Matthew 5:10-12 10Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely on account of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because your reward in heaven is great, for thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
These three verses share the same theme. Verse 10 follows the same parallel grammatical structure as the other beatitudes, but verses 11 and 12 break the pattern, suggesting that the beatitude of verse 10 is extended through the following two verses. Blessing is pronounced to those who experience persecution. This persecution is not for personal attributes but for the sake of righteousness. There are many things that can lead to a person being persecuted, including race, gender, politics, economic status, and so forth. That is not what Jesus means in these verses.
The kingdom lifestyle will be counter to the ways of the unbelieving world that is controlled by selfishness, pride, and rebellion against God. Righteousness sets believers off from the world and distinguishes them as citizens of God’s kingdom. The forces of darkness and those who succumb to their deceit will be offended at how followers of Jesus live. God’s kingdom breaks into this fallen world and is met with resistance and hostility. The primary quality of citizens of the kingdom of heaven is love. Love is difficult when the world is hostile. Like with the other beatitudes, Jesus is our model, as he says in John 15:20, “Remember the word which I spoke to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my word, they will obey yours also.”
In verse 11, Jesus warns the disciples of the types of suffering they might experience. Mocking is giving insults, finding faults, ridiculing, and reviling someone. In modern terms, this is a form of bullying. Persecuting is going after someone, especially in unkind or harmful way. Speaking evil about people attempts to belittle, shame, or embarrass them and ruin their reputations, which can lead to false accusations. Jesus gives the important qualification in this verse of on my account. People have evil intentions and do these hurtful actions towards both believers and unbelievers, but the blessing comes when people do this because we are followers of Jesus.
The blessing for this persecution is to inherit the kingdom of heaven. This promise is the same one given to the poor in spirit in verse 3, forming an inclusio (bookends) in the group of beatitudes. Our blessing does not come in being persecuted but in the reward we will receive because we have endured. We should not go seeking persecution to get to heaven. Some people thought this way in the first few centuries of the church. But when we find ourselves in persecution, we can have peace because we know that there is a reward waiting for us. Jesus’ resurrection guarantees that we win the war, though it seems we lose some battles in this life. Our priorities are kingdom priorities.
The Beatitudes open the door to new life in Christ. They define what it means to die out to self and to live by kingdom principles. Where are blessed people like this found? At the foot of the cross. In Christ we lose all only to find all. We die to the world only to find that we possess the world. We give up selfish ambitions only to find that God’s grace is more than sufficient.
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