In Matthew 10, Jesus is sending out his twelve apostles on a mission to spread the Gospel and heal the sick. He warns them that they will face persecution and suffering as they fulfill their mission, saying "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16).
Jesus goes on to tell the apostles that they will be brought before rulers and authorities for his sake, and that they should not worry about how to defend themselves, because the Holy Spirit will give them the words they need at that time (Matthew 10:19-20). He also tells them not to fear those who can kill the body, but rather to fear God, who can destroy both body and soul in hell (Matthew 10:28).
Throughout the rest of the chapter, Jesus continues to instruct the apostles on how to handle persecution and suffering. He tells them to shake the dust off their feet when they are rejected in a town, as a testimony against the people who have rejected them (Matthew 10:14). He also tells them that they will be hated by all nations because of him, but to not be afraid, because he has overcome the world (John 16:33).
In Matthew 10:34-39, Jesus gives a particularly poignant warning to the apostles about the divisions that will come because of their preaching: "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me."
This passage makes it clear that following Jesus and spreading the Gospel will not always be easy, and that there will be suffering and persecution as a result. However, Jesus also gives his followers hope and comfort, telling them that he has overcome the world and that they will have the Holy Spirit to guide and sustain them.
In the face of suffering and persecution, Christians are called to follow Jesus' example and to trust in God's sovereignty. As Jesus says in John 16:33, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."
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