Scripture Study

Matthew 5:10-12

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people 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 in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Luke 6:22-23

“Blessed are you when men hate you and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s

sake.

“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the

prophets.”

STOTT It may seem strange that Jesus should pass from peacemaking to persecution, from the work of reconciliation to the experience of hostility. However hard we may try to make peace with some people they refuse to live at peace with us. Not all attempts at reconciliation succeed. Some take the initiative to oppose us – to “revile” or slander us. This is not because of our own idiosyncracies, but “for righteousness’ sake” (verse 10) and “on my account” (verse 11) – because they find distasteful the righteousness for which we hunger and thirst, and because they have rejected the Christ we seek to follow. Persecution is the clash between two irreconcilable value systems.

When persecuted, Jesus expected His disciples to “Rejoice and be glad!” We are not to retaliate like an unbeliever, nor to sulk like a child, nor to lick our wounds in self-pity, nor to grin and bear it like a Stoic, nor to pretend we enjoy it like a masochist. We are to rejoice as a Christian should rejoice and to “leap for joy,” because “your reward is great in heaven.” We may lose everything on earth, but we shall inherit everything in heaven – not as a reward for merit, but because the promise of the reward is free. Also, though, persecution is a token of

genuineness, a certificate of Christian authenticity – “for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.” The major reason we should rejoice is because we are suffering on Christ’s account – because of our loyalty to Him and to His standards of truth and righteousness. The apostles, having been beaten and threatened by the Sanhedrin, “left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name” (Acts 5:41). They knew that wounds and hurts are medals of honor.

This reference to persecution in this Beatitude is like the others. It has the distinction of being a double beatitude, for Jesus first stated it in the third person like the other seven (“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,” verse 10) and then repeated it in the direct speech of the second person (“Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you…,” verse 11). Since all the beatitudes describe what every Christian disciple is to be, the condition of being despised and rejected, slandered and persecuted, is as much a normal mark of Christian discipleship as being pure in heart or merciful. Every Christian is to be a peacemaker, and every Christian is to expect opposition. Those who hunger for righteousness will suffer for the righteousness they crave. Jesus said so both here and elsewhere; the apostles Peter and Paul did also (John 15:18-25; 1 Peter 4:13-14; Acts 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:12). We should not be surprised if anti-Christian hostility increases, but rather be surprised if it does not. We need to remember the complementary woe which Luke records: “Woe to you, when all men speak well of you” (Luke 6:26). Universal popularity was as much the lot of the false prophets as persecution was of the true.

Few men in recent history have understood better the inevitability of suffering than Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He seems never to have wavered in his antagonism to the Nazi regime, although it meant for him imprisonment, the threat of torture, danger to his own family, and finally death. When he was executed in April 1945, it was the fulfillment of what he had always believed: “Suffering, then, is the badge of true discipleship. The disciple is not above his Master. Following Christ means…suffering because we have to suffer…Discipleship means allegiance to the suffering Christ, and it is therefore not at all surprising that Christians should be called upon to suffer. In fact, it is a joy and token of His grace” (The Cost of Discipleship, pp 80, 81).

The Beatitudes paint a comprehensive portrait of a Christian disciple. We see him first alone on his knees before God, acknowledging his spiritual poverty and mourning over it. This makes him meek in all his relationships, since honesty compels him to allow others to think of him what before God he confesses himself to be. Yet he is far from acquiescing in his sinfulness, for he hungers and thirsts for righteousness, longing to grow in grace and in goodness.

Next we see him out in the community with others. His relationship with God does not cause him to withdraw from society, nor is he insulated from the world’s pain. He is showing mercy to those battered by adversity and sin. He is transparently sincere in all his dealing and seeks to play a constructive role as a peacemaker. Yet, he is not thanked for his efforts – but rather opposed, slandered, insulted and persecuted because of the righteousness for which he stands and the Christ with whom he is identified. Such is the one who is “blessed” – who has the approval of God and finds self-fulfillment as a human being.

However, in all this the values and standards of Jesus are in direct conflict with the commonly accepted values and standards of the world. The world judges the rich to be blessed, not the poor in spirit or in material goods; the happy-go-lucky and carefree, not those who take evil so seriously that they mourn over it; the strong and brash, not the meek and gentle; the full, not the hungry; those who mind their own business, not those who meddle in other men’s matters and spend their time in do-goodery like showing mercy and making peace; those who attain their ends by any means, not the pure in heart who refuse to compromise their integrity; those who are secure and popular and live at ease, not those who suffer persecution.

Probably no one has hated the “softness” of the Sermon on the Mount more than Friedrich Nietzsche, the son and grandson of Lutheran ministers, who rejected Christianity. In his book The anti-Christ he defines “good” as “all that heightens the feeling of power, the will to power, power itself in man,” and what is “bad” as “all that proceeds from weakness.” To the question, “What is more harmful than any vice?” he responds: “Active sympathy for the ill-constituted and weak – Christianity.” He sees Christianity as a religion of pity instead of a religion of power. Nietzsche condemned the whole value system of Jesus.

But Jesus will not compromise His standards to accommodate Nietzsche or his followers or any who may imbibe bits and pieces of his power-philosophy. In the beatitudes Jesus throws out a fundamental challenge to the non-Christian world and its outlook, and requires His disciples to adopt His altogether different set of values.

Bonhoeffer wrote: “With every beatitude the gulf is widened between the disciples and the people, and their call to come forth from the people becomes increasingly manifest.” The world dreams of progress, of power and of the future; but the disciples meditate on the end, the last judgment and the coming of the kingdom. The disciples are strangers in the world, unwelcome guest and disturbers of the peace.

Such a reversal of human values is basic to biblical religion. The ways of the God of Scripture appear topsy-turvy to men. For God exalts the humble and abases the proud, calls the first last and the last first, ascribes greatness to the servant, sends the rich away empty-handed and declares the meek to be His heirs. Jesus congratulates those whom the world most pities, and calls the world’s rejects “blessed.”

LLOYD-JONES Jesus has finished the general portrayal of the characteristics of the Christian by the end of verse 10. He then applies this last statement in particular to the disciples – elaborating and giving the disciples an application of its truth and message – in verses 11 and 12.

