Blessed are the persecuted
Blessed Are the Persecuted
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” This is the 8th and last of the beatitudes Jesus declared in His sermon on the mount. It is the only beatitude that’s not a positive description of a righteous person’s character. Instead, it is a statement describing the reaction of the world toward those who live and stand for righteousness.
Keep in mind Jesus purpose in this message is to explain what kingdom righteousness is – opposed to religious righteousness, self-righteousness, that of the Scribes and Pharisees. We have seen throughout our study that no one possesses the characteristics of righteousness as shared in the previous beatitudes because of their own efforts. Instead, these are the characteristics of a person that has already been made righteous by the working of the Holy Spirit. This is by far the most difficult of the beatitudes to understand.
Persecution for Righteousness’ Sake
First, we need to properly understand “the persecution” that Jesus is talking about. He clearly says it is persecution for “righteousness’ sake”. Often the persecution we experience is a result of our own unrighteous actions; hate, gossip, slander, lust, covetousness, pride, selfishness, etc. Sometimes the persecution we experience is because of being obnoxious, unkind, judgmental, etc.
However, Jesus is acknowledges that following Him and doing what’s right comes at a cost. In fact, the more you become a reflection of Christ, the greater your true righteousness, the more the unrighteous world cannot stand you. The more we are like Jesus, the more the world will hate us because it hates Him. To live for Christ is to live in opposition to the devil and his world system (Ephesians 6). Persecution sometimes takes the form of imprisonment, abuse, and hostilities. In some of the worst cases—they are asked to face death.
Forms of Persecution
When Christians boldly follow Christ, do what is right, and won’t compromise their faith in some places can suffer imprisonment, abuse, hostilities, and even death. In verse 11 Jesus goes on to describe 3 other forms of persecution that a believer can encounter simply for being a witnessed for Christ (on my account) –
- Revile – Revile means to insult. Insults may be direct or indirect verbal or actions of contempt. To insult means to revile, reproach or complain against. It literally means to “cast in one’s teeth.” It may range from being looked down upon by people who think you are being stupid to those that hate you deeply.
- Persecution – Persecution includes harassment, oppression, and physical assualt escalating even to murder. When Jesus called upon His followers to take up their crosses and follow Him in Luke 9:23, they knew fully well what that meant, and it did not mean to get a nice piece of jewelry to wear around your neck. It meant being willing and ready to die, and die they did.
- False Accusations – Saying evil things against you falsely is slander and that has become common place even in America. It is part of the strategy to marginalize Christians so that society will accept greater persecution in the future. J
The Promised Blessing of Jesus
I think it is noteworthy that Jesus makes the same promise in the first and last beatitude. Jesus says that both the “poor in spirit,” and those who are “persecuted because of righteousness,” are blessed, “for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” Why?
Jesus is assuring us that He is with us always, that God is on our side. He is the King of Kings and we are citizens in His kingdom. (Phil. 3:30) He was on our side before we did anything to deserve it or earn it and He is still on our side when we follow Him and experience persecution.
This is why we are to rejoice and be glad when persecuted. God is on our side when we’re at our worst. He is on our side when we’re brought to our lowest. God is on your side. That is good news!
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.” Psalm 34:19