Blessed are the Persecuted
Scripture:
Matthew 5:10-12 (ESV)
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.
Devotion:
We will take the last two beatitudes
together as they are closely related. In fact, verses 11 and 12 simply amplify
and personalize verse 10. These verses all revolve around the believer being
persecuted for doing what God requires or in or in other words being righteous
and receiving a reward for doing so. The reward given in verse 10 is the same
as that reward given in verse 3. The kingdom of heaven is promised both to the
poor in spirit and those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.
It should be noted, however, that in
order to receive a reward at all the persecuted one must have been living a
life of devotion to God and following His commands. There are many in this world
who are currently undergoing persecution for the gospel’s sake. The Greek dioko
means “to systematically organize a program to oppress
and harass people.”[1] While
we in America are still relatively free from persecution, the culture is
turning more and more in the direction that we may be persecuted for doing what
is right in God’s eyes in the near future. Those Christians in many other
countries can face persecution even to the point of dying for the gospel.
In verse 12 the reward that is given
is seen as payment due for services rendered. Thus, we are promised that in
heaven we will receive full reward for our efforts to live according to the
principles stated in God’s word. Just as God has already rewarded the holy men
and women of the Old Testament. No one who truly follows Jesus will by any
means lose their reward in the next life.
We have now covered all of the beatitudes
in Matthew’s Gospel. What is the main message we should have from studying
these sayings? I think the New American Commentary sums it up well. “The upshot of the Beatitudes is a complete inversion of the attitude
popularly known in our culture as “machismo.” In fact, this attitude is not
limited to a particular culture but characterizes humanity’s self-centered,
self-arrogating pride which invariably seeks personal security and survival
above the good of others.21 We are enabled to invert these natural,
worldly values only when we recognize that God will in turn invert our
marginalized status and grant eternal compensation. This is not to promote
works-righteousness; Jesus is addressing those already professing discipleship
(5:1). But, like James among the Epistles, Matthew is the one Gospel to
emphasize most the changed life that must flow from commitment to Christ.[2]
Thus, we have the beatitudes
in summary. Let us pray:
Lord we know that you
love all the people of the world and in the end you, O God, will judge them all
according to their works. But we take to heart these beatitudes as our reward
for living lives that conform to the pattern that we have in your Son, Jesus.
May we accept your help in seeking to live like Jesus lived; empowered by the Holy
Spirit which we have as a deposit guaranteeing these promises. All glory be to
your name. Amen.
[1]
Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon
of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York:
United Bible Societies, 1996), 498.
21 This theme characterizes the innovative study by A.
Kodjak, A Structural Analysis of the
Sermon on the Mount (Berlin: de Gruyter, 1986).
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