The Relation between Christ, Believers and Authorities in Matthew

Few passages in Matthew deal with the relation between Christ, his followers and the authorities. When Christ or the believers came into contact with the authorities, they usually ended up being persecuted, mistreated, jailed or executed. We examine the encounter of Jesus with Herod, Pharisees, Herodians, Pilate, chief priests, the first and second Roman centurion, and then the meeting of John the Baptist, Simon from Cyrene and Joseph of Arimathea with the authorities. It is only in very rare instances when a representative of the authorities makes no abuse of his status but acts as a normal human being. Jesus prepares his disciples for the ill treatment to come and assures them of his help. They have to react during the persecution as the sons of the heavenly Father, they may rejoice in the suffering, knowing that the power of the authorities is limited, and the word of God is endless.