Everyone who reads the Beatitudes comes away amazed and impressed with their depth and their insights. Even non-believers attest that the Sermon on the Mount in general and the Beatitudes in particular provide the greatest teaching ever. Even liberal scholarship considers this section to contain the essence of true religion.
But whenever one undertakes to examine what Jesus is saying in the Beatitudes, the response is usually the opposite. While they will agree that Jesus has described the character for which all humans should strive, their response toward those who seek to live that lifestyle is one of unmitigated anger and often direct persecution. In other words, while they may applaud the characteristics Jesus mentions, they quickly seek to dishonor and even destroy those who come closest to living according to it.
Why is this? First, we all love to place some ideal upon a pedestal. But whenever that ideal becomes the measuring rod that shows us how far we personally fall from the ideal, we tend to respond by trying to show the flaws in the ideal rather than conforming our lives to it. Why were the Pharisees the chief protagonists of Jesus? Simply because they claimed to live a purified life and were exposed as unpure whenever they were around the true purity of Jesus. They tried to discredit Him and, when they could not, they decided to remove Him by death. In John 15:18-25, Jesus reminded his disciples, “If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own kind. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. . . . But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause.’” They persecuted Jesus because He reminded them that they were not “okay” spiritually. Those whose lives begin to reflect the Beatitudes will not be applauded; they will be persecuted.
Secondly, and closely related, is that the Beatitudes are applauded in general, but detested in specifics. For example, while people think highly of “the poor in spirit,” when that characteristic is examined honestly, it stands in contrast to the pride and self-interest that dominates the lives of those without Christ. Likewise, mourning over sin is not well received in a society that tends to laugh at sin. Furthermore, “blessed are the meek” does not fare well in a society that honors power. And everyone likes “righteousness,” just as long as you don’t become fanatical about it; which is what Jesus means when He says to “hunger and thirst after righteousness.” In other words, the very characteristics found in the Beatitudes, when properly understood, mitigate against the very core desires of the world. Those who would seek to live according to the Beatitudes should expect that persecution will follow: they are going contrary to the ways of the world. In short, all the virtues of the Beatitudes are intolerable in this world.
Jesus Tells Us about the Persecution which is Blessed
First, this beatitude tells us about the reality of persecution. American Christians have a great tendency to forget that persecution is a normal part of the believer’s life. Living in a land that invented the “health, wealth, and prosperity gospel,” we have come to think that only good things happen to Christians who are really following Jesus. Yet for Christians living in New Testament times, the opposite would have been the norm. (Read Hebrews 10:32-34 for a small example of their treatment.)
Jesus never promised His followers that they would be free from persecution. In fact, as we read in John 15, He prepared them for the persecution that would come. The apostle Paul did the same. In Acts 14:22 , Paul tells new believers to continue in the faith, saying, “we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom.” Paul encouraged the Phillipians by telling them, “to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” In 1 Thessalonians 3:1-4, he reminds the believers not to be surprised by sufferings because he told them beforehand that “we would suffer tribulation.” 2 Timothy 3:12 reminds them that “all who intend to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” Everything in the NT stands against the idea of health, wealth and prosperity for those who follow Christ. Instead, believers are reminded that suffering for Christ is not only normal, it is a privilege.
But Jesus also clarified the type of suffering that would be blessed: for His sake. This excludes a number of types of suffering for which no promise of blessing is offered. It does not include just “going through a hard time.” Neither can we expect to be blessed when we are persecuted for the wrongs that we do. In 1 Peter 2:20-21, Peter makes it clear that, if we have done something wrong and we suffer, it is no blessing to us–we suffer justly.
Likewise, we are promised no blessing from Jesus when we suffer for any “just cause” but only when we suffer for His cause. His blessing is promised only when we suffer for being His and only when we suffer because of living righteously for Him.
Jesus Tells Us about the Blessing that is Promised.
In this Beatitude, Jesus tells us that we are blessed in two ways when we suffer for Him. First, we are blessed because the kingdom of heaven is ours. Notice that He does not say, “will be yours.” The Christian who suffers can rejoice no matter what the suffering may be because he is already promised the greatest blessing that anyone could ever receive: the gift of heaven. If you think this is not true, just consider this–If you were experiencing a great suffering and God said to you, “Give up eternal life and I’ll eliminate this suffering,” would you do it? Why not? Because no suffering is so great that it overshadows the “glory to be revealed in us.” We have already been blessed abundantly and have great reason to rejoice no matter what may befall us–the kingdom of heaven is ours!
