GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 13:13
Thankful for Religious Freedom
All of Jesus’ original disciples, aside from Judas, who committed suicide, were martyred except the Apostle John. John suffered intense persecution and was sentenced to slave labor for a time on the island of Patmos, and after his release, he died of old age in Ephesus around 98 A.D. (There is another questionable tradition that John was martyred.) James’ martyrdom, for example, is recorded in Acts 12:2. The story of Christianity is filled with the names of believers who suffered martyrdom for their commitment to Christ.
Under the reign of Queen Mary I of England (1553-1558), over two hundred Christians were executed. One of them was Richard Woodman (ca. 1514–1557), an ironmaster in Warbleton, East Sussex. As a Protestant, Woodman criticized a minister because the minister changed his theology to avoid Queen Mary’s persecution. Because of his criticism, Woodman was imprisoned and questioned, and upon he was released, he fled England for a time. After returning, he preached his Protestant theology throughout his parish and was reportedly betrayed to the authorities by his father and brother. He was sentenced to death and burned at the stake with nine others on June 22, 1557. According to one biographer, Woodman was comforted by Jesus’ words in the Gospel of Mark: “And brother will hand over brother to death, and father child, and children will rise up against parents and will have them put to death. And you will be hated by all because of my name, but the one who endures to the end, this one will be saved.” (Mark 13:12-13)
The picture painted by Jesus certainly represents a chaotic breakdown of civilization. One fulfillment of that prophecy came in 70 A.D. when the Roman army led by General Titus blockaded Jerusalem and destroyed much of the city, including Herod’s Temple. When the Romans breached the final defenses, they massacred much of the remaining population of the city (see Luke 21:20). But Jesus also included the promise that “the one who endures to the end, this one will be saved.”
We rejoice that we live in a nation where such chaos does not exist, but it is important to remember and pray for those who live in places where their commitment to Christ carries the possibility of persecution and death.
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