This Beatitude appears to be different from the others; because it is not so much a positive description of the Christian as an account of the likely results of the preceding characteristics of the Christian. He is persecuted because he is a certain type of person behaving in a certain manner. All the other beatitudes have been a direct description; this one is indirect. Christ says that this will happen to you because you are a Christian. This is especially true when you observe the order of the Beatitudes. “Blessed are the peacemakers” precedes “Blessed are those who are persecuted.” If a Christian is a peacemaker, this is what happens to him.

Another point of interest is that the promise attached to this Beatitude is the same as the promise attached to the first. Jesus started with the kingdom and He ended with it –to impress upon His listeners that the important thing was

membership in the kingdom of heaven. Over all the particular blessing which we receive – and which we are to receive in greater measure and fullness – the great thing is that we are citizens of the kingdom of heaven and thus belong to that spiritual realm.

This Beatitude is a vital statement, an essential and integral part of the whole teaching of the NT. It is one of the great characteristic messages of the whole Bible, which carries its inevitable implication with it. The most important thing to emphasize is this phrase, “for righteousness’ sake.” It does not merely say, “Blessed are they which are persecuted,” but “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.”

Today Christian people are being actively and bitterly persecuted in many countries, perhaps more than has been since the first centuries of the Christian era. There may well be a strong case for saying that this may be the most important verse in your life and mine. It may well be that we in this country, in apparent safety and ease, may know and experience something of the fiery trial and furnace of affliction and of persecution of which Peter wrote.

To understand this verse, we must start with a few negatives. It does not say “Blessed are those who are persecuted” because they are objectionable…or because they are difficult…or because they are seriously lacking in wisdom. Christian people may be persecuted because of their own folly – bringing endless suffering upon themselves. But the promise applies to those who suffer “for righteousness’ sake.” Sometimes we are slow to realize the difference between prejudice and principle. Sometimes we are slow to understand the difference between being offensive in a worldly sense and causing offense because we are righteous.

We are not told “Blessed are the persecuted” because they are fanatical…or overzealous. Sometimes people make a nuisance of themselves and get into trouble. A Christian can be overzealous. In Matthew 10:16 we are told to be “as wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Peter put it in his wisdom, “let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler” (1 Peter 4:15).

Neither does this Beatitude mean “Blessed are they that are persecuted for a cause.” There is a subtle difference between being persecuted for righteousness’

sake and being persecuted for a cause. Many of the great martyrs were persecuted for righteousness’ sake and a cause – but it does not necessarily mean that the two are always identical. Some people have been imprisoned for religion, but they may not have been suffering for righteousness’ sake. There is a danger of developing the martyr spirit. That is not the thing about which Jesus was speaking.

It does not mean suffering persecution for religio-political reasons. If we begin to mix our religion and politics, we must not be surprised if we receive persecution. This is an acute problem for people in many areas of the world – the Middle East, China, Korea, etc. Are they standing for righteousness’ sake or a cause? A person may have their political views and ideas, but the promise attached to this Beatitude does not apply to that. May God give us grace and wisdom and understanding to discriminate between our political prejudices and our spiritual principles.

There is much confusion on this matter at this time. There is much talk which appears to be, and is said to be, Christian in its denunciation of certain things – which may merely be the expression of political prejudices. This may lead to needless and unnecessary suffering. Another danger is that those who are outside the faith may define the Christian faith in terms of certain political and social views. They are distinct and have nothing to do with one another. For instance, the Christian faith is not anti-communism. As Christian we have the same concerns for the souls of communists as we have about other people. If we give them the impression that Christianity is anti-communism, we are shutting out the opportunity to share our gospel message of salvation.

This Beatitude does not say “Blessed are they that are persecuted” for being good, or noble, or self-sacrificing. The world generally praises and admires the good and the noble; it only persecutes the righteous. There are good people who have made great sacrifices – giving up careers, homes, families and even their lives; and the world has praised them and called them heroes. We should be certain that they were actually practicing the Christian faith or if it were something else – perhaps a general nobility of character.

Being righteous, practicing righteousness, really means being like Jesus. Therefore, they are blessed who are persecuted for being like Him. Christ said: “If

the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love his own; but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the words that I said to you, ‘The servant is not greater than his lord.’ If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:18-20). Paul wrote to Timothy: “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus shall be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).

Some of the most outstanding righteous men of the OT (Abel, Moses, David Elijah and Jeremiah, etc.) were persecuted – not because they were difficult or overzealous, but simply because they were righteous. In the NT think of the apostles and the persecution they had to endure. Paul suffered in spite of his gentleness and kindness and righteousness. The supreme example is Christ Himself. For a verification of this Beatitude, read the history of the Christian Church about martyrs throughout the ages who suffered persecution for their righteousness.

Persecution is not only imposed by the natural world; formal Christianity is often the greatest enemy of the pure faith. Jesus Himself was persecuted by the Jewish leaders – the Pharisees and Scribes. The first Christians were persecuted by the Jews. During the Middle Ages the Roman Catholic Church persecuted those who were trying to live out their lives quietly. It is the teaching of the Bible --substantiated by history -- that the persecution may come, not from outside, but from within.

The righteous are persecuted because they are different. Jesus was persecuted, not because He was good, but because He was different. Others may feel condemned and threatened by a Christian’s righteousness. The righteous may not do anything negatively to others; but because they are righteous, it makes others feel less worthy. The Pharisees and others hated Jesus because of His absolute holiness and righteousness and truth.

This Beatitude shows us something of the Person of Jesus Christ. If our perception is that He can be admired and applauded by the non-Christian, we have a wrong view of Him. His contemporaries hated Him – they threw stones at Him, they chose a murderer to be released instead of Him, they tortured Him, and they put Him to death. This is the effect Jesus has on the world. If worldly people

tell us they admire Jesus Christ, they have never seen Him. If they saw Him, they would hate Him.

