Don't change your tune

This NT reading has always been one of my favorites. I have often found myself in a situation where the people I am with do not understand or believe the things I am saying, and I wonder how long I am supposed to stay. Twice in this section, Jesus tells the disciples to leave rather than face martyrdom. He tells them not to leave angrily, or with hostility, but to shake the dust from that place of their feet as they leave. Sure, that can be a symbol of disrespect, but it is also a warning to take no part of that village or that village's life with them as they go.

He also tells them that when they are persecuted in one town, they should flee to the next. These seem like pretty straightforward proscriptions against martyrdom, if it is avoidable. However, He also warns that they will be arrested and they will be beaten for following Jesus. And He promises them that the appropriate words will come into their mouths for their defense at the appropriate time. That these words of defense will come from the Spirit of the Father.

One thing missing in these warnings is a recommendation to change one's story. That is, Jesus states that God's words will come to a disciple's defense, and that they will be punished for their faith, and if they can they should flee. But He does not tell them to change their story to avoid punishment. It seems easy to "get along" by changing one's faith story to fit the crowd one is in, but changing the faith story too much is clearly not encouraged. Christ-followers will suffer for their beliefs, but in the end be saved as they endure to the end.

So clearly, there is a warning against changing the story, for that could be interpreted as not "enduring to the end." But then the question arises, what facets of the story are the most important, and if one minimizes one facet, does that create a "different enough" story that clearly runs against the intent of the command to endure and not change one's tune? And if the act of minimizing one facet of the story causes another Christ-follower to think that the story is too far changed, has a sectarian division been created?

So, anti-sectarianism seems to be a Christian approach, for it maintains purity of the faith story, and keeps human divisions and rational domination of the story at bay. And in the end, maintenance of the purity of the story, despite all obstacles, will result in salvation.