The Crucified Messiah

The New Testament exhorts followers of Jesus to expect tribulation because of their faith. While it may not be an everyday experience in the life of the church, neither is tribulation for the kingdom unexpected. And the chief cause of tribulation and persecution in the life of the disciple is his or her faithful witness of the life and teachings of Christ.

When Jesus dispatched his disciples to announce the “ good news ” to the “ lost sheep of Israel ,” he warned them to expect to find themselves as “ sheep among wolves .” Hostile men would haul them before “ councils and whip them in their synagogues ,” and his followers would be hated “ by all men for my sake .”