This Beatitude tests our ideas as to what the Christian is. The Christian is like his Lord, who said this about him: “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! For so did their fathers to the false prophets” (Luke 6:26). The Christian should not be a nice, popular person who never offends anybody and is easy to get along with. The real Christian is a person who is not praised by everybody. The new birth is an absolute necessity before anybody can become a Christian. To be a Christian ultimately is to be like Christ, and one can never be like Christ without being entirely changed. If a person tries to imitate Christ, the world will praise him; if a person becomes Christ-like, the world will hate him.

To become like Christ, we must become light; light always exposes darkness, and the darkness therefore always hates the light. We are not to be offensive; we are not to be foolish; we are not to be unwise; we are not even to parade the Christian faith. We are to do nothing that calls for persecution; but just by being like Christ, persecution becomes inevitable. May God give us great wisdom, discrimination, knowledge and understanding, so that if ever we are called upon to suffer, we may know for certain that it is for righteousness’ sake.

Three general characteristics define the Christian:

1. He is unlike everyone who is not a Christian. The gospel of Jesus Christ creates a clear-cut distinction between the Christian and the non-Christian – and the non-Christian recognizes this and persecutes him.

2. The Christian’s life is controlled and dominated by Jesus Christ, by his loyalty to Christ and by his concern to do everything for Christ’s sake. The Christian realizes his life does not belong to himself but belongs to Jesus. A true Christian’s desire must be to live for Christ, to glory in His name and to live to glorify Him.

3. The Christian’s life should be controlled by thoughts of heaven and of the world to come. “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven….” This message is found throughout the NT. The Christian looks forward to the promise of the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus makes three specific statements showing how the Christian faces persecution. The blessings of the Christian life are promised only to those who obey the conditions, and there is always a condition attached to every promise.

1. The Christian must not retaliate when persecuted. Retaliation is the reaction of the natural man. We must “stay the angry words”; we must not reply.

2. The Christian must not feel resentment – which is even more difficult. We must not live in a state of repression; but we must let go of annoyance, anger, resentment. In his Epistles Paul showed that he had been grievously hurt and wounded. Yet, he came to a state in which he really was no longer affected by these things.

3. The Christian must never be depressed by persecution. If a feeling of depression in your spiritual life seems to settle down upon you, you tend to lose control of your Christian living. Jesus puts it positively by saying: “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad.” When you are persecuted and people are saying all manner of evil against you falsely, you “rejoice.” That is the position to which the Christian is called.

The Christian is not to rejoice at the mere fact of persecution. Rejoicing in persecution for its own sake is the spirit of the Pharisee. We are saying: “I rejoice and am exceeding glad that I am so much better than those other people, and that is why they are persecuting me.” Persecution is something that the Christian should always regret. Jesus gave us reasons why we should rejoice.

1. The persecution which the Christian is receiving for Christ’s sake is proof of who he is and what he is. Those who are persecuted for Christ’s sake are like the prophets who were God’s chosen servants and who are now with God rejoicing in glory. This is one of the ways in which our Lord turns everything into a victory. Being persecuted for Christ’s sake is proof that the sufferer is a child of God.

2. This persecution is proof also of where we are going – “for great is your reward in heaven.” One of the great central principles running through the Bible is the consideration of the end, our final destiny – and that always causes us to rejoice. The proof, provided by the persecution,

that we are going to heaven and into the presence of God is something that fills us with joy.

Our whole argument upon everything that happens to us should be governed by these three things: the realization of who we are; our consciousness of where we are going; and the knowledge of what awaits us when we get there. One objection to this point questions whether a Christian should be governed by thoughts concerning the reward that remains for him in heaven. Some people feel that you should not be interested in reward or fear of punishment, but should be wonderful people who are enjoying a pure joy in Christian living. These people consider themselves to be exceptional Christians, but their attitude is unscriptural – however wonderful it seems to be. Everything must be tested by the teachings of the Scripture, and here it is: “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven.” We find this promise throughout the Scriptures – Hebrews 12:2; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10-11, etc.

Others might question the “reward” as opposed to “grace.” According to Scripture, even the reward itself is of grace. It is not that any person will ever deserve or merit heaven, but God rewards His people as a Father rewards His children.

The Bible does not tell us much about the reward, because it is so glorious and wonderful that our human language is almost bound to detract from its glory. The Bible cannot tell us about heaven because we would misunderstand it. But it does tell us that we shall see Him as He is and worship in His glorious presence. Our bodies will be changed, there will be no sickness or disease; all will be perpetual glory. We are going to amazing glory and purity and happiness and joy. If people are unkind and cruel, and if we are being persecuted, we can say: “These unhappy people are doing this because they do not know Christ, and they do not know me. They are proving to me that I belong to Him, that I am going to be with Him and share in that joy with Him. Rather than being resentful, or angry, or depressed – it makes me realize what is awaiting me.”

We often live on too low a level – we do not often think of heaven and rejoice. The Christian living should be like Paul and say: “to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21) – which means “It is far better to be with Christ, to see Him and to be like Him.”

DOB(C) The previous Beatitude discussed the virtue of peacemaking, but we are not to be reconciled with iniquity to maintain peace – we are not to compromise righteousness. If, in the steadfast practice and bold proclamation of the truth, it proves to be a sword – this condition also is a blessing. There are occasions when men must be shaken out of the sockets of conventional quietude and social ease, and the blessings of the peacemaker be gained in the benediction of the persecuted. This was the experience of many of the early disciples who were called not only to cherish Christ’s spirit, but to endure His cross. Many who bowed before the sword remembered Christ’s words and were able to “rejoice.”

Here we will look at the source and spirit of persecution. Why does truth meet with opposition; why are men blind to their best good; why do they often mistreat their truest benefactors? A fruitful source of persecution exists in the complexity and perversity of human nature. Man’s moral sense is blunted by innumerable passions, by subtle deceits of interest, by the stubbornness of pride, by lies of prejudice, and the disease of a biased will. Man seldom acts against truth and goodness in direct opposition; but often selfish instincts and recklessness come into play without asking about the moral quality of that which is opposed. It is doubtful that any great moral truth ever breaks into the world without disturbing someone’s temporal ease or gain – which is often a person’s standard of human motive. Men oppose the march of righteousness with a barricade of money-bags; they set up the market value of iniquity against the eternal rewards of God; they cover a popular wrong with the badge of national glory; with self-interest they endow vested rights and false institutions with borrowed sanctities; and they make the truth which threatens them to be heresy or a pernicious lie.

