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TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. Mark 6:17

Read: Mark 6:14-29

Listen: Mark 6

TODAY’S MESSAGE

John is in prison, arrested by Herod for calling him out for marrying his brother’s wife. She’s angry about it and holds a grudge. She takes the first opportunity she can to get back at John. Through the events of a dinner party, she asks for John’s head on a platter, and she gets it (quite the story for boxing actions). It’s a dark and terrible story, yet it likely resonated deeply with the church in Rome to whom Mark wrote his gospel. They were suffering persecution. Some of them might have been in prison. Two of their former church leaders, the apostles Paul and Peter, had been executed. Mark helps them see that suffering is normal when following Jesus.

In a deeply divided culture, following Jesus will have consequences. There were ramifications for following Jesus in the first century, and there are now. The Bible doesn’t sugarcoat suffering, and you may find yourself suffering for your faith today. Friends may stop inviting you to things as you shift priorities in where and how you spend your time. Your spouse may mock you for believing fairy tales when you carve out time on Saturday night or Sunday morning to stream the weekend service. You may experience isolation in your neighborhood as your beliefs feel out of sync with those on your street.

When you start to live out your faith, you may realize there are consequences and some of them may be painful. It’s ok. It’s normal. It has been going on for over two thousand years. In the midst of suffering, Jesus calls us to follow.

IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY

Open your journal to pages 57-58. Write a prayer asking God to help you keep going through the rejection. Ask him to help you see that he is with you, that you can trust him and that he loves you.

Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.