When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
Christ does not merely permit flight from persecution, He commands it. The apostles are to enter fresh contests in new towns, not withdraw to idle safety after one or two successes. Yet this command carries permission within it: not all flight is lawful, only that which serves the Gospel's work, not our cowardice.
AI summary
Christ sends you as sheep into wolves' jaws, so you must learn to combine the serpent's cunning with the dove's innocence. He forewarned the disciples of sufferings to come, not to shake their faith, but to steel it; when troubles arrive as He predicted, they will confirm rather than destroy what you believe.
AI summary
Commenting on Matthew 10:16-42
Christ is using a proverb the Jews themselves knew: no servant outranks his master. Since He, a teacher sent from God, who taught as no man ever did, was maligned and evilly treated, His disciples must expect no gentler usage. If His dignity could not shield Him from the world's reproach, theirs certainly cannot.
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