Luke 21:16-17
16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and [some] of you shall they cause to be put to death.
17 And ye shall be hated of all [men] for my name’s sake.
Matthew 10:34-36
34 Think not that I am come to send peace on Earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36 And a man’s foes [shall be] they of his own household.
Jesus told us this would happen. It is some of our closest friends and relatives that have hurt us the most. What Jesus did not say was that we should attempt to avoid this pain via isolation. Relationships with healthy ties are worth the risk.
Proverbs 17:17 A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
Like Jonathan for David, we find out who our real friends are when the troubles come. Other times, it is more like Judas.
Job 42:10 And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
3 John 13-14
13 I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee:
14 But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace [be] to thee. [Our] friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name.
John 15:12-13
12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
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