About 35 years ago, a Romanian pastor came to visit the church I belonged to, a nice white church in a rich western suburb of Minneapolis. He had gotten to know my pastor, who had been involved in a Bible-smuggling ministry when the Iron Curtain was still up. Pasor John asked him what he thought of our country, and of the church in this country. His friend was at first hesitant to speak, for fear of giving offense, but finally said that in his opinion the American church was rich in material things but poor in spiritual things. And by that he did NOT mean that we were the blessed “poor in spirit” whom Jesus commended. No, what he meant was that American Christians by and large had a flabby faith because it was rarely even exercised, much less tested. That is, fortunately, beginning to change.
For over 30 years, one Christian ministry in Lake City Florida provided food to the hungry without any problems. But all that changed when a state government worker showed up to negotiate a new contract. The official told them they would not be allowed to receive USDA food unless they removed portraits of Christ, the Ten Commandments, a banner that read “Jesus is Lord” and stopping giving Bibles to the needy. [Town Hall, John Hawkins Sep 17, 2013] And not too long ago Senator Bernie Sanders implied that a Christian who believes that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life is unfit to hold public office. Senator Diane Feinstein, interrogating a judicial nominee, implied something similar. A Christian, they implied, would necessarily be unfair to non-Christians. It’s no wonder that many Christians believe that religious liberty in the US is on the decline.
Blessed are the peacemakers, said Jesus in verse 9, his last observation before coming to the topic of persecution. And you know what? They’re two sides of the same coin. Persecution is the flip side of peace-making. If we live out the first 7 beatitudes, this one, the 8th, follows on their heels as surely as water flows downhill. Why? Why are Christians persecuted?
First of all, the gospel is “foolishness to the Greeks and a stumbling block to the Jews.” [1 Cor 1:23] Of course it doesn’t make sense to most people. But that doesn’t explain the extreme reaction the message of the cross arouses. The word translated “stumbling block” is the Greek word skandalizo. It’s a noun, and it refers to something that prevents someone from believing, or causes them to fall away from believing. It’s something people can’t swallow. In the verb form it’s also translated “give offense." The gospel is offensive, because the cross is offensive. Why is that? Why is gospel offensive to so many?
It’s very simple. First, Jesus told his followers, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” [Luke 9:23] People don’t want to be told they have to deny themselves. They want to be told they’re okay, that whatever they want to do is okay. People - especially today - want to be affirmed, not confronted or corrected. Later on Jesus drove the lesson home when he said, “Everyone who does evil hates the light;” [Jn 3:20] he made it even clearer later on. “The world . . . hates me because I testify that what it does is evil.” [Jn 7:7]
Let me set up a series of contrasts for you.
Where Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” the world says: “Happy are the self-assured, for they never worry about their sins.” Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted,” but the world says, “Happy are the hard boiled: for they never let life hurt them.” When Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth,” the world responds, “Happy are they who complain: for they get their own way in the end.” Jesus announces: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. The world shouts back, “Happy are the ambitious, the go-getters, for they will succeed in the world.” Jesus teaches "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy,” but the world says, instead,“Happy are the slave drivers: for they get results.” Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” The world sneers in return, “Happy are the sophisticated, for they know their way around.” Jesus says “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” But the world says, “Happy are the aggressors, for they have power.”
To some extent it is the contrasts that invite persecution. There’s a classic experiment that some psychologists performed half a century or so ago, taking an ordinary brown monkey out of its cage, dying its fur pink, and putting it back in the cage. The other monkeys immediately attacked it. Difference alone is enough. But just being different isn’t all. This is persecution for righteousness’ sake: The righteous Christian, the one living out the preceding Beatitudes, is the world’s conscience. The Christian is a mirror to the world, showing them their true selves, and they have only two choices: to accept what they see as the truth, or throw rocks at the mirror so they won’t have to face it.
Why are Christians persecuted? Because they threaten the world’s values, self-image, and authority.
How are Christians persecuted?
Persecution comes in many forms. Verse 11 mentions 3 of them.
First, direct verbal assault: “Blessed are you when people revile you . . .” To be reviled means to be verbally abused, insulted, scolded, or mocked. Remember that Jesus was reviled before he was crucified. [Mt 27:39]. Contemporary examples include being accused of “hate speech” if you’re believe homosexual behavior to be a sin, “uneducated” if you believe that intelligent design should be taught in schools along with Darwinian evolution, or “sexist” if you’re against abortion on demand. A friend of mine - a Methodist - once told me that she believed that conservative Christians were the greatest threat to freedom this country faces. In many other countries, from Canada to Finland, pastors have been charged with hate speech for expressing Biblical views on homosexuality. Here, as I’m sure you know, Christian business owners have been sued and run out of business for declining to celebrate same-sex unions.
A second form of persecution is physical mistreatment, ranging from beating to imprisonment to death. “Blessed are you when people ... persecute you.” Christians have suffered physical persecution in every age, from the earliest days right down to the present. According to Fox’s Book of Martyrs, all of the apostles except John were killed because of their faith. James bar-Zebedee, John’s elder brother, was beheaded by Herod. Philip was scourged, thrown into prison, and afterwards crucified, A.D. 54. Matthew was killed in A.D. 60. James the Lesser was beaten and stoned by the Jews and finally had his brains dashed out. He was 94. The list goes on, and gets worse.
