Blessed Are the Persecuted

Matthew 5:10-12

We have come today to the eighth and final beatitude that Jesus taught at the beginning of His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. We have said that these beatitudes describe the characteristics or the attitudes of a disciple of Jesus Christ, a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. But this final beatitude reads somewhat differently. It describes the result of living a life characterized by the other seven beatitudes. Ray Pritchard described it as the “blessing no one wants.”[1] What rational person would purposefully want to be persecuted? Perhaps most of us would like to take a pass on persecution and suffering if it were possible.

But here are some reasons why we should not ignore this beatitude:

It is the final and climactic beatitude, serving as a test of all the others. Persecution is as much a normal mark of discipleship as being meek, merciful, or pure is.
It is the only beatitude where Jesus gives further explanation of the blessing.
It is the only beatitude with a command: “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad” (Matt. 5:12).
It is the only beatitude that is repeated. The word “blessed” is used two times as though Jesus is saying, “You are doubly blessed when you are persecuted.”
It is the only beatitude addressed directly to us. Jesus changes from the third person, “Blessed are those,” in Matthew 5:10 to the second person “Blessed are you,” in Matthew 5:11.

Because we live in a nation that is historically Christian at its roots; and because we enjoy the freedoms given us by the First Amendment, we American believers don’t suffer much in the way of large-scale persecution, particularly not the intensely violent kind of state-sponsored persecution fellow believers in other parts of the world often suffer. But we do live in a society where the values, priorities, and morals are becoming increasingly contrary to God and that is often hostile to the cause of righteousness. These two diametrically opposing systems of life—the life devoted to obedience to Jesus Christ and the life devoted to the values and priorities of this world—will inevitably result in the hostility of the people of this world being poured out on the disciple of Jesus Christ.

Paul wrote his final letter to his young friend and ministry associate Timothy just before the apostle was beheaded in prison for his faith in Jesus Christ. Paul clearly knew that he was about to pay the ultimate price for his faith in Christ (2 Tim. 4:6). So, he talked in very serious terms to Timothy about persecution. He warned Timothy that, in the later times, many would wander from the faith and embrace the ungodly values and priorities of this world, writing, “But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra – what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me” (2 Tim. 3:10-11). Then he adds this very serious statement: “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12).

Paul knew this truth firsthand. He reminded Timothy of how, during his first missionary journey, he and Barnabas had to flee from the city of Antioch, to Iconium, and then to Lystra, to escape the threats made against them because of their preaching ministry. In Lystra, the people violently stoned him and left him for dead. Yet, he picked up his broken body and went back into town, and then on to the city of Derbe to preach Christ. Paul and Barnabas even made a return trip to all those same cities in which he had suffered so that they could strengthen the faith of those who had believed the gospel. His words of encouragement were, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Can you imagine Paul standing there—perhaps broken, bloodied, bruised, and bandaged from having been stoned nearly to death by an angry mob? What a vivid illustration he must have been of the promise that all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution!

I am not sharing these scriptures so that we will all run out the door and find ourselves some persecution to suffer. We are not to go looking for trouble. But the truth remains that persecution will be the normal course of things in the lives of those who belong to Jesus Christ. If we are genuine, faithful disciples of Christ and we haven’t experienced much in the way of persecution, then we are to consider ourselves to be the exception, not the rule. The Bible teaches that ordinarily, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will, at some level, suffer persecution. Why?

Think about where we find this final beatitude. When we read the beatitudes that came before it, did you notice the kind of person they described?

They described someone who comes to God, not in the kind of spirit of pride and self-sufficiency that the world applauds but “poor in spirit”—as a poor beggar who has nothing by which to earn God’s favor. The disciple of Christ comes not with the high attitude of self-esteem that the world celebrates but in sorrow and mourning because of his or her sins. He comes not with self-assertiveness but meekly and humbly, seeking God’s mercy. He comes to God not in a righteousness of his own but as a broken sinner who is hungry and thirsty for a righteousness he does not have, a righteousness from God. All this is very different from the values and priorities that the world celebrates.

In mercy, God gives such a person righteousness as a gift of grace through faith in Jesus Christ. And then, being made righteous by God’s grace, he goes out into the world to live the righteousness he has now received by faith. He is merciful to others, just as God has shown him mercy. He seeks to be pure in heart, turning increasingly away from a lifestyle of sin by God’s grace. And because he now has peace with God through Jesus Christ, he seeks to be a peacemaker in this world.

What will be the result of living this way a sinful world? How would the sinful people of this world respond to such a person? We don’t have to wonder about that because Jesus clearly lived that meek, righteous, merciful, pure, peacemaking life perfectly. And what was the result? They slandered Him, falsely accused Him, persecuted Him, and murdered Him.

