathered for prayer, study of the Scriptures, and other public meetings. Son of Man A name Jesus used for himself. In Dan. 7:13-14, this is the name for the Messiah, the one God chose to save his people. prophet A person that spoke for God.