Jesus alienated the religious leaders of his day during the final week before his crucifixion. He knew his bold actions and assertions would inflame hostility against him, but he proceeded anyway.

When he rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, he was clearly claiming to be the Messiah. When his enemies heard the people cry out, "Hosanna to the one who comes in the name of the Lord," they were beside themselves with rage. "Tell your followers to be quiet!" they demanded. But Jesus told them that if the people kept silent, the rocks would cry out with praise.

The next day when Jesus cleansed the temple, the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders angrily protested, "Who gives you the authority to do these things?" Jesus answered that his authority came from the same pace John the Baptist got his authority. He asked them, "Did that authority come from man or did it come from God?" They refused to answer because either response would incriminate them.

Then Jesus told a parable in which the religious leaders were unmistakably portrayed as the villains. They were the stewards of a vineyard who had foolishly exploited the owner's trust. "The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people" (Luke 20:19).

Since we follow in the footsteps of Jesus, we will also experience occasions when standing for Christ will make some people angry. As much as possible we should try to get along with all people (Romans 12:18), but there are times when we can almost predict that standing for truth will anger those who oppose it.

Take for example the biblical truth about marriage and family. A church today that denies membership to couples living together without marriage will infuriate some young people and their families.

If a church refuses to marry a couple because they do not meet the biblical qualifications for marriage, it can anticipate some hostile reactions—especially if the one being refused is the son or daughter of a prominent leader. If the church stands for the principle that marriage is only to be between a man and a woman, it can anticipate that some in the world will be enraged at such "intolerance."

Since marriage originated with God, we are not free to disregard it, dissolve it, or redefine it. It's a divine institution and the designer made it clear that "a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh' … what God has joined together, let man not separate" (Matthew 19:5,6).

The church that dares stand counter to its culture is occasionally going to receive vicious attacks. "Who are you to judge?" "I thought the church was supposed to be a place of love and forgiveness!" "Hypocrites!" "Pharisees!" "Bigots!" "This church is in the dark ages." "We're the only army that shoots its own wounded!" "I'll never be back!" Some angrily resort to slander against the church leaders and even threaten lawsuits.

When that happens, instead of feeling victimized or questioning biblical principles, we must remember that courage of Jesus. He stood for truth knowing it would cost his life. He warned, "No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also" (John 15:20).

Copyright 2005 by Bob Russell. No material from Bob Russell may be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way, except that you may print or download one copy of the material for your personal, noncommercial home use only, provided that 1) you retain all copyright, trademark and propriety notices, 2) you make no modifications to the materials. For any uses other than this, written permission is required. (Southeast Christian Church; c/o Preaching Office Manager; 920 Blankenbaker Pkwy., Louisville, KY 40243. Additional books and materials are available through The Living Word Ministry.

This article first appeared in The Lookout, August 28, 2005.