Jesus told His disciples on the night He was betrayed,

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. ²¹ But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. (John 15:18-21).

This beatitude also introduces the challenge that Jesus then goes on to place before that disciple. Immediately after this beatitude, Jesus goes on to say,

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the home. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:13-16).

We are to live a righteous life like lights shining in a dark world. Light shining in darkness cannot be ignored and those who love the darkness will seek to extinguish the light. When was the last time you suffered for being identified with Jesus Christ? When was the last time you were insulted or called a name because you belong to Him? How long has it been since the quality of your life so ran against the grain of this world that you became an object of attack? Has it been a long time? Has it ever happened to you at all? Clearly, it’s a part of what it means to be salt and light in this world for the sake of our Savior.

In this beatitude and its explanation we find (1) “the cause” of our persecution, (2) “the characteristics” that persecution may take, and (3) “the command” that He gives us with respect to that persecution.[2]

First, let’s consider . . .

1. The cause of persecution.

What is the ultimate reason for the persecution that Jesus promises will result in blessing?

Believing people may suffer hardship and trouble in this world for a variety of reasons. But not all of those reasons qualify as “persecution”. The kind of persecution Jesus is speaking of is very specific. It is persecution “for righteousness’ sake” or “for My sake.” Clearly, these two are meant to be seen as one. The only kind of “persecution” will receive Jesus’ promised blessing is the kind of persecution that results from a man or woman living a Christ-like life in the midst of a hostile world. He has described what that life would look like in the other beatitudes.

In his first epistle, Peter wrote to believers who were suffering for Christ. He warned that persecution would be the normal course of things for the genuine follower of Jesus. But he also warned us to make sure we are persecuted for the right reason. The kind of suffering that has a right to be called “persecution for Christ” is the kind in which we clearly share in His suffering, when we suffer because we are identified with Him. Peter wrote,

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter (1 Peter 4:12-16).

Jesus is the Savior of sinners; and this is, unavoidably, an insult to the world that loves its sin. The righteous life Jesus calls us to live ends up being a condemnation of the sin of this world.

Second, I’d like you to notice,

2. The characteristics of persecution.

What will this persecution look like?

We often might think that persecution must always involve physical violence; and of course, it may. The word “persecuted” comes from a word meaning to pursue or to run after [dioko]. It conveys the idea of someone being relentlessly hunted down for the object of the persecutor.

The apostles, Peter and John, were once brought before the leaders of Jerusalem and commanded to cease preaching Jesus. But the apostles were under higher orders, having received a mandate from the Savior to declare Him to the world. They weren’t being obnoxious, of course – just obedient. They were even placed in prison, but an angel came and released them and told them to continue preaching. And when they were again brought before the leaders, they were physically beaten and once again commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus. And when they were released, the Bible tells us that they departed from the presence of the council, “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41).

William Tyndale’s twelve years in exile demonstrate this as his persecutors sought him in every nook and cranny. Neither the Roman Church nor Henry VIII could find the elusive translator of Scripture until that time he was betrayed by a man that he had befriended and trusted. He was ‘hunted down’ for years (in itself persecution) until he was imprisoned and six months later (in 1536) put to death at Vilvorde Castle near Brussels.[3]

This kind of persecution is happening to many of our brothers and sisters in many places around the world today. But the persecution that results from our living righteous lives in this world because of our relationship with Jesus our Savior is much broader than physical violence alone. Jesus says in Matthew 5:11, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake . . .”

But Jesus also says we will face “verbal” persecution. He says “Blessed are you when they revile and … say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.” To be “reviled” for His sake is to be insulted, slandered, or called names. In that passage from 1 Peter we read a moment ago, the apostle encouraged us to not being ashamed if we suffer “as a Christian” (1 Peter 4:16). This was because, at the time he wrote his letter, the name “Christian” was an insult. It was a derisive name that meant “a little Christ”. Christians took that insult as a badge of honor and it stuck.

If you are insulted by being called a jerk, or a crook, or a thief, or a hypocrite, or an idiot, then the best thing to do is to make sure that the claim isn’t true and leave it in God’s hand. And of course, if it is true, you need to repent before God and apologize to those you have offended! But if you are called “a Jesus freak”, or “a fundamentalist Christian” or a ”religious extremist”, or any of the other insults the people of this world throw on those who love and follow Jesus, don’t be ashamed of it. Welcome it. They’re identifying you with Jesus, and that’s a great honor.

We may not suffer actual physical violence because of our relationship with Jesus; but we may suffer insults and ridicule or rejection. We may be called names and become the butt of jokes. We may even be misrepresented or misquoted, and become the objects of slander because of our faith. Our failures may become exploited and paraded in front of everyone, while our sincere efforts to repent and follow the way of righteousness may be deliberately ignored and misconstrued. But in any case, Jesus sees it all; and He promises a blessing when it’s because of Him.

