Today we come to the last of the 8 Beatitudes. I began this investigation with a bit of trepidation two months ago, and now I feel a bit of sadness as we wrap up this study of the Beatitudes. But I trust that we will be referring back to these Beatitudes as we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount, so we aren’t leaving them for good. I hope and pray that the short time we have spent on these has been a blessing for us all.
In today’s Beatitude, Jesus declares, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of God.” (Mt. 5:10) Followers of Jesus have been persecuted in all kinds of times, places and manners.
If you will allow yourself, I want you to try to imagine some of the physical persecution that has been inflicted on Christians both in the past and even now in the present. Picture a man on a table as he writhes in pain until he slumps into a semi-conscious state. The brawny inflictor of the pain puts down the pliers he has been using and douses the victim with a bucket of dirty water. The Christian shakes his head and moans. They have been working on him for hours. He has broken fingers, torn muscles and burned flesh. Those in charge speak to him again, “Recant your faith. Renounce Christ and all this unpleasantness can cease. Don’t make me go any further. Believe me it only gets worse.” The man on the table has a dignity that annoys his interrogators. He has suffered well. There has been no cursing, but only mumbled prayers and a few screams when the pain grows too great. The Christian looks through his swollen eyelids and speaks from his bleeding mouth, “No, my friend. I will never recant. Do what you will do. But hear this: Jesus is Lord. One day, you too will bow down and make that confession.”
Real physical persecution is an ugly reality. If you are like me you don’t want to think about it. But let’s get something straight right at the beginning of this lesson – persecution is a blessing. That’s what Jesus said, right? “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake.” If you are like me then you are thinking: “That’s a blessing I don’t really want!” “I’ll just pass on that one.”
I. The “What” of Persecution
But what exactly does Jesus mean when he delivers this Beatitude? What constitutes persecution? Is it only physical, or does emotional and relational trauma count? Is it something that only happened long ago or is it still something that happens here and now? Is religious persecution rare or is it common?
I think that this subject can be confusing. On the one hand, I think that we all would agree that physical agonies administered by brutal strangers with the intent of causing a recanting of faith is real persecution, but to limit it to physical persecution only is inadequate. On the other hand, we don’t want to call every spiritual hangnail a satanic plot to destroy our faith. Real persecution is cheapened by calling any inconvenience or temptation – “suffering for the cause of Christ.” Right?
So, what does Jesus mean when he delivers this final Beatitude? One thing we know for sure, is that Jesus places great importance on this Beatitude. How do we know that? Well, first of all, it is the last one. He builds to this crescedo. Second, he spends more words on this one than any other one. In fact, where one verse suffices to cover such topics as righteousness and mercy, Jesus takes 3 verses to talk about persecution. It is in the additional two verses where Jesus clarifies what he means by persecution. Had Jesus only given us verse 10, then we might think that persecution is limited to physical abuse. But verse 11 makes it clear that words can harm and that persecution often takes verbal forms. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” (Vs. 11) So we see, things like insults and false accusations are included in what Jesus calls persecution. People who are ridiculed, lied about and slandered are just as persecuted as those stretched on a rack or burned at the stake.
Think for a minute about the persecution that Jesus experienced during his ministry. It was not until the final night of his life that Jesus was physically harmed. But throughout his three year ministry he was persecuted through the rejection, slander and lies told about him. Persecution takes many forms.
II. The “Why” of Persecution
One question that comes to mind at this point is: Why would anyone want to persecute Jesus or his followers? Why would anyone want to hurt the kind of person characterized by these Beatitudes? It is certainly perplexing, but nonetheless it is true – people who take godliness seriously are likely to find themselves facing serious opposition.
One important clarification is that not every Christian who suffers persecution can claim that they are being persecuted for righteousness. It is possible for Christians to be persecuted for a variety of reasons that have nothing to do with righteousness. In such cases, they are likely getting what they deserve. These verses do not say, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because they are odd.” These verses do not say, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because they are obnoxious.” These verses do not say, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because they are self-righteous.” (Holier-than-thou attitude) These verses do not say, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of their ‘in your face’ evangelistic approach.” Truth is – we can bring persecution upon ourselves simply because we act foolishly, not spiritually. The blessing Jesus pronounces here isn’t for disciples who’ve been persecuted for any reason, but for those who have been persecuted “because of righteousness” (vs. 10) or better yet “because of me” (vs. 11). If others cause us pain because we take discipleship seriously, or because we want to be like our Lord, then Jesus calls that “persecution for the sake of righteousness” and there is a blessing that will be rewarded for that.
So, what have we learned so far? First, that the persecution Jesus is discussing is not only physical but it takes other forms. Second, persecution that is brought on for the right reasons leads to blessing.
III. The “Who” of Persecution
It’s time for us to discuss who persecutes the disciple. In what follows, I don’t mean to downplay the world’s eagerness to hurt those who would follow Jesus. Persecution can and does come from unbelievers. I have certainly experienced some persecution from unbelievers – at times some of my co-workers, schoolmates, and neighbors have persecuted me for my faith. Now understand this - Government oppressors in other countries continue to persecute Christians. In the culture war in our own country, Christianity is made to look foolish, and the followers of Christianity are usually portrayed in a negative light. But even though all of that is true, the bad news I must break to you is that persecution is more frequently an inside job. We tend to think of persecution as something perpetrated by strangers, but most often the persecution suffered by God’s people originates a little closer to home.