There are other elements which must be combined and stirred up in order to make a wide-spread persecution. There is ignorance – that dangerous huge tract of chaotic energy, which is a vast void field that any sentiment can influence. There is prejudice or preconceptions obstinately putting its own interpretation upon persons and principles – seeing these not as they are, but as it thinks they are. There is pride of opinion, unconsciously limiting the sphere of reality, and resisting the power which would strip off its arrogant conceit and expose its mistakes. These would probably be detected as elements in any act of persecution.

Influenced by some of these elements, men have wielded the rod of persecution from what they deemed motives of religion and the public good. For some of these people, the act of persecution was an evidence of their moral sensitivity. Paul exercised the same conscientiousness in using the sword that he did in bearing the cross.

To whatever springs we may trace the act of persecution – whether it be the offspring of a base self-interest or a devout superstition; whether it manifest itself as the insane fury of a mob, or as the vindictive energy or deluded judgment of the church or the state – it is one of the most humiliating phenomena in human history and in human nature. It rebukes the pride of reason and exposes the evil of the heart. It shows on the one hand, the insufficiency of philosophy, the foolishness of learning, the weakness of even the best men. On the other, it exhibits the desolate group of passions and sins that darken the mental vision, shut out the influences of holiness and truth, and control the will. We are, thus, humbled when we trace the history of Christianity, and see how that religion – which in all its tenor breathes the very opposite of persecution – has been the source of horrible cruelty. In his poem “The Gallows,” John Greenleaf Whittier wrote about the Crusades and the persecution in the name of the Church.

There is the master-mistaken idea that the real force of persecution can quench and crush what it will – but, it cannot destroy an error; it pours oil upon the flame of the grossest heresy. Even less, it cannot obliterate truth from the earth; the devices of human passion cannot question the realities of God.

This lesson of this Beatitude is for us. Though there has been a great change as to the forms of persecution, too much of its spirit abides and operates still. It does not need the Roman amphitheater, the stake, the fire, or the sword. It acts in public or private life, whenever the force of passion overwhelms the appeal of reason and does not stop to consult the conscience. It exists wherever brute force interferes with moral agitation. It is present where base self-interest breaks out against higher claims. It occurs where prejudice distorts men and things with its own conceptions, and then condemns the follies and faults it sees. It is defined where an arrogant orthodoxy sits in judgment upon its neighbor, and pronounces his faith to be infidelity and his conviction rebellious – and setting in motion all the elements of theological bitterness and religious slander. The rack is broken,

the stake is gone, but persecution exists. Its weapons are condemnation and ridicule; excommunication and mob law; the tongue, the pen, the press – and innumerable methods which can inflict worse than physical hurt, pierce deeper than the body, and leave traces darker than the imprint of the scaffold or the blasting of fire.

In our public relations, in our private actions, let us see that this spirit of persecution is not ours. Let us not confound prejudice and selfishness with the dictates of enlightened conscience and a lawful opposition to wrong. Let us not confound brute force and clamorous assertion with moral effort and rational assault.

But, if the spirit of persecution exists, so does the spirit of martyrdom. It involves principle above all personal considerations and temporal interests; ease and life and worldly possession are held secondary to truth and duty. Those who, in the early days of the church, passed through the baptism of persecution and were salted with fire, only needed to have spoken one word or given one sign for their prison doors to be opened. Instead, they chose the bloody circles of the arena and the devouring flame. It was the preciousness of principle, the soul’s loyalty to the highest reality, which kept them from freeing themselves. In The Divine Aspect of History, John Rickards Mozley recounts the story of Perpetua, a 22-year-old mother who, with others, was arrested in Carthage and thrown in the dungeon. She was urged by her pagan elderly father to recant. Pointing to a vessel that lay on the ground, she said: “Can I call this vessel anything else than what it is?” He replied “No.” “Neither can I say to you anything else than that I am a Christian.” To spirits such as these, whose hearts were made firmer than tempered steel, there was no higher claim than the everlasting right. It could not be plucked from them by violence; it could not be bought by affection.

The true spirit of martyrdom forbids that selfishness which sometimes seeks martyrdom. There is a class of people who prize persecution as a means of notoriety. They never seem so happy as when tossing about in the midst of an uproar which they have lashed into existence; they find no readier passport to fame than the reputation of suffering for conscience’ sake. Regardless of the sentiment of the past, public feeling now is apt to side with the persecuted – and the modern martyr is more likely to be smothered with roses than coals. This

Beatitude has an important qualification – “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake” – not for their own sake, not for the sake of their coarse abuse and their strenuous endeavors to be persecuted. All kinds of martyrs are not to be honored. Christ never sought persecution; He avoided it. His followers, who suffered for His cause and acted in the spirit commended, did not run to proclaim their contempt and defiance – but were found and taken calmly at their posts, and died without thoughts of the uproar they made, but upon that righteousness for which they were willing to live. If we suffer persecution, we should search our motives.

The adherence to principle above all other considerations presupposes another. The “faith in” principle – faith in unseen realities, transcending the forms the interests, the material and perishable goods of this world. The sufferers under persecution had “faith in” – “believed in” – the existence of that kingdom whose bliss they inherited. Theirs was a vision that pierced the barriers of the grave and saw far beyond the powers of the earth.

The spirit of persecution not only prevails today, but there is a need of the martyr spirit. Those who live truly in the present world must cherish the same adherence to principle, the same faith in eternity, of those martyrs of the past. True men of faith are apt to be persecuted, though not ostentatiously seeking it. He, who is actually a confessor as well as a professor of faith may suffer hardship. He may be called hard names and charged with hard things – and he will find flint and thorns springing up in his way. However we may fare, let us understand the reality of spiritual facts, and that righteousness is worth more than everything else.

