“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” Matthew 5:10.
Persecution is foreign to the experience of most of us. While we live in an increasingly post-Christian culture, we are tolerated and sometimes ridiculed, but rarely aggressively opposed. Such has not been the case for many followers of Christ throughout the ages. It is estimated that there were more martyrs in the twentieth century than any other time in history.
In the Beatitudes, found in Matthew 5, Jesus has more to say about persecution than any other subject: “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” Matthew 5:11-12.
The previous Beatitude of peacemaking is a factor in persecution. Not everyone wants to be reconciled to God through Christ, and so with evangelism and outreach comes the risk of persecution. Is this risk possibly the reason many refrain from actively, verbally sharing their faith?
The apostle Paul stated that his goal was that “I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead” Philippians 3:10-11. It is easy to agree with his goal of knowing the power of Christ’s resurrection, but we might not agree as heartily with “the fellowship of His sufferings.” And yet do we really have the fullness of experience with Jesus if we don’t also share in the sufferings of this man of sorrows? Perhaps the saying, no pain no gain, has special application to suffering with and for Christ.
As with all of Jesus’ Beatitudes, the future goal is always in focus. The kingdom of heaven/kingdom of God is promised to those who endure and persevere. It is reasonably stated, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” Acts 14:22.
©Steve Taylor, 2022 --Used by permission
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