Open Doors, the organization with the most conservative estimated numbers, counted 1,207 documented martyrdoms in 2015, 7,106 in 2016, and 3,066 in 2017. In addition, over 200 million Christians experienced what they call high, very high, or extreme persecution. The latest study by the Center for the Study of Global Christianity, an organization with a broader definition of martyrdom, reports that 90,000 Christians were killed during 2016. Christians are disappearing from the Middle East; Western governments – including the United States - have called it genocide. Most recently, Afghanistan has replaced North Korea as the most dangerous single country for Christians.
Here in the United States we are not generally subject to direct physical attack, although being hauled off to jail for peacefully protesting outside of abortion clinics certainly qualifies. However, threats of punishment - of bringing the power of the state in play to prevent Christians from acting on their beliefs - are happening. In October 1998, David and Diane Reiter were ordered by the city of Denver to stop their weekly prayer meetings in their home. In the end, Denver admitted that it violated the Reiters' rights and offered to pay attorney's fees of $30,000. The Reiters' plight inspired legislative action. Colorado State Assemblyman Doug Dean of Colorado Springs sponsored a bill prohibiting local government from enforcing any laws that limit people from the ability to pray, worship or study in their homes. Colorado Gov. Bill Owens signed the bill in March of 2000. Overseas, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe reports that Christians are the target of hate crimes across the region. The nature of these crimes ranges from graffiti to vandalism and physical assaults against Christians distributing religious materials.
A third form of persecution is more subtle. “Blessed are you when people . . . say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” It is a little like reviling, but it generally takes place behind your back. And it doesn’t have to be overtly abusive... just untrue, designed to make people think less of Christians and to discount what they say and believe. On the other hand, it can be direct misrepresentation of the facts in order to get Christians into trouble with the authorities - as did Jesus’ accusers. [Mt 26:59 60] The kind of defamation Jesus was telling us to expect includes accusing pro-life Christians of advocating bombing abortion clinics. When a handful of publicity-happy scholars claim that modern scholarship proves that the Bible was made up by religious fanatics with axes to grind they are speaking evil, falsely, as are people who imply that the Westboro Baptist church is typical of conservative Christianity.
OK. We know why, we know how. The next question is, “How are we to respond to persecution?” Once again, Jesus gives us the answer. “Rejoice and be glad.” The King James translation says “Rejoice and be exceeding glad.” Let’s take that apart and look at it.
“Rejoice” is what you do when you hear good news. You get a raise, your physical turned out okay, you closed on your new home, you passed the final exam, etc. When - not if, when - you face persecution, you should receive it like good news, not whine at how unfair life is, because it’s a sign that you’re doing what God wants you to do. More than that, to “be exceeding glad” means to be “overjoyed, to skip and jump with excitement.” Persecution isn’t just good news, it’s cause for celebration. It’s an occasion for jumping and shouting. I guess I’d better stop complaining about how tired I am of being accused of hate speech and intolerance and start being exceeding glad. Remind me, folks... I need help with these, too. But be careful - you can be hated because you are doing the wrong thing, too... Persec ution is NOT proof of righteousness.
After Jesus tells us what our response should be, he gives two reasons:
First, he says, “great is your reward in heaven.” Remember, our life on earth is short, but heaven is eternal. [Mt.6:19 20] It might be nobler to suffer without expecting any reward at all, but Jesus doesn’t ask us to do that. He just asks us to choose a reward that will last. “Do not fear what you are about to suffer... Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." [Rev 2:10] Paul did the same. “...This slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal,” [2 Cor 4:17-18] and “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” [Rom 8:18]
Second, we’re to rejoice “for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” We’re in good company. And when we join hands with them, we become part of their witness to those who come after us. There’s a wonderful song “May all that come behind us find us faithful.” If we are encouraged by reading about the saints and prophets and missionaries, consider what an honor it is to be part of that company and maybe, just maybe, if God wills it, someone will be encouraged or inspired by our example.
Jesus gave us two reasons to rejoice. But I’m going to add to that. There are at least two more reasons. First of all, as I hinted before, persecution is proof we’re on the right track. Remember, if we’re blending in, there’s nothing to harass. A certain man, a Christian, accepted a new job among very profane people. He was very anxious and fearful about how he would be received. When he came home from the first day on the job, his wife asked how it had been. He replied, “Wonderful! They never guessed that I was a Christian.” That’s a great example of standing up for the faith - NOT! If you don't experience persecution it is probably because the world doesn’t realize that you are a Christian. Even when you tell them that you are a Christian, your life proves it doesn’t make much difference. The world doesn’t care if we go to church, read the Bible or pray. It does care that we live out what we learn at church, in the Bible and on our knees.
The second reason to rejoice in persecution is that suffering helps us to grow more Christ-like in our character. It “refines” us, it strengthens us. The apostle James wrote, “My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.” [James 1:2-3] And Paul also told us to “boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” [Rom 5:3-4] Persecution teaches us to rely more and more upon God and less and less on the world. The power of God is strongest when we are weakest, and sometimes we need to come to the end of our own strength before we turn to God and discover that “his grace is sufficient.” [2 Cor 12:9 ]
Stronger faith, assurance of salvation, impacting our world, and eternity with God. Is that worth a little discomfort in the present? I think so. I hope you do too.
