52 “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered...”

Acts 7:52 (ESV)

The impassioned words, spoken by the first Christian martyr after Jesus, a man by the name of Stephen, highlight the fact that serving God can be a dangerous business. Nearly all of the Old Testament prophets were ignored, shunned, mistreated, or murdered. Whatever privileges come with being a person who has been given the words of God, let us dare not overlook the challenges that come with it. And the truth is, there is a very good reason why. The words of God always challenge, confront, and condemn the sinful hearts of sinful people. And when sinful people get challenged, confronted, or condemned, they often react poorly. And the trend that began with the Old Testament prophets continued right on into the New.

In this challenging new lesson series entitled “Prophets without Honor,” we will be looking at the early onset symptoms of the rejection that would ultimately lead Jesus to the cross, and place that alongside the humiliating death of John the Baptist. Together, these two stories will tell us how to handle being people who tell the truth in the world, even in the midst of people who will reject us or murder us for doing so. They will also give us insights into the kind of attitudes and behaviors that define a culture who is willing to treat it’s prophets without the honor they deserve.

These stories will remind us that being “good” doesn’t always make us popular, and being truthful doesn’t always mean our message will be well-received, “for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you…” (Matthew 5:12 BSB)