[Jesus speaking]
I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.

When the lines are drawn, whose side do you want to be found on?

Jesus is drawing a battle line in the sand here. It is like he is saying, “You say you believe and want to follow me. That is easy to do when everyone is happy from being healed, miracles are happening, and I am “taking the fight” to the self-righteous Pharisees. Many of you might, under your breath, be cheering me on. But what will you do when it costs you something to acknowledge your allegiance to me? Will you stand your ground?”

For those who do stand their ground, Jesus promises that he will acknowledge them in the presence of the angels of God. To the Jews, the angels of God represented the power and might of God, in many ways. His angelic army was invincible!

For those who disown him or blaspheme the Holy Spirit, there are severe consequences: no protection from God’s angels and not being forgiven for their evil hearts. This results in eternal separation from God.

And then he predicts the trouble they will fall into for following him as Lord and Savior — they will be brought before rulers and authorities for crimes they did not commit and wrongs they are not guilty of.

And he gives them a word of peace: Don’t worry because the Holy Spirit will tell you what to say. I think the implication here is that the Holy Spirit will also give you the courage to speak out in truth in the face of extreme persecution.

So I am left with a decision to make: Will I side with Jesus and risk it all to gain it all in eternity? Or will I shrink back and take the easy road and “go along to get along” in the face of evil?

Lord, reinforce my courage in trying times and reinvigorate my resolve to serve you and you only. I know you are on the side of freedom and victory! Teach me to walk closely with you and trust and obey.