Second, our reward for suffering properly will be great. In other words, do a comparison of your suffering with your reward and you will see how your blessing is greater than your suffering. Compare their lengths: your suffering is for a short while; your reward is for eternity. Compare their size: your suffering, no matter how great, is insignificant compared with your reward. Remember Paul’s proclamation in Romans 8:18: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present age are not worthy to be compared to the glory to be revealed in us.” After listing all his hardships in 1 Corinthians 4, Paul comes to a conclusion: “For our momentary light affliction is working for us an exceedingly great and eternal weight of glory.” In other words, Paul had learned to place his future reward for suffering faithfully on one side of the scale and his present suffering on the other side of the scale. The reward always enormously outweighed the suffering. The reward was GREAT in comparison to his suffering.
Jesus Also Shows the Posture with which We Should Face Suffering.
He tells us to “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad!” This rules out some of the responses that people normally make. First, we cannot respond with retaliation when we experience persecution. 1 Peter 3:9 reminds us: “Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling; but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you are called for this that you may inherit a blessing.” Peter also points us to the example of Jesus when He endured suffering: “who when He was reviled, did not revile in return: when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges rightly” (1 Peter 2:23).
Secondly, we cannot respond with resentment when persecuted. At times it may be easy to hold back on any retaliation, but inwardly we can seethe with resentment. Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reminds us that our inward thoughts will be judged just as much as our outward actions. He who is angry with his brother in his heart is as guilty as is the murderer who retaliates physically. During persecution, we must guard our hearts against retaliation.
Finally, we must not respond with resignation. We are told to “Rejoice,” not to sit and sulk. When the disciples were persecuted in the Acts 5, they rejoiced because God had counted them worthy to suffer for His name’s sake. We will be better able to rejoice if we remember that our suffering is (1) an indication that we are truly His (Phil. 1:28-29); (2) a reminder that God has plans for our lives (Acts 5:40-42); and (3) a reminder that nothing we experience now compares with the glory we will one day receive (Rom. 8:17). William Gurnall reminds us that “a merchant at sea endures the storms because he knows what a great payoff he will receive when he arrives in the harbour.” We too must remember the great reward that awaits those who suffer for His sake. It will enable us to endure any storms that we might face as we journey through this world.
How Can We Live According to this Beatitude?
First, be different. All of the beatitudes are a call for believers to be different and distinct from the world in which they live. We are to be different in our assessment of ourselves (“poor in spirit”); different in our sense of sorrow over sin (“those who sorrow”); different in our desire for righteousness (“hunger and thirst”). In terms of our suffering, we are to handle it differently than non-believers. Often how we suffer can be our greatest testimony for Jesus. Anyone can rejoice when things are going well. When a believer is enduring suffering and yet rejoicing, the world takes notice.
Second, be controlled. Like our Savior, learn to commit yourself “to one who judges rightly.” Recognize that “vengeance is mine, says the Lord, I will repay.” It is not our job to repay — the Lord will one day make all matters right. We must resist attempts to take matters into our own hand and instead entrust ourselves to the Lord.
Third, be focused. If we are to suffer properly, we must learn to have an eternal focus rather than an earthly one. When Chrysostom stood before the Emperor Arcadius and was threatened with banishment, he displayed an eternal perspective:
“Sire, you cannot banish me, for the whole world is my Father’s home.” “Then I will slay you!” responded the emperor. “Nay, but you cannot, for my life is hid with Christ in God.” “Then your treasures will be confiscated!” “Sire, that cannot be. My treasures are in heaven where none can break through and steal.” “But I will drive you from man and you will have no friends left!” “That you cannot do either, for I have a friend in heaven who has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”
The Beatitudes continually point us to Jesus; to His righteousness, not ours; to His life in us, not our efforts to be like Him. The Christian life cannot be lived through human efforts; it must be received: “For as many as received Him, He gave to them the right to become the children of God, even to those who believed on His name.” You cannot simply imitate these characteristics; you must receive Jesus as your Savior.
Many assume that if they receive Jesus and imitate Him, people will admire and love them. Not so. If you decide to become Christlike, to truly follow Jesus in every area if you life, people will hate you, and often even persecute you. But, if you are a child of God, you have reason to rejoice exceedingly. You have eternal life. You have forgiveness of sin. You have His life in you. You have promise of great reward.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be glad for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
Copyright Jim Ehrhard, 1999. You are permitted to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that: (1) you credit the author; (2) any modifications are clearly marked; (3) you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction; and (4) you do not make more than 100 copies without permission. If you would like to post this material to your web site or make any use other than as defined above, please contact Teaching Resources International
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