Luke 21:17-18 - "All men will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish."
But not a hair of your head will perish.
This was Christ’s promise to his disciples- and also to us- but what does it mean? Christians did perish, in horrific ways under Roman persecution. Today in places all over the world, Christians continue to be killed and persecuted because of their faith. Even in America, depending on where you live in the country, symbols of Christ are banned from the public square, Christians are expected to perform duties in their jobs that may contradict their Christian faith and morals, and especially in the sectors of social services, education, and government Christians are often at a disadvantage in the hiring process because they are "suspect" in an age of relativism and humanism. Christians do pay a price, though often small, for their faith.
At first sight we imagine that we are invincible, that we can’t be harmed, that God protects us, but even Jesus foretold the dangers that await the believer.
The phrase itself has a long history. The word used for "hair" here in the Greek is from trigos- the word also used for goat’s hair- which appeared very similar in growth, texture, length and "style" to human hair. In fact, tragos is the Greek word for goat, and we see a long history of the goat in the scriptural record. Goats were the first animals to be domesticated in human history. Many laws were established about the goat, and many passages were written regarding the sacrafice of goats. In Leviticus 16, the tradition of the "scape goat" was recorded. The high priest placed all the sins of the people on the head of a goat without blemish and sent it out into the wilderness. With the goat went all the sins of the people- a rite of forgiveness that became known as the "day of atonement." It came to be understood that divine power rest in the hair and on the head of the scape-goat.
Take a look too at the vow of the Nazarite, who never cut his hair except as a rite of atonement for sin. We think of the Nazarite Samson who believed that his power was in his hair, or of John the Baptist who took the Nazarene vow and Baptized others for the Forgiveness of sins. We remember the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego because not a hair of their head was harmed in the fiery furnace.
This phrase, "not a hair of your head will perish," was a figure of speech that reminds us that we have been redeemed, our salvation has been established, and that our power as children of God is derived from faith and trust in this knowledge.
Jesus didn’t promise his disciples that they would never meet harm or hurt. What he promised was that no matter what happened, they were redeemed- they were atoned for- that their power and strength comes from God. No persecution, no bloody death, no trial or tribulation can take this away from the Christian, no matter how much Men may hate us because of Christ.
