To all, so we are through vs 9:
1Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
This week we’ll look into
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”
12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Verses 10-12 are kind of single blessing with a 2 part perspective. One blessing is very broad in it’s inclusion (vs 10) and one very singular (you vs. 11). Notice the progression again, fresh on the heals of being a peacemaker now you’re being congratulated for being persecuted. So are you poor in spirit, do you mourn, are you meek, do you hunger and thirst for righteousness, are you merciful, are you pure in heart, are you a peacemaker?…well here is your blessing and the litmus test as to the reality of the previous blessings. If you are living out all these attributes make no mistake you will be going against the flow and your pursuing righteousness will not go well with the world. They will come after you one way or another. The world will not like you or your lifestyle. You are a member of the Kingdom of God just like those who are poor in spirit(vs. 3).
Notice this blessing is a result of being persecuted for righteousness sake, “not for being ‘a jerks’ sake”. There are no kudos for being inappropriate or not being focused on God’s glory. This broad congratulations is much like the Hebrews chapter 11 saints who were living lives of faith and it was revealed as they “suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated of whom the world was not worthy…etc”(Heb 11:36-38) The point is much like the credentials of the beatitudes, if your living by faith, there will be a fall out that scripture says will be the reward for all trying to live a godly life…there will be persecution.(2Tim3:12) This begs the question, what if you’re not being persecuted? When we finish the beatitudes and head into the next section we are asked the question “…but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?” (Matt 5:13) Maybe if we’re not being persecuted to some extent we’ve lost our saltiness. This persecution, like those who were imprisoned and flogged accepted this like a badge of honor and much like our Lord said in John 15:20b “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” So take heart brothers and sisters if you’re being persecuted, you’re among good company and if you’re not, like Paul charged us in 2 Cor 13:5 “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” If we are Christians the beatitudes say to expect persecution in general.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”
12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
I talked about the surety of persecution in the previous verse and for those who questioned this (as I would), as it did not seem to appear in the language but was rather implied, here is the proof. The particle “when” ὅταν (hotan) in the Greek assumes that persecution will be a reality and like 2 Tim. 3:12 mentioned previously we can count on persecution, if we are desiring to live a godly life. This, unlike our previous blessings has a verb included from εἰμί which is present tense. The imperatives of rejoicing and being glad are very much like James 1:2 that give us commands as to how we are to respond to trials and difficulty fully confirming again that we are to expect them. When we conclude our study of the SM we will notice in chapter 7:25, Jesus explains in light of all that He has preached the man who hears His words and does them will be ready for the rain that will fall, the floods and wind that will come, because his house is built on the rock.
So is there an element of persecution in our lives? Granted we don’t live in China but God’s promises are not bound to geography so the question stands: is your house secure on God’s Word (the rock)? Then take heart, great is your reward in Heaven.