Week 8
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you…”
Matthew 5:10-11
Preamble and context
We come to the final Beatitude and there are some important preliminary notes we need to make. Firstly, it may be argued that this is in fact two separate Beatitudes. The consensus of Christian thinkers through history is that it is one, they are tied together. Secondly we note that the reward of this Beatitude is that of the first - the Kingdom of Heaven. It is as if Jesus is tying it all together - the beginning and end of living like this is to see and know God’s rule and reign in our lives both now and forevermore - but not only in us but in the world around us.
It shouldn’t be a surprise for us that this final beatitude follows on from the previous one yet at a superficial level it may seem contradictory. Why is it that when we pursue peace and make peace with those around us, and seek the justice of God in our communities and in our world that we should be persecuted? Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Shouldn’t we see peace?
We must appreciate that though we pursue peace, not everyone is going to receive it. We can think of circumstances or situations in our own lives, or those we have observed, where reconciliation hasn’t taken place even when it was fought for. Sometimes people will continue to be unforgiving, or unwilling to reconcile. This should never stop us from pursuing it however knowing that it may not happen helps shatter any illusion we have that it will automatically be a ‘happy ending.’
But what is the persecution that is spoken of in this Beatitude? There are several things we should note and take into consideration. Firstly, it is clear that Jesus says persecution will come because we pursue righteousness. But what is the righteousness he is referring to? It is believed to be more than one thing. It is the most commonly held belief of ancient Christian writers and apologists that righteousness refers to the fact that we will choose to live all seven of the preceding Beatitudes. And by living them out in our lives we will be persecuted. Pause for a moment to consider how that may come to pass. As we choose to mourn over the sin in the world we will rise up to speak against it and others may push back on us. As we seek to bring peace that we spoke of above it may not be universally accepted. Or as we live counter-culturally and choose to be self-controlled (meek) and not always win an argument or ‘have the last word’ we will be taken advantage of or have power wielded against us. In other words, when we look at each of the first seven beatitudes and take our time to think through the implications of choosing to live them then we are most likely going to be persecuted.
At the root of this is the fundamental idea that living as a Christian in this world means our words and deeds may jar those around us. When we react in ways that we’re not expected to, or that the world would applaud or value, then the contrast between how we choose to speak and act should make us stand out. Many of the early Christian theologians considered the fact that if someone’s life wasn’t under a degree of persecution it led to the question: are you living any differently from those around you?
Throughout the history of the church, however, there was a careful emphasis on what is meant by persecution and this is still true for us today. Here in America many would argue that there is arduous or perpetual persecution for the church. There are hindrances and obstacles but when compared to the persecution of Christians in countries around the world it is markedly easier here. Thus, there should be a note of caution in using the word ‘persecution’ here. However, that doesn't mean our lives should look the same as those around us who aren’t Christian. It is abundantly clear from this Beatitude that our lives should look different from those around us. This doesn’t mean that we don’t have to loudly proclaim we are Christian but that, if we’re living the Beatitudes on a daily basis, our lives would proclaim we are Christian. That is, our words, deeds and actions would be going in a very different direction from our suitemates and peers that they would turn their heads to see where we’re going.
And we come to the final reward - yours is the Kingdom of Heaven. We considered this notion in our first Beatitude - what is the Kingdom of Heaven? And we learned that it is the rule and reign of God in our lives and through our lives. As we live these Beatitudes God forms his rule and reign in us but that then spills out from us to those around us. It is a both/and concept. We are truly loving God and loving our neighbor.
And when does this Kingdom come? Again, we learned in the first week that it is both now and then. As we walk through this world we will see the rule and reign of God work in us and through us today? What does that look like? It is when prayers are answered and situations change. Or when our prayers result in people being physically or mentally healed. Or when we see God manifest peace, hope, joy and forgiveness in our lives. And on it goes. We see the glimpses of that which is to come here and now. We realize that it’s only glimpses, it’s like the sun rising in the morning. We can see parts but not the whole. Not every prayer is answered the way we expect it to. Not everyone is healed, not everyone is delivered, forgiveness is not always received. But we hold on to the hope that God’s ultimate rule and reign will come in its fullness when he returns. Then the sun will fully rise and we’ll see clearly like we’ve never seen before. Our call at this time is to live out these Beatitudes now so that others can begin to see God’s rule and reign in them today.
Questions to discuss and consider
What do you understand by the word, ‘persecuted?’
Do you think Christians are ‘persecuted’ for their faith in America?
What does this Beatitude teach us about why Christians would be persecuted?
Take some time to unpack in detail why living out the Beatitudes may result in you being persecuted?
Have you ever had a situation where someone hasn’t reciprocated forgiveness when you’ve asked for it. Have you ever been the one that’s withheld forgiveness? Are you willing to share this situation and what happened?
As Christians, how can we walk with integrity when someone doesn’t forgive us or continues to be mean towards us? Have you experienced that or are you experiencing it now? How can your core group walk with you through this moment?
Do you think you live differently from those around you? Does your lifestyle contrast theirs? If they do, can you explain what that looks like? If they don’t, do you think you’re living the Beatitudes on a daily basis?
Take some time to discuss how you can live out the Beatitudes without having to say, “I’m a Christian.”
What do you understand about the concept, ‘the Kingdom of Heaven?’
Can you think of ways that you see the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ in your life? What does that look like?