The Beatitudes illustrate a circle of graces which are not mere ornaments of character, but deep influences of spiritual bliss and power which pertain to the innermost structure of our being. God grant that – as expressions of this inward excellence – that they may fill our lives. Then, we shall be among the blessed.

DOB The last two Beatitudes comprise everything we need for living happily together in a Christian community – peace and patience. The former arrests the progress of the evils which owe their origin to the unruly wills and affections of sinful men. The other prepares us for the joyful endurance of those provocations which we may not be able to escape.

We will consider three things: the cause for which believers are to endure persecution; what is to be understood by such persecution; and the blessing which is here promised to those who endure such persecution. We will also consider how we are to partake of this blessing both here and the hereafter.

1. We must interpret the first part of this passage as: Blessed are they who know righteousness, who love righteousness, and are so well established in righteousness that they can bear to be persecuted for it.” The righteousness which is exposed to persecution is very different from that which passes for religion. Religion is generally found to attract all the outward demonstrations of esteem and respect. True, evangelical righteousness – which opposes sinful practice; vain customs; ensnaring pleasures; and the mistaken pursuits of the world – will always draw condemnation and hatred from the world. That is the righteousness intended here – a righteousness which implies a deliberate exchange of the service and vanities of the world, for the yoke and burden of Christ. The righteousness is that which is found in Christ for our justification, and the righteousness which is derived from Him for our sanctification.

2. It was the love and the power of this righteousness which enabled the apostles, the prophets and the martyrs to endure persecution. It is the love and the power of this righteousness which still enables believers to endure that persecution of denunciation, misrepresentation and reproach which they may face.

When Jesus told His disciples at the beginning of His ministry that men would revile them, persecute them, and say all manner of evil against them, falsely, for His sake – He was declaring to them that His religion would be the religion of the cross; and that His kingdom would be extended by martyrs and confessors rather than soldiers and conquerors. Today it is the strict practice of Christianity, not the outward profession that is persecuted. The persecutors are no longer adherents of pagan idolatry, but nominal disciples of Jesus Christ. It is no longer persecution through blood, but the persecution which reaches the believer’s good name or his worldly advancement. It is difficult to endure persecution for the sake of righteousness and truth, in the face

of contempt and mockery and reproach. It seems like it would be easier to endure persecution from non-believers in another country than to encounter the hatred and denouncement which the practice of formal Christianity faces in our own country. When Jesus gave us these words, He undoubtedly knew what was in the hearts of man – and prepared His followers to endure all the reviling and the false reproaches of men. He did this, not only by uttering a two-fold assurance of the blessing with which their patience would be crowned, but by addressing the greater part of the message in direct terms to the disciples themselves.

By enlarging on the subject of the last Beatitude, Jesus is declaring to us how difficult it is to attain a spirit of meek and patient endurance. Upon looking back to the other Beatitudes we must perceive how indispensable it is that each of the graces previously listed should culminate in this one final gracious disposition – patient suffering for Christ.

They, who would be prepared to endure persecution for righteousness’ sake must have that entire renunciation of self that goes with the “poor in spirit.” They would be prepared to suffer for Christ, must know what it is to mourn – not only for the remainder of sin in themselves, but for the prevalence of sin in the world and the miseries which it brings upon men. Thus, they will be filled with a tender spirit which will dispose them to feel and suffer for all mankind, and to pray – even for their persecutors. They, who would be ready to suffer for Christ, must have the spirit of meekness, which implies patience towards God and man. They must know what it is to hunger and thirst after righteousness to such an extent that they would willingly endure the greatest suffering, rather than to commit the smallest sin. They, who would be willing to suffer for Christ, must be merciful – knowing what it is to pity all, to bear with all, and to do good to all in love. They must be pure in heart; they must, in singleness in heart and in simplicity of spirit, be purely and unreservedly devoted to God – being prepared to pass through the fiery furnace of persecution that they may become pure and refined like gold. It is evident that they must also have that spirit of peace, which enables

the believer to be at peace with God and with his neighbor – to show that in all his life and conversation that he loves peace, that he studies peace, and buys peace by “blessing them that curse him,” “doing good to those who hate him,” and praying for them which spitefully use him, and persecute him” (Matthew 5:44).

Christians, wherever they may be in their walk of faith, must be ever diligent against a rash and impetuous spirit and to prove their armor before they engage in battle. We are commanded to “take up our cross and follow Christ” (Matthew 16:24) – but we must be careful that we do not make crosses for ourselves. As soldiers and servants of Christ, we are called upon to fight against the world, the flesh, and the devil. To be victorious in such a battle, we must “be strong in the Lord, and in His mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10). Do not venture forth in your own strength, but go forth in the name of the Lord of Hosts, and clothed with “the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11, 14-17). View it as your duty and your security “to pray in the spirit” and “always keep on praying” (Ephesians 6:18).

3. Let us look at the blessing for those who endure persecution. We infer from the words “great are your rewards in heaven,” that Jesus is referring to the superabundant reward promised for all suffering; yet in the phrase “the kingdom of heaven” we understand it to also denote the kingdom of grace. It may be said of those who suffer for Christ’s sake that theirs is the accumulation of all the heavenly virtues and dispositions, and the enjoyment of all those privileges which belong to the kingdom of grace. The season of suffering and trial shows to the believer, under the divine blessing, the reality of the faith which he professes. Although it fills him with a sense of self-abasement for all his failings, it leads him to develop a closer walk with God – to lean more entirely on His promise of grace. To the believer, the season of suffering and trials is a season of prayer. All the tribulations which he encounters in this world will be compensated by intercourse with the Father of Mercies and the God of Comfort. Undoubtedly all true believers experience the blessedness of communion and fellowship with Christ. Above all, the season of suffering for Christ’s sake brings home the

tokens and pledges of a Savior’s love and sacrifice. As his suffering for Christ abounds, his consolations also abound by Christ. The world cannot understand and interpret the state of suffering Christians, because it sees only their crosses and not their consolations.

