Were the disciples dreaming of power, and thinking that they might be welcomed by some with their message? Were they imagining that they would be his officers in a newly established earthly kingdom? Previously he had said, take nothing with you. They might have had a lucrative time, but no, they must work and be ready to face hardship. We must not dream of honour among men. It is not good to give too much honour even to those who are worthy. There are Christian conferences where the speaker must hear himself flattered for five minutes when he is introduced. The church is not to tempt us to holding a high opinion of ourselves.
But what about the boundless optimism in evangelism? How would Noah, for instance, have completed his ministry in his day if he had set out with this expectation? People speak of ‘a birthday present for Christ’, referring to the result of mass evangelism. Even when Whitfield preached he was wounded, and the 40,000 on Kennington Common was only a minority of the total population of London.
How many pastors and preachers, and even Christian witnesses, are tempted to alter the message to avoid this hatred. Our instincts tell us that the world will certainly hate this message, and into our minds will come measures we could take to tone down the message and make to more palatable to an unbelieving world. We will emphasise this aspect and deemphasise that. Bu Christ says, you will be hated of all men, and there is no avoiding that hatred. It is the gospel that saves, not some adulterated version of it that is less offense to the carnal mind. But, on the other hand, neither should we be deliberately offensive. We are to win people and persuade them, and not to deliberately stir up their opposition to convince ourselves that we have been faithful to the message. Christ used many intriguing illustrations which work their way into the mind and may be used by the Spirit of God, but he did not avoid certain subjects, and he did not flatter or beguile proud human beings.