Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “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, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:10-12).
What is Persecution? //
To persecute literally means to put to flight. The idea here is that there is such a mistreatment of these Christian individuals that their lives are at risk and they have to flee. Now we must ask ourselves, why does this concern us? To even mention persecution in a Western Christian setting seems silly. Have you been poked fun at for your Christian beliefs? Have you suffered for you Christian stance? At most, we may see a little ridicule from classmates or co-workers but we hardly understand the reality of persecution…yet.
Persecution, however, is a contemporary issue. If you are to assess the global situation, persecution is far greater in this moment than in other period of time. Here are the staggering facts by the numbers:
* More than 43 million Christians have been killed for their faith since the crucifixion of Jesus.
* It's been estimated that more Christians have been martyred in the 20th Century than in all the prior 1,900 years combined.
* There have been more than 26 million documented cases of martyrdom in this century alone.
* More than 200 million Christians in over 60 nations face persecution each day, 60% of these are children.
* 150,000 to 165,000 are martyred each year.
The best way that I can show you that this applies to us is from the Bible. First, there are always going to be things in the Bible that our experiences disagree with. You have to understand that God’s Word is more authoritative than our experience. So, we take Him at His Word. Second the Bible makes very clear that persecution in the life of the believer should be viewed as normal. “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:12-13). Peter is saying here that suffering should be anticipated, normative, and rejoiced over. Suffering persecution because of righteousness sake is a mark of true Christianity. Further, Paul gives a devastating and sweeping remark about persecution: “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). That is why Don Carson says, “This final beatitude becomes one of the most searching of all of them, and binds up the rest; for if the disciple of Jesus never experiences any persecution at all, it may fairly be asked where righteousness is being displayed in his life.” The true Christian should be prepared to suffer for the Name’s sake and rejoice that they are counted worthy. That is why Jesus prepares us for it by reminding us that persecution is a mark of genuine Christianity. We stated before that the beatitudes list eight characteristics of the Christian that has been born again. Persecution is the eight and final mark of the true Christian.
How do we Respond to Persecution? //
Persecution for righteousness sake should not be confused with persecution of any other form. It is possible to be persecuted for many other reasons and we should not rejoice over those trials. For instance, Christians can have a less than desirable attitudes and rub others wrong. They can also be obnoxious or over-the-top. Christians can even be un-compliant with rules, regulations, or social norms. In these cases any persecution is deserved and warranted. We do not want to rejoice in this unnecessary offensiveness. I love to constantly remind myself that I am a missionary to our culture. I should be willing to be flexible in whatever ways necessary to reach the culture that I am in—as long as I do not bend or break God’s clearly defined borders. Sometimes popular “Christian culture” does the exact opposite. Sometimes Christians oppose the culture for the sake of opposition. This is not persecution on account of righteousness, it is persecution on account of arrogance.
Jesus qualifies the blessing with the statement, “because of righteousness.” Jesus wants to be clear that what He is commending is a person who hungers and thirst for righteousness and actually lives it out. Righteousness is the act of being right with God. It means that the person lives the way that God intends. It implies that the person is living a holy and godly life. This godly life will be in opposition to the ways of the world. The Kingdom of God is backwards from the world. It is like oil and water; the two do not mix. No matter what, they are distinguishable from one another. The Christian will always be unique in this world. He is called an alien and stranger here. That is why persecution is a reality, because the Christian is operating on a different set of values and those values are offensive.
Persecution is uniquely tied to Christ. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me” (Matthew 5:11 emphasis added). In addition to having a different set of values, we also have a different object of affection—namely, Christ. We love Christ for a multitude of reasons one of which is his justifying work on the cross. The Cross is foolishness and offensive. We must remember that in a world that justifies itself, humility will be hated. Everyone is trying to prove themselves in some way. We either prove ourselves by being very good or being very bad. We can either keep the moral commands of our society—religion—or we can blatantly break them—disobedience. But Christians live a third way. Christians are justified by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. They are justified by the grace of God apart from works so that no one may boast. Pride causes us to desire a boast. We want to prove that we are good people. We want to prove that God owes us eternity. So long as we associate with this third way—the Jesus way—we will always be misunderstood and mistreated. Paul understood this well when he said; “For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?” (2 Corinthians 2:15-16). We are the pleasant fragrance of Christ to those being saved… but we are the stench of death to others. We have to recognize that associating ourselves with Christ means that we will be offensive to all. Jesus said, “if the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18).
Rejoicing //
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5: 12).
Gary Smalley has written a book called Love Languages. In it he explains how each of us has a primary language in which we receive and communicate love to one another. Mine is words of affirmation. This means that when someone pays me a compliment or says something nice or positive, I feel loved. It can be small and insignificant but to me, it’s huge. But Smalley points out that the negative is true regarding love languages. So, I have found that criticism is devastating. I once received a critical letter regarding my ministry and my character. I was crushed. So how is it, that Christ calls me to rejoice when others say all kinds of evil against me? The answer is caring more what God thinks than what others think. “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10). When we are persecuted for righteousness sake we are saying that we care more about God’s opinion than man’s.
Our response to persecution should be that of rejoicing. It is counter intuitive to think that persecution should lead to rejoicing but there is a principle to be learned here: Christ is the treasure, He is the Reward. This may not have been immediately recognized by the disciples, but later the Apostles crystallized this concept. “[The religious leaders] called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (Acts 5:40,41) The Apostles knew that suffering for Christ was an honor because His honor is far more valuable than their comfort. Paul knew this concept intimately. He suffered greatly for the Name’s sake yet said things like this; “For our light and momentary troubles[our persecutions] are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17). No matter what we are currently going through, Christ is worth it. Paul again says; “What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8). Paul knew that Christ was the ultimate treasure and that even the comforts, pleasures, and benefits of this world were worth sacrificing to gain Christ. Paul takes it even a step further and desires persecutions: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10,11). Of all people, Paul knew persecution. He was in prison for his faith on several occasions. He was also beaten, shipwrecked and went through all sorts of hardships on account Christ. Yet, he wants to more intimately know Jesus by participating in suffering for Him. Peter too tells us that we should suffer for righteousness sake; “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21). And the writer to the Hebrews noted the disciples willingness to suffer for Christ; “You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded” (Hebrews 10:34,35).
Persecution is a pathway to deeper experiences of Christ. First, persecution teaches us things that we could learn no other way. It teaches us holiness, righteousness, and obedience. Persecution weans us from the love of the world and reminds us that Christ is more precious.
Persecution, then, aligns us with a rich heritage of people that were willing to suffer for God’s sake. Jesus says, great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you. Prophets were men who spoke on God’s behalf.
Are you ready for it? //
Finally, we must ask ourselves if we believe that it will be worth it? Are we willing to associate ourselves with Christ even if it could cost us? Let me close with this story from Richard Wurmbrant’s diary:
“I remember my last confirmation class before I left Romania. I took a group of ten to fifteen boys and girls on a Sunday morning, not to church, but to the zoo. Before the cage of lions I told them, “Your forefathers in faith were thrown before such wild beasts for their faith. Know that you also will have to suffer. You will not be thrown before lions, but you will have to do with men who would be much worse than lions. Decide here and now if you wish to pledge allegiance to Christ.” They had tears in their eyes when they said yes.
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