Jesus willingly suffered so much for us; we would thankfully and willingly endure the same for His name. He has gone through all before us – He has sweetened poverty, and persecution, and hatred, and disgrace, and death itself. Jesus is evidently directing the hearts and minds of believers to that after-happiness which is reserved for them in glory. Jesus is promising a more eminent place in glory for those who suffer for Him. When we consider the full scope of this promise, we feel that they are indeed vain and shadowy pursuits for those who are aiming for the honors and riches of this world, when compared with the hopes and enjoyments of the Christian.

4. It has been written that after reading this Beatitude, an unidentified early Christian said: “Blessed Jesus! Either these are not thy words, or I am not a Christian.” May we, with the power of God’s grace, endeavor to cultivate these virtues. At the same time, may we consider the advantage we may derive from observing both the classification and the order of these Beatitudes.

In forming our classification of these ten verses, we should consider “poverty of spirit” – or a renunciation of self – as being the necessary preparation for all the others. In the remainder of the series, there is an interchangeable mixture of heavenly graces, as exercised toward God and man. The first and last may be described as relating more immediately to God – the true Alpha and Omega. The intermediate graces point out alternately what is due to our neighbor and to God. We are taught, therefore, in the arrangement of the Beatitudes, that to God belongs the chief portion of our love – the first and the last. Our neighbor is to be regarded after and in entire subordination to God.

As we proceed to examine more closely the order, we observe that there is an ascending gradation in the series – each depending on the one preceding; and all depending, jointly and separately, upon the first.

The series begins with declaring the blessedness of “poverty of spirit.” When a man feels his own nothingness and unworthiness, he will be led to “mourn” over the remainder of sin in his own heart and its prevalence in the world around him. The mind, softened and melted down by godly sorrow, will be clothed with meekness. It is the meek only, who hunger and thirst after righteousness. It is only the calm and tranquil soul, which is disposed and enabled to understand the beauty of holiness. A common saying among the ancient Jews was “The Spirit of Holiness cannot rest on a turbulent mind.” Jesus goes on to remind us, that they who are daily striving, through faith in His name, to walk in the paths of righteousness and holiness, will be clothed with the grace of “mercy” – pitying all, bearing with all, doing good for all. They, who are daily endeavoring through divine grace to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, will show that they are “pure of heart” by their entire devotedness to God. The next Beatitude relates to the “peacemakers”; for they -- who show by their purity and singleness of heart and by simplicity of spirit – are at peace with God and must be at peace with man. Possessing all these heavenly graces and virtues and looking continually to Jesus, the believer goes from strength to strength – finding himself more equipped to endure condemnation and hatred, derision or reproach for Christ’s sake. Keeping always before him the blessings promised to “those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,” his prayer is that he may be found to “suffer according to the will of God” (1 Peter 4:19).

This is the progress of the Christian life as indicated by the order and the connection of the Beatitudes. All of these graces and dispositions should occur together to form the image of Christ and the temper of a true Christian.

BBNT Many of the OT prophets suffered in bringing God’s word to Israel (Jeremiah 26:11). Jewish tradition amplified the number of prophetic martyrs further and made it a major emphasis. The burden of proof was always on the prophet who spoke what people wanted to hear.

In NT times most Jewish people did not believe that prophets still existed in the OT sense, so Jesus’ comparing His followers to the prophets indicated that they

would have an extraordinary mission. To suffer for God was meritorious (Psalms 44:22; 69:7). Judaism highly honored martyrs for God’s law; yet no other rabbi called disciples to die for his own teachings or name.

HSB Christians are not masochists! The trials we go through are the tests of faith that come from low-grade persecution from outside the church and from conflict within. This is hardly a situation in which one would expect to have joy. Besides the passage in Matthew 5:10-12, a similar message is written in James 1:2-4; Romans 5:3-5, and 1 Peter 1:6-7. The situation pictured in all of these passages is persecution or hardship endured because of the faith. The situations are slightly different, but they all involve persecution at some level.

The call to rejoice is not masochistic. Masochism is taking pleasure in pain – the masochist wants to experience pain because it is the pain that gives this person pleasure. In these passages, however, we are not to rejoice in the pain, but in the future reward beyond the pain. James believes we should rejoice because trials give us an opportunity to develop the virtue of perseverance, which will in turn lead to a mature Christian character. We rejoice like the athlete in a practice session. Athletes may run or lift weights to the point of pain, but all the time their eyes are set on the big race or game. They rejoice – not in the enjoyment of the stress – but in the knowledge that they are growing stronger and therefore they will be better when it counts. James is dependent on Jesus, who said: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:11-12). Here we see why character is important: it will be rewarded in heaven. In other words, faithfulness under pressure today earns eternal reward tomorrow. This is how Christians are to live.

ICB Those who will one day share in the kingdom are now expected to accept calmly the persecution and reviling which they will receive as a result of their devotion to Jesus and the work of the gospel. They are to understand their harassment as a sign of god’s favor rather than as an indication of His displeasure – and therefore they are to rejoice. God has already laid up for them a reward in heaven.

VINE’S One of the meanings of the Greek verb dioko is “to pursue,” from which comes the meaning “to persecute” as used in the last Beatitude.

Misthos generally means “reward” and in Matthew 5:12 it refers to a reward to be received in the hereafter.

The Greek word for “prophet” is prophetes, meaning “one who speaks forth or openly; a proclaimer of a divine message” -- denoted among the Greeks as an interpreter of the oracles of the gods. In the Septuagint it is the translation of the Hebrew word roeh, “a seer” – indicating that the prophet was one who had immediate intercourse with God. It also translates the Hebrew word nabhi, meaning either “one to whom the message from God springs forth” or “one to whom anything is secretly communicated.” In general, the prophet was one upon whom the Spirit of God rested. In the case of the OT prophets their messages were largely the proclamation of the Divine purposes of salvation and glory to be accomplished in the future. The prophesying of the NT prophets was both a preaching of the Divine counsels of grace already accomplished and the fore-telling of the purposes of God in the future.

EBW It is possible as we live the Christian life, some will speak out against us and accuse us (Matthew 5:11; 1 Peter 2:12). We are simply to commit ourselves, then, to do good, knowing that ultimately God will be glorified in us as the good works we perform vindicate His decision to forgive us freely.

