What did Jesus say about Persecution?

⁹ “A man planted a vineyard and rented it out to some farmers, and went into another country for a long time.

¹⁰ At the proper season, he sent a servant to the farmers to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But the farmers beat him and sent him away empty.

¹¹ He sent yet another servant, and they also beat him and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.

¹² He sent yet a third, and they also wounded him and threw him out.

¹³ The lord of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. It may be that seeing him, they will respect him.’

¹⁴ “But when the farmers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’

¹⁵ Then they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do to them?

¹⁶ He will come and destroy these farmers, and will give the vineyard to others.”

¹⁷ “Then what is this that is written, ‘The stone which the builders rejected was made the chief cornerstone’?

¹⁸ Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but it will crush whomever it falls on to dust.”

²² “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.

²³ They will tell you, ‘Look, here!’ or ‘Look, there!’ Don’t go away or follow after them,

²⁴ for as the lightning, when it flashes out of one part under the sky, shines to another part under the sky, so will the Son of Man be in his day.

²⁵ But first, he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

²⁶ As it was in the days of Noah, even so it will also be in the days of the Son of Man.

²⁷ They ate, they drank, they married, and they were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ship, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

²⁸ Likewise, even as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;

²⁹ but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from the sky and destroyed them all.

³⁰ It will be the same way in the day that the Son of Man is revealed.

³¹ In that day, he who will be on the housetop and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away. Let him who is in the field likewise not turn back.

³² Remember Lot’s wife!

³³ Whoever seeks to save his life loses it, but whoever loses his life preserves it.

³⁴ I tell you, in that night there will be two people in one bed. One will be taken and the other will be left.

³⁵ There will be two grinding grain together. One will be taken and the other will be left.”

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Only selected verses are shown in this excerpt. Read in context for the full passage.

³⁷ “Where the body is, there the vultures will also be gathered together.”

²⁶ Therefore don’t be afraid of them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

²⁷ What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim on the housetops.

²⁸ Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.

²⁹ “Aren’t two sparrows sold for an assarion coin? Not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.

³⁰ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

³¹ Therefore don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.

³³ “Hear another parable. There was a man who was a master of a household who planted a vineyard, set a hedge about it, dug a wine press in it, built a tower, leased it out to farmers, and went into another country.

³⁴ When the season for the fruit came near, he sent his servants to the farmers to receive his fruit.

³⁵ The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

³⁶ Again, he sent other servants more than the first; and they treated them the same way.

³⁷ But afterward he sent to them his son, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

³⁸ But the farmers, when they saw the son, said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and seize his inheritance.’

³⁹ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard, then killed him.

⁴⁰ When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?”

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Narration or other speakers' words are omitted to show Jesus' words. Read in context for the full passage.

⁴² “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected was made the head of the corner. This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes’?

⁴³ “Therefore I tell you, God’s Kingdom will be taken away from you and will be given to a nation producing its fruit.

⁴⁴ He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it will fall, it will scatter him as dust.”

² “The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, that he may send out laborers into his harvest.

³ Go your ways. Behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.

⁴ Carry no purse, nor wallet, nor sandals. Greet no one on the way.

⁵ Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’

⁶ If a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.

⁷ Remain in that same house, eating and drinking the things they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Don’t go from house to house.

⁸ Into whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat the things that are set before you.

⁹ Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘God’s Kingdom has come near to you.’

¹⁰ But into whatever city you enter and they don’t receive you, go out into its streets and say,

¹¹ ‘Even the dust from your city that clings to us, we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that God’s Kingdom has come near to you.’

¹² I tell you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city.

³⁴ “Don’t think that I came to send peace on the earth. I didn’t come to send peace, but a sword.

³⁵ For I came to set a man at odds against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

³⁶ A man’s foes will be those of his own household.

³⁷ He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me.

³⁸ He who doesn’t take his cross and follow after me isn’t worthy of me.

³⁹ He who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

²⁷ “But I tell you who hear: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

²⁸ bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.

²⁹ To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer also the other; and from him who takes away your cloak, don’t withhold your coat also.

³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you, and don’t ask him who takes away your goods to give them back again.

³¹ “As you would like people to do to you, do exactly so to them.

³² “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

³³ If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.

³⁴ If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive back as much.

³⁵ But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back; and your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil.

³⁶ “Therefore be merciful, even as your Father is also merciful.

⁴ “Who are you looking for?”

⁵ “I am he.”

⁶ “I am he,”

⁷ “Who are you looking for?”

⁸ “I told you that I am he. If therefore you seek me, let these go their way,”

⁹ “Of those whom you have given me, I have lost none.”

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Narration or other speakers' words are omitted to show Jesus' words. Read in context for the full passage.

¹¹ “Put the sword into its sheath. The cup which the Father has given me, shall I not surely drink it?”

⁴² “Whoever will cause one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if he were thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around his neck.

⁴³ If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having your two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire,

⁴⁴ ‘where their worm doesn’t die, and the fire is not quenched.’

⁴⁵ If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life lame, rather than having your two feet to be cast into Gehenna, into the fire that will never be quenched—

⁴⁶ ‘where their worm doesn’t die, and the fire is not quenched.’

⁴⁷ If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out. It is better for you to enter into God’s Kingdom with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire,

⁴⁸ ‘where their worm doesn’t die, and the fire is not quenched.’

⁴⁹ For everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.

⁵⁰ Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, with what will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”