The Blood of the Martyrs...


 Mt. 22:5-6 - "But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them."

When we view the parable these verses are from (the Parable of the Wedding Feast), we should be thankful about the servants being sent out to the main roads, inviting the common man to the wedding. They gathered both good and bad people; position, wealth, nor background mattered. Without this kind of generosity and mercy, we would never have a chance to enter the kingdom of God.

We can see some commonalities between the many generally and finally invited, but another group worth finding yourself in is the group of the servants. The servants simply do what the king commanded, without personal opinion or preference. They simply went out wherever they could find anyone to bring to the feast and clothing them with the proper attire. But before they did that they went to the city of the initial invitees. The invitations were rejected, and even some were abused and killed. Whatever the situation the servants found themselves, they remained faithful.

It's worthwhile to see that the invitations were not the servants to give. They're simply the messengers...ambassadors. The people rejected the king's message for (most likely) the crown prince's wedding. They may have abused and killed these servants, but it was their king and prince they were attacking. It was a declaration of war. -- Much like when the children of Israel rejected Samuel as their leader and demanded a king. As God said to Samuel through prayer: "They have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them" (1 Samuel 8:7).

In the same way, Christians are to be found as faithful servants of their Lord and Savior. Going where God calls us to go, doing what God calls us to do. If it leads to persecution, abuse, or death, may we faithfully trust in our God of All Comfort. He "comforts us in all our afflictions, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too" (2 Corinthians 1:4).


As an addendum, remember the many killed for their faith recently in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

https://www.opendoorsuk.org/news/latest-news/drc-attack-church/


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