The Greek word used for “evil” in verse 11 is poneros. Words in this family group are variously translated: “evil,” “bad,” “wicked,” and “wickedness.” This Greek term is stronger and more active than kakos. The difference is illustrated in the fact that poneros is chosen to describe the character of Satan. It portrays active rebellion against God and thus raises a number of questions – for instance, it poses the question of the origin of evil as active malevolence. The rebelliousness of poneros calls the natural man to turn against God and against good.

In most NT references to persecution the Greek word is dioko. It means “to run after or pursue,” particularly to pursue with the intention of doing harm – thus, “to persecute.” Jesus warned, “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20). One who lives as a Christian and actively represents God’s point of view to a lost world should not be surprised if he or she is persecuted. The same active antagonism that Jesus experienced may, as Jesus warned, come to the believer. In certain situations, suffering persecution is part of what it means to live as a Christian. Like Paul, “when we are persecuted, we endure it”

(1 Corinthians 4:12). We respond by loving and blessing our persecutors and praying for them (Matthew 5:44; Romans 12:14). And through it all, we remember that we are surrounded by the love of Jesus.

HEB-GRSB In 2 Timothy 2:12-13, Paul encouraged Timothy that though there is suffering in this life, there is also the assurance of future blessing. The believer who continues trusting in Christ and remains faithful to his call will receive a blessed reward in heaven. This is the same promise that Jesus gave to His followers in this Beatitude.

MSB Persecution per se is not something to be sought. However, when evil is falsely spoken against a Christian and for Christ’s sake, such persecution carries with it the blessing of God. See James 5:10-11; 1 Peter 4:12-14.

NIVSB Those who are persecuted are blessed, because persecution provides an opportunity for believers to prove their fitness for the kingdom (Hebrews 12:4-11). Righteous living is often offensive to unbelievers. The blessings of God’s kingdom are promised to those who are persecuted.

PCCNT(Clarke) It seems strange to say that they are happy who suffer – and that the righteous should suffer merely because they are Christians. Such is the enmity of the human heart to everything of God and goodness – that all those who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution in one form or other. As the religion of Christ gives no leeway to vice, so the vicious will give no leeway to this religion or to its professors. The spiritual kingdom and that kingdom of glory are the rewards for those who are persecuted.

The persecution includes all outward acts of violence – false and defamatory statements, slander, and all that the tongue can effect. However, “persecute” is a forensic term, signifying legal persecutions and public accusations which – though totally unsubstantiated – were the means of destroying multitudes of the early Christians.

Suffering has nothing but misery in it without the rejoicing testimony of a good conscience. The followers of Christ are to “leap for joy” in their suffering. They are told to suffer joyfully for two reasons:

1. They are like the prophets who went before.2. Their reward in heaven is a great one.

God gives the grace to suffer, and then crowns that grace with glory. It is plain that the reward is not of debt, but of grace (Romans 6:23).

CHB The reference to persecution is not to past persecutions of OT saints, but to the disciples, which Jesus sees to be an inevitability and which He represents as already having begun. By ranking His disciples with the OT prophets, Jesus implies that they also are prophets. It is this possession of prophetical gifts by the first disciples which justifies the Church in regarding the NT as the inspired word of God.

LAB Jesus said to rejoice when we are persecuted. Persecution can be good because:

1. It takes our eyes off earthly rewards.2. It strips away superficial belief.3. It strengthens the faith of those who endure.4. Our attitude, through it, serves as an example to others who follow.

We can be comforted to know that God’s greatest prophets were persecuted. The fact that we are being persecuted proves that we have been faithful; faithless people would be unnoticed. In the future, God will reward the faithful by receiving them into His eternal kingdom where there is no more persecution.

B-MT(1) One of the most outstanding qualities of Jesus was His honesty. He never left people any doubt what would happen to them if they chose to follow Him. He was clear that He had come “not to make life easy, but to make us great”

For the first Christians, every aspect of the lives was disrupted.

1. Their Christianity might well disrupt their work. If a stone mason were employed by a group who received a contract to build a pagan temple, or a tailor were approached to produce robes for the pagan priests – the Christians found themselves in a conflict between business interests and loyalty to Jesus Christ. If it came to a choice between a loyalty and a living, the real Christian never hesitated to choose loyalty.

2. Their Christianity would disrupt their social lives. In the ancient times, most feasts were held in the temple of some god, and ritual sacrifices were sometimes made. It was clear that Christians would be unable to participate in such pagan activities. They must cut themselves off from

their friends rather than to give approval to such a thing in their presence. People had to be prepared to be lonely in order to be a Christian.

3. Worst of all, their Christianity was likely to disrupt their home life. If one member of a family became a Christian while the others did not, there was an immediate split in the family. Often the door was shut forever for the one who had accepted Christ. A man might have to love Christ more than he loved his family.

4. Other penalties which a Christian had to suffer were beyond description. Nero wrapped the Christians in pitch and set them afire. Christians were flung to the lions or burned at the stake. They were tortured on the rack. These are some of the things men and women had to be prepared for if they took their stand with Christ.

It seems extraordinary that anyone living a Christian life should be a victim for persecution and death by the Romans. There were two reasons.

1. There were certain slanders which were circulating about the Christians.

a. Christians were accused of cannibalism. The words of the Last Supper – “This is My body” “This cup is the NT in my blood” – were twisted into a story that the Christians sacrificed a child and ate the flesh.

b. Christians were accused of immoral practices, whose meetings were orgies of lust. The Christian weekly meeting was called the Agape, the “Love Feast”; and the name was misinterpreted. Christians greeted each other with the kiss of peace, which became the grounds for slanderous accusations.

c. Christians were accused of being “fire-raisers.” They spoke of the coming end of the world, clothed in the apocalyptic pictures of the end of the world in flames. These words were twisted into threats of being political and revolutionary agitators.

d. Christians were accused of tampering with family relationships. Christianity did split families; so Christianity

was represented as something which divided husband and wife and disrupted the home.

