John 21:17-19; Revelation 6:9-11
Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
WILLIAM JENKYN (1613–1685): Martyrdom came into the world early; the first man that died, died for religion.
MARTIN LUTHER (1483-1546): And none are more readily put to death therein than those who proclaim Jesus Christ. You ought to beware of thinking that Christ will achieve things in the earth quietly and softly, when you see that He fought with His own blood, and afterwards all the martyrs…Why were Christ and all the martyrs put to death?
MATTHEW HENRY (1662-1714): For the same reason that Cain killed Abel, 1 John 3:12―“And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous,” 1 John 3:12.
C. H. SPURGEON (1834-1892): “So persecuted they the prophets,” Matthew 5:12. This is the heritage of the Lord’s messengers: they killed one, and stoned another. The honour of suffering with the prophets, for the Lord’s sake, is so great, that it may well reconcile us to all that it involves.
LORD SHAFTESBURY (1801-1885): The offence of the cross has not ceased.
JOHN CALVIN (1509-1564): Let us therefore bear in remembrance also, that we must with readiness and alacrity embrace the fellowship of the cross of Christ as a special favour from God. “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you,” Matthew 5:12
WILLIAM GURNALL (1617-1679): Christ’s cross is made of sweet wool when there are comforts peculiar to those who suffer for righteousness. The true cause of Paul’s sufferings was his zeal for God and His truth; “For which I am in bonds,” Colossians 4:3―that is, for the gospel which I profess and preach: as that martyr, who being asked how he came to prison, showed his Bible, and said, “This brought me hither.”
JOHN CALVIN: In addition to “bonds,” Paul subjoins the “defense and confirmation of the gospel,” Philippians 1:7, that he may express so much the better the honourableness of the service which God has enjoined upon us in placing us in opposition to His enemies, so as to bear testimony to His gospel. For it is as though He had entrusted us with the defense of His gospel. And truly it was when armed with this consideration, that the martyrs were prepared to contemn all the rage of the wicked, and to rise superior to every kind of torture.
WILLIAM GURNALL: Fear not what you can suffer, only be careful for what you suffer.
C. H. SPURGEON: Remember that our Bible is a blood stained Book; the blood of martyrs is on the Bible, the blood of translators and confessors. The doctrines which we preach to you are doctrines that have been baptized in blood; swords have been drawn to slay the confessors of them…All the martyr host have bled and died to keep the truth alive for us, that by the truth men may still be brought to Jesus. Every sufferer who bears pain, or slander, or loss, or personal unkindness for Christ’s sake, is filling up that amount of suffering which is necessary to the bringing together of the whole body of Christ, and the upholding of His elect Church.
JOHN CALVIN: And would that this were present to the mind of all that are called to make a confession of their faith, that they have been chosen by Christ to be as advocates to plead His cause! For were they sustained by such consolation they would be more courageous than to be so easily turned aside.
J. C. RYLE (1816-1900): The expression “glorify God,” John 21:19, is peculiarly interesting, because it teaches that a Christian may bring glory to God by his death, as well as by his life. He does so when he bears it patiently, does not murmur, exhibits sensible peace, enjoys evident hope of a better world, testifies to others of the truth and consolation of the Gospel, and leaves broad evidences of the reality of his religion behind him. He that so ends glorifies God. The deaths of Latimer, Ridley, Hooper, Bradford, Rogers, Rowland Taylor, and many other English martyrs, in the days of Queen Mary, were said to have done more good even than their lives, and to have had immense influence in helping forward the Protestant Reformation.
THOMAS MANTON (1620-1677): In every age God sets up some of all sexes, ages, conditions, that have owned His despised and oppugned truths, and have not counted their lives dear, so as they might give their testimony to the truth of God, Revelation 12:11, and have more greedily embraced martyrdom than other honours and dignities in the church; that they might be faithful to God and the souls of men in future ages, and to preserve God’s truth inviolate.
JOHN TRAPP (1601-1699): “The God of the Christians is a great God indeed,” said one Calocerius, a heathen, beholding the patient sufferings of the primitive martyrs. Justin Martyr confesseth of himself, that seeing the piety of Christians in their lives and their patience in death, he gathered that indeed that was the truth which they so constantly professed and sealed up with their blood.
CHARLES BRIDGES (1794-1869): The martyrs “were more than conquerors” under the most cruel tortures, and they “glorified God in the fire.” They were “tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection,” Hebrews 11:35, and they “loved not their lives unto the death,” Revelation 12:11. And who of these repented of the costly purchase?
FRANCES BEVAN (1827-1909): When God honours a person to suffer for His truth, this is a great privilege: “Unto you it is given not only to believe on Him, but to suffer for His sake,” Philippians 1:29―this made John Careless, an English martyr (who died in prison for Christ), say, “Such an honour ’tis as angels are not permitted to have; therefore, God forgive me mine unthankfulness.”
C. H. SPURGEON: We who have had the gospel passed to us by martyr hands dare not trifle with it…The noble army of martyrs, and the glorious company of confessors, are “witnesses” of our own race to heaven, Hebrews 12:1―from yon blue heaven the eyes of the glorified look down on us; there the children of God are sitting on their starry thrones, observing whether we manfully uphold the banner around which they fought; they behold our valour, or they detect our cowardice; and they are intent to witness our valiant deeds of noble daring, or our ignominious retreat in the day of battle.
JOHN BRADFORD (1510-1555, burned at the stake): Dearly beloved, remember that you are not of this world; that Satan is not your captain; that your joy and Paradise are not here; that your companions are not the multitude of worldlings. But ye are of another world, Christ is your Captain; your joy is in heaven; your companions are the fathers, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, virgins, confessors, and dear saints of God, who follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth.
