21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 23 When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. Matthew 10:21-23

Jesus continued his directions for His disciples. It was more of an explanation than instructions. They would be going through things they may not understand.

Out of all of these explanations, family members betraying one another has to be the toughest. These are people who have known you and watched you grow and mature. They know you, often better than you know yourself.

And yet He warned the Twelve that they might betrayed by their own family members. In fact, the family members would view it as the convert betraying the family’s religion.

We see that today in the Islamic world, Orthodox Jewish community, and other religions. Parents will formally disown their children because of the new faith.

Converting to Christianity often comes at a high price for many Believers. Most of us have not experienced being ostracized to this extent, but we all know one or two who have been cut off from their families.

If that’s the case, take the time to pray for that person today. Not having family connections can be lonely and discouraging. If you’re close enough to the person, give them a call and let them know you’re praying for them.