Blessed Are the Persecuted

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
-Matthew 5:10-12

The beatitudes present to us a way of life that is a stark contradiction to our natural responses and inclinations. The first seven beatitudes described a list of characteristics that we ought to pursue as believers. But this last beatitude is quite different than the rest. Rather than telling us how we should live, these verses are telling us the result of living in such a way—persecution and reward. Sooner or later we will be oppressed for being devoted followers of Christ. The apostle Paul echoes this same truth in his letter to Timothy.

“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
-2 Timothy 3:12

There will always be tension between the message of the gospel and ways of the world. Therefore, as you are living as one who is poor in spirit, mournful over your sin, meek, hungry for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, and peaceable, you will face persecution.

When you choose to live humbly you are bringing the destruction of pride to light. When you are grateful and content with what God has given you, you are exposing the trap of materialism and greed. When you are merciful and forgiving to others you are living in contrast to the evil of revenge. When you earnestly pursue the Lord and are seeking His glory in all things, you are overturning the ways of the world. It is easy to see why living for righteousness’ sake will inevitably lead to persecution. 

As you choose to honor the Lord through your grief, there will no doubt be people who wonder how you could ever trust and love a God who allows suffering in this world. Perhaps some will even encourage you to “curse God and die” as Job’s wife did (Job 2:9). Others may mock you for placing your hope in the promise of heaven in the midst of your sorrow or question the genuineness and depth of your love for your precious baby because of the peace and strength you have been able to exhibit even amidst your heartbreaking loss—peace and strength that could only be attained by the grace of God. 

But what does Jesus say our response should be towards this persecution? We are to “rejoice and be glad” (Matthew 5:12)!  Rejoice? Be glad? It is one thing to endure persecution, but it is an entirely different matter to rejoice in it. How could Jesus possibly utter these words? How could He truly expect this of us?

Dear sister, these are not empty words.  They were spoken by the One who has endured the greatest persecution. 

“He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.
Surely He has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed Him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.”
-Isaiah 53:3-4

His own brothers did not always believe in Him (John 7:5).
The Jews were seeking to kill Him (John 5:18).
He was betrayed by one of His own disciples (Luke 22:48).
He was falsely accused by the Jewish leaders (Matthew 26:3-4, 27:12).
His followers abandoned Him (Matthew 26:56).
Roman soldiers mocked and abused Him (Matthew 27:27-31).
He was crucified with common criminals (Matthew 27:38).
He died a shameful, gruesome death that He did not deserve (Matthew 27:45-50).

Jesus did not just endure this persecution, He did so willingly, knowing in advance that it was going to occur. And He was able to do so because of the joy He knew would result from His sacrifice.

“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”
Hebrews 12:2-3

Did you see that? Jesus endured brutal persecution even unto death because He was looking ahead to a future joy—the joy of redeeming the world from sin and death. He can call us to “rejoice and be glad” when we face persecution because He knows with absolute certainty that the reward that awaits us in heaven will far overshadow the suffering we endure now. By faith, in looking to Jesus as an example, we can experience joy in the midst of such agony. We can be glad when we are persecuted for the sake of Christ, because our hope has been anchored to the eternal glories that are yet to come.

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
-2 Corinthians 4:16-18

This affliction is preparing us for eternal glory—life in heaven with the God who loves us and gave Himself for us, and the hope of one day seeing our precious children again. We must set our hearts, our hopes, our joys, and our longings on Christ. There is no other way we are able to “rejoice and be glad” through the sorrow, pain, difficulty, persecution, and loss we experience on this earth. For as we set our gaze towards heaven, and persevere under affliction for righteousness’ sake, we experience Jesus in greater measure. Then like the apostles in Acts 5:41 you can “rejoice that you have been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.”

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing
with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
-Romans 8:18

There is no greater honor than to share in the sufferings of Christ. So fix your eyes heavenward, dear one. For in Christ, that kingdom is yours—great is your reward!