Happy Ending

Read Luke 19:28–21:38

12. “There will be a time of great persecution. You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and you will stand trial before kings and governors because you are my followers.
13. But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.
14. So don’t worry in advance about how to answer the charges against you,
15. for I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you!
16. Even those closest to you—your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends—will betray you. They will even kill some of you.
17. And everyone will hate you because you are my followers.
18. But not a hair of your head will perish!
19. By standing firm, you will win your souls.” Luke 21:12-19

Whether watching a television show, video, or movie, or reading a book, everyone likes happy endings, where the main characters triumph over tragedy and overwhelming odds. We like to see the hero or heroine get justice or some other reward. Ultimately, we like to see evil soundly defeated and, at times, completely eliminated. We want the events to happen this way because in real life there are few happy endings. Good hardly ever seems to triumph and never seems to win out.

The bad news is that things are not going to get better—yet. In this reading, Jesus warns his followers that in the end times they will be persecuted, arrested, and killed because of him. But he also reassures them that those who remain faithful to him during the difficult times will definitely experience a happy ending. If your present struggles seem overwhelming, take hope as you read this passage—God’s story has a truly happy ending.

Jesus knew that the time would come when people would oppose both him and his disciples, even to the point of torturing and killing them. Some of his followers would even find relatives and former friends among their new enemies. Jesus told his disciples to expect this, but he also told them not to worry because God’s Holy Spirit would tell them what to say and how to respond whenever they came under attack (Luke 21:14-19).

Following Christ has always entailed the risk of rejection from others. Jesus reassures us that whenever that happens, he stands right there with us, with his Holy Spirit guiding and helping us. Remember this the next time you need courage or hope, and then stand firm for Christ.