When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. Matthew 10:23.

At the outset, it is incumbent upon us to acknowledge that how we interpret this passage has a lot to do with which camp we subscribe to. There are several different views all of which are worthy of consideration, some more so than others.

Here is a skeleton summary of the main views held today by various religious groups and factions.

The Preterist View – believes passage is making reference to the second coming of Christ.
The Kingdom View - believes passage has to do with the inauguration of the kingdom of Christ on the day of Pentecost.
Dispensational View - believes passage is making reference to Great Tribulation and the Second Coming
The Liberal View – believes that being human, Jesus was wrong.
Destruction of Jerusalem View - believes passage is referencing the Roman invasion of Palestine.

Barclay refers to three other versions of the same saying of Jesus and asserts that Mark’s version is probably more accurate since it is the earliest. He claims that Matthew was writing between 80 and 90 A.D. which was during a period of great persecution when people were reaching for anything that offered relief from agony. Therefore Matthew took a saying which foretold the spread of the Kingdom and turned it into a saying which foretold the return of Christ within a lifetime.

Though most students of the Bible do not take it seriously, Robert Lindsey, in his book, Jesus Rabbi & Lord, suggested that this perplexing verse is another example of Jesus' humor. Jesus' point being, "Don't worry, don't be anxious, just keep moving, there are plenty of other towns. You won't exhaust them all." Also, the Liberal view is generally disregarded among theological scholars and erudite laypersons as well.

Based on Stein’s view that the context of the section in which this passage is found looks beyond the immediate situation of the disciples, he therefore concludes that Matthew “uses the mission of the disciples in Jesus’ day as an opportunity to teach about future missions and persecutions that Christians will encounter for the cause of Christ.” He reasons that 10:23b was probably not said to the disciples as they went on their mission but brought into the present context by Matthew. Thus, Stein interprets this phrase as “a word of encouragement in the context of future persecutions or especially in the context of the future persecution.”

Beck states that the forecast seem to indicate one of the early Christian beliefs that the Second Coming of Christ would occur before persecution became inescapable.

The cogent points made by these and other great theological minds are well taken. Certainly, the times and conditions under which the Evangelists wrote, influenced the content of their writings. It is not beyond reason to consider the possibility that Matthew may have added 10:23b as a useful device to encourage Christians experiencing the threat or reality of persecution. But, after meticulously studying Matthew and Luke in parallel, I find myself supporting the destruction of Jerusalem view.

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach which can be reviewed on her site. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, though delayed in publication, is expected to be available early 2006.

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