2. The great ground of persecution was political. The Romans were looking for a way to unify their vast Roman Empire. At first the unifying principle was in the worship of the goddess Roma. The provincial people agreed, because Rome had brought them peace and good government and civil order and justice. But the worship of Roma went further. One man personified the empire, one man in whom Roma might be incarnated – and that was the emperor. The emperor came to be regarded as a god, and divine honors came to be paid to him, and temples were raised to his divinity. Worship of the emperor became not voluntary, but compulsory. Christians refused to declare the emperor as Lord. For them Jesus Christ was the Lord, and to no one else would they give that title. Caesar-worship was a test of political loyalty. Christians refused to conform; they uncompromisingly chose Christ. Regardless of how good they were as citizens, Christians were automatically declared outlaws. Sir William Watson, a late 19th century poet, wrote:

“The panting, huddled flock whose crime was Christ…”

The only crime of which Christians were guilty was that they set Christ above Caesar. For that supreme loyalty, Christians died by the thousands, and faced torture for the sake of the lonely supremacy of Jesus Christ.

It may seem extraordinary to talk about the bliss of the persecuted; but for those who had eyes to see beyond the present, and minds to understand the greatness of the issues involved, there must have been glory in that blood-stained martyr’s way.

1. To suffer persecution was an opportunity to show one’s loyalty to Jesus Christ. One of the most famous martyrs was Polycarp, the aged bishop of Smyrna, who was given the choice – sacrifice to the godhead of Caesar or die. They took him to the stake, and he prayed his last prayer: “O

Lord God Almighty, the Father of thy well-beloved and ever-blessed Son, by whom we have received the knowledge of thee…I thank thee that thou hast graciously thought me worthy of this day and of this hour.” Here was the supreme opportunity to demonstrate his loyalty to Jesus Christ.

2. To have to suffer persecution is, as Jesus Himself said, the way to walk the same road as the prophets, the saints and the martyrs have walked. To suffer for the right is to gain a share in a great succession.

3. To suffer persecution is to share in the great occasion. When someone is called on to suffer something for Christianity, -it is always a crucial moment; it is the great occasion; it is the clash between the world and Christ; it is a moment in the drama of eternity. To have a share in such a moment is not a penalty but a glory. “Rejoice at such a moment,” says Jesus, “and be glad.” The word for “be glad” is from the verb agalliasthai, which has been derived from two Greek words which mean “to leap exceedingly.” It is the joy which leaps for joy – the joy of the mountain climber who leaps for joy when he reaches the summit.

4. To suffer persecution is to make things easier for those who are to follow. Today we enjoy the blessing of liberty because men and women in the past were willing to buy it for us at the cost of blood, sweat and tears. By a steadfast and immovable witness for Christ, we may make it easier for others who are still to come. The person who fights a battle for Christ will always make things easier for those who follow after.

5. No one ever suffers persecution alone. If people are called upon to bear material loss, the failure of friends, slander, loneliness, even the death of love for their principles – they will not be left alone. Christ will be nearer to them than at any other time. Read the story in Daniel 3:19-25 of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego being thrown into the

fiery furnace. In “Christmas Eve and Easter Day” Robert Browning wrote:

“I was born sickly, poor and mean, A slave; no misery could screen The holders of the pearl of price From Caesar’s envy; therefore twice I fought with beasts, and three times saw My children suffer by his law; At last my own release was earned. I was some time in being burned, But at the close a Hand came through The fire above my head, and drew My soul to Christ, whom now I see. Sergius, a brother, writes for me This testimony on the wall – For me, I have forgot it all.”

When people must suffer something for their faith -- that is the way to the closest possible companionship with Jesus Christ.

Persecution is inevitable because the Church – when it really is the Church – is bound to be the conscience of the nation and the conscience of society. Where there is good, the Church must praise; where there is evil the Church must condemn. Inevitably some people will try to silence the troublesome voice of conscience. It is not the duty of individual Christians habitually to find fault, to criticize or to condemn; but it may be that their every action is a silent condemnation of the un-Christian lives of others – and they will not escape the hatred.

It is unlikely that death awaits us because of our loyalty to the Christian faith – but insult awaits those who insist on Christian honor. Mockery awaits those who practice Christian love and Christian forgiveness. Christ still needs His witnesses; He needs those who are prepared not so much to die for Him, as to live for Him. The Christian struggle and the Christian glory still exist.

KEY LESSONS FROM THE BEATITUDES

Clashing How to OT Worldly DevelopBeatitude Anticipation Values God’s Reward Attitude

Poor in Spirit Isaiah 57:15 Pride and Kingdom of heaven James 4:7-10(5:3) personal

independence

Mourning Isaiah 61:1, 2 Happiness Comfort Psalm 51(5:4) at any cost (2 Corinthians 1:4) James 4:7-10

Meekness Psalm 37:5-11 Power Inherit the earth Matthew (5:5) 11:27-30

Righteousness Isaiah 11:4, 5 Pursuing Filled (Satisfied) John 16:5-11(5:6) Isaiah 42: 1-4 personal Philippians

needs 3:7-11

Mercy Psalm 41:1 Strength Be shown mercy Ephesians 5:1, 2(5:7) without

feeling

Pure in Heart Psalm 24:3, 4 Deception See God 1 John 3:1-3(5:8) Psalm 51:10 is acceptable

Peacemaker Isaiah 57:18, 19 Personal peace Be called sons of God Romans 12:9-21(5:9) Isaiah 60:17 is pursued Hebrews

without concern 12:10, 11 for the world’s chaos

Persecuted Isaiah 52:13 Weak Inherit the kingdom 2 Timothy 3:12(5:10-12) Isaiah 53:12 commitments of heaven

In his longest recorded sermon, Jesus began by describing the traits He was looking for in His followers. He called those who lived out those traits blessed because God had something special in store for them. Each beatitude is an almost direct contradiction of society’s typical way of life. In the last beatitude, Jesus even point out that a serious effort to develop these traits is bound to create opposition. The best example of each trait is found in Jesus Himself. If our goal is to become like Him, the Beatitudes will challenge the way we live each day.

LIFE APPLICATION BIBLE, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, Wheaton, IL, 1991, p 1653.