Hello there,
Welcome to the final teaching of the Beatitude Series which was started at the beginning of this year.
Today’s topic is one that not many of us fancy but remains necessary to the growth of every believer. We shall see why followers of Christ get persecuted and the response expected of us in spite of the harsh treatments we receive from others who do not have the hope we have in Christ.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. - Matthew 5:10-12
Terminology Definition
The words revile and persecute are used to illustrate various kinds of ill-treatments that people may be subjected to. Revilement specifically deals with speech; blackmail, accusation, false allegations, insults, to name a few. It involves the defamation of a person's name or character by reproach and disgrace. Persecution in a broader sense, incorporates not only verbal attacks but also physical abuse of a person either by torture, beating, scourging, lynching, crucifixion or even death.
Jesus' Take on Persecution
Imagine you were in the crowd that was being taught on the Mount and heard Jesus talk about how blessed you are for going through persecution on the account of righteousness. How would you feel? Even now, as you read this, you may try to wrap your head around the need for a child of God to be persecuted talk more of a blessing to it. Why must Christians go through this? Why did Jesus say 'when they revile you' and not 'if they revile you'?
In Mark's account of the aftermath of Jesus’ conversation with the rich man who tried to lobby his way into the kingdom of God, it is stated that persecution is also a reward to those who forsake all and follow Christ.
So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the Gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first. - Mark 10:29-31
Suffering for Christ's sake is a natural consequence of a decision to follow Him. Jesus made it clear that we will gain a hundredfold of all we give up for His sake, and also receive persecution as a result of our decision to walk with God.
This world is a really dark and evil place with systems that are opposed to God's laws. When the light of God came into the world as the Incarnate Word, men who loved sin over righteousness could not stand the Light and decided to persecute Him since God's light could not be dimmed. Yet, what the devil intended for bad, God used for good to the glory of His name and resurrected Christ as He had no guile in Him.
The truth is that because we are not of this world, we will not be in accordance with its systems. When Jesus Christ was on earth fulfilling His ministry, a lot of people despised Him because He did not compromise God's statutes for popularity nor approval from men. Though He preached and did a lot of miracles in His hometown and neighbouring villages, the Jews did not accept Him. Instead, they persecuted and harassed Him till He died on the Cross.
He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. - Isaiah 53:3-5
If the Master whom we follow and pattern our lives around was persecuted for righteousness, how much more we, His disciples?
Our Response to Persecution
In the root text for this teaching, Jesus taught that believers are expected to rejoice and be glad whenever they are insulted, beaten, ostracized or even tortured for His sake. In the natural perspective, this is almost impossible. One may ask himself, 'How does the Lord expect me to be joyful when I am being flogged or sent out for believing in Him?’
The first point to note is that the Holy Spirit is the source of true, unending joy. As we become more intimate with God by constant fellowship with Him in prayers, praise and Word Study, the fruit of joy in us starts to bud and yield. Over time, our perspectives on things shift from a natural mindset to a godly mindset and we begin to slowly accept the essence of certain sufferings that we go through with a heart of joy.
Regardless of what He endured, we see that our Saviour was extremely focused on what He came to do for the world. Jesus was not scared of what people would do to Him nor what they said of Him, for He rested in the Father's love and