And this leads us, thirdly, to consider,

3. The command concerning persecution.

How does Jesus tell His disciples to respond to such persecution?

Amazingly, He commands us to “rejoice and be exceedingly glad” when we are persecuted for His sake. As Luke records it, Jesus tells His disciples “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!” (Luke 6:23). Such a response may be more than a little confusing to those who persecute us; but Jesus tells us that we have great reasons for rejoicing.

First, He tells us that we should rejoice greatly, “for great is your reward in heaven” (Matt. 5:12) This makes me think of something that Jesus says in the Bible to a group of Christians who were suffering for Him in the ancient city of Smyrna. The Book of Revelation tells us that Jesus commanded a letter to be sent to this church; and in it, Jesus says, “These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: I know your works, tribulation and poverty . . .” (Rev. 2:9). Apparently, their persecution was so severe that it had resulted in their suffering not only tribulation, but also poverty. Jesus knew that persecution made them desperately poor. But He then adds “. . . (but you are rich) . . .” They were poor in the things of this world but the Lord tells them that they were, in reality, very wealthy; for great was their reward in heaven!

What does that heavenly reward involve? The apostle Paul once said, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us . . .” (Rom. 8:18). Peter spoke of “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” and that we are to rejoice in this, “though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials” (1 Peter 1:4-6). When thinking about his own death Paul wrote, “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Tim. 4:8). When we finally get to heaven, no one will ever regret having lived for Jesus while we were on the earth.[4] The harm that our persecutors intend for us results in our great heavenly reward.

Jesus also gives us another reason to rejoice and be exceedingly glad. It’s because, when we are persecuted for Christ’s sake, we are in good company. He says, “. . . for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt 5:12).

God’s prophets were persecuted for speaking the message of God. Jesus once mourned over Jerusalem, saying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!” (Matthew 23:37). Stephen, the church’s first martyr, in Acts 7 rebuked the religious leaders in Jerusalem saying, “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers . . .” (Acts 7:51-52). When we are persecuted for the cause of Jesus Christ, we are keeping honored company. We are experiencing that which was suffered by the prophets of God who came before us.

And may we follow the example of those persecuted prophets! The apostle James writes, “My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed we count them blessed who endure” (James 5:10-11a).

Finally, as we prepare for the Lord’s table let’s remember that these beatitudes are not just attributes of a disciple of Jesus, they describe Jesus Himself:

He was humble (“The Son can do nothing of His own initiative”)
He mourned over sin (“He saw the city and wept over it”)
He was meek and submissive (“Not My will, but Yours be done”)
He hungered for righteousness (“My food is to do the will of My Father”)
He was merciful (“Moved with compassion”)
He was pure in heart (“Tempted in all things, yet without sin”)
He was the ultimate peacemaker (“He Himself is our peace”)
He was persecuted (“crucified by the hands of wicked men”)[5]

He was righteousness exemplified. And remember, if you are not as righteous as He, then you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. And I hope you recognize how far short your life comes from the righteousness of Jesus Christ. This is what Paul meant when he said: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23.

But in case you didn’t know it, Paul did not stop there Romans 3:23-24 reads, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

Because Jesus poured out His life on the cross as an offering to God for sin. We can be justified in the sight of God. If you are trying to live this life apart from faith in Jesus, just look at these beatitudes and see how you are failing miserably. Then turn to Jesus, see Him suffering on the cross. Believe that He was delivered up for your offenses and was raised for your justification (Rom. 4:25). Ask for His righteousness to be credited to your account, and instantly you will be made right in the sight of God.

Christ will come to live within you through His promised Holy Spirit, who will produce in you the fruit of righteousness as you walk in obedience to His word. And while you will not immediately be perfect, your whole direction in life will be set toward the kingdom of heaven. One day in glory you will stand before God having become just like Jesus.

These beatitudes are meant to drive you to Jesus, So trust your life to Him.

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[1] Ray Pritchard, https://www.keepbelieving.com/sermon/blessed-are-the-square-pegs/ accessed 10/02/2022

[2] Greg Allen, https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2004/082904.htm accessed 10/02/2022. Copyright © 2004 Bethany Bible Church. I used Allen’s outline and some of his points in developing this sermon.

[3] Phil Newton, http://archive.southwoodsbc.org/sermons/matthew_05.10-12.php accessed 10/02/2022. Copyright South Woods Baptist Church. Website: www.southwoodsbc.org. Used by permission as granted on web site.

[4] Pritchard, ibid.

[5] Rory Mosley, https://fbcspur.org/beatitudes-pt-3-matthew-51-12/