If Nehemiah had not left the relative security of the royal palace at Susa, Sanballat and Tobiah probably wouldn't have known he existed. Because he responded to God's call to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, he provoked their fury— fury so intense that at one point Nehemiah cried out, "Hear, O our God; for we are despised." Neh. 4:4. But no matter what tactics his enemies used to defeat him, Nehemiah's firm conviction that God was in control and would prosper his work enabled him to complete his task.
That same conviction was central to the unparalleled career of Christ Jesus. Because of his marvelous demonstration of God's power in healing the sick and handicapped, redeeming sinners, raising the dead, and doing other wonderful works, he appeared to be a threat to members of the religious establishment. Consequently, they brought about his crucifixion.
That Jesus expected his followers to encounter the world's resistance is shown in his warning, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you." John 15:18. So Christian Scientists should not be surprised to come up against opposition. The basic challenge is always the same: the challenge of materialism.
