NOTES for Luk 21:19

This phrase is spoken by Jesus within His prophecy about coming disasters and persecutions, and it is precisely in this context that it should be considered. Moreover, the point is not the patience of all people in all difficult situations, but Christians during persecutions against them. It does not mean that we must look with Olympian calm at injustices or violence happening near us; Jesus Himself intervened, and quite promptly, in such cases. But when persecutions are directed against us, then He calls us not to be impatient. The basis He gives for this is trust that God holds our life in His hands, and therefore we do not have to hurry with our own reaction; we can allow Him to act.

Someone once said that in a critical situation we have two options: reaction and response. Reaction is immediate; it comes from ourselves, "from the flesh." Response is where we have stopped our first reaction, endured it, and allowed God to enter into action, since He never acts without our permission. It is no accident that in the preceding phrases Jesus speaks about our not preparing or training our reaction in advance, but trusting that God will give His response. When by such patience we stop ourselves, God enters our life, and He accomplishes our salvation.