Jesus gives us that clue right here in this Beatitude: “For in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Vs. 12) Who are the “they” in that passage? Who was it that persecuted the prophets? It wasn’t the Babylonians, nor the Ninevites, nor the Philistines, nor the Egyptians. It wasn’t strangers nor the high priests of the pagan religions. So, who was it? It was God’s own people who persecuted the prophets. It was their neighbors, members of their families, people who bowed down to the same God and worshiped at the same temple. Jeremiah suffered at the hands of his fellow prophets, his king and his neighbors. Moses faced more painful opposition from his fellow Israelites than from Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Job was tormented by men who claimed to be his friends. And the same thing was true for Jesus. It wasn’t Caesar and his representatives who caused Jesus the most problems. It wasn’t the pagan idol worshipers. Jesus’ betrayer was one of his own disciples. His persecutors were his own countrymen, fellow Israelites who were trying to live in obedience to the same Father.
Hard as it is to accept, the persecution disciples are called to endure often will be at the hands of people we know, people we worship with, people who also claim to be religious. The person behind our persecution may well be someone we thought was a friend. The source of that slanderous remark or gossipy tidbit may turn out to be someone we trusted. So it’s not strangers, hell-bent on destroying the faith that we should fear the most, it’s more likely to be the ones we break bread with who will break our hearts.
Now please understand that none of this is an invitation to paranoia. What I am saying is that serious commitment to Christ cuts not just between believers and unbelievers, but between those who hunger to be like Christ and those who want to be casual Christians. Christianity has been around long enough to be thoroughly domesticated. For 2000 years, we’ve pruned and trimmed and snipped at it – removing all the prickly parts so we can embrace the faith without any pain. For many people, the Christ who confronts has been traded for a Christianity that always comforts. Transformation has been set aside in favor of tradition and familiarity. The life-changing religion of Jesus has been institutionalized, sanitized, and sterilized.
If we are not careful, we settle into a Christianity whose prime directive is: “Don’t rock the boat…Let sleeping Christians lie…Go through the motions…Do the bare minimum…Discourage zeal in any form…Blessed are the harmless.” The Beatitudes, and those who practice them, threaten that kind of Christianity. The Beatitudes won’t allow the status quo. The Beatitudes turn everything and everyone they touch upside down.
That’s why disciples who take the Beatitudes seriously should expect to be persecuted. If we get serious about poverty of spirit and confession, then we will notice how nervous people around us will get. If we determine to submit every area of our lives to God’s will, then listen for our fellow Christians to being whispering, “fanatic.” If we develop a passion for the holy, then we will observe our believing friends rolling their eyes and shaking their heads. If we practice indiscriminate mercy, then we will discover just how threatening that is to others. If we try our best to live with integrity and peacemaking, and just watch the frustration that causes in others.
Jesus warns us that we practice the Beatitudes at our own risk. If we take the spiritual steps Jesus recommends in these statements, then there will be people we know and love – church members, family members and friends, who will turn on us and tell us to knock it off. Jesus forewarned us, “A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.”(Mt.10:36)
The progression of the persecution usually follows a similar pattern. First they will usually begin with ridicule. They will try to laugh it off. You’ll become the brunt of their jokes. If ridicule fails, then they’ll try insults. They will question your motives and doubt your intelligence. They’ll accuse you of arrogance. If insults don’t work, then they will move on to slander. You will be labeled as fanatical and dangerous. They will say that you are motivated by some horrible sin you are trying to cover up. If slander doesn’t work, then they will try rejection. You will be made to feel like an outsider, unappreciated and unwelcome. And then if you still persist in your Christian pursuit, then they will decide to punish. And if punishment doesn’t make you conform, they will try to destroy you. That’s what they tried to do to Jesus and the earliest disciples, and that’s what we will face today as well.
Conclusion:
The question for us disciples is not whether we will be persecuted, but how we will respond when it occurs. There are three options for us in the face of persecution. First, we can back down – which is what our persecutors want to see happen. Second, we can retaliate and try to make them pay for the pain they are causing us. Third, we can rejoice and be glad – which is Jesus’ prescription.
Persecution is never fun. The physical agonies or the agonies of insult and rejection are no laughing matter. When Jesus told us to rejoice and be glad when we are persecuted, he is not trying to trivialize our pain or to be absurd. What he is saying is that persecution is both a validation and an opportunity. We Christians can rejoice when persecuted because this suffering says something about our character and provides a change for our character to shine most brightly. In Acts 5:41 we read, “The apostles left the Sanhedrin rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.” There are times when persecution is the ultimate vindication of how very right we are living. Persecution can authenticate our walk and act like a badge of discipleship.
But in addition to being a validation, persecution is an opportunity – a chance to demonstrate that the changes God has affected in us are not just skin deep. Responding appropriately to persecution shows that our Christianity cannot be rubbed off by a little bit of suffering. You remember in the parable of the Sower, some of the seed feel on the rocky soil and it grew but it only lasted a short time, for when trouble or persecution came because of the word, it quickly fell away (Mt. 13:21). We want to have staying power, and to respond to persecution with patient endurance.
In summary, let me say three things about persecution.
First, persecution is a given. Jesus said, “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” (Jn. 15:20) Paul wrote, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Tim. 3:12)
Second, persecution is a gift. Enduring persecution develops so many godly characteristics in our lives. James wrote, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (Js. 1:2-4) Paul wrote, “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character; and character, hope.” (Rom. 5:3)
Third, persecution brings gladness. Jesus tells us to “rejoice and be glad” (Mt. 5:12). Luke’s version reads, “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy.” (Lk. 6:23) Why? Because great is our reward in heaven. Paul wrote, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor. 2:9) When we suffer for Christ, then our reward is great and we are in good company. How wonderful to be counted among the persecuted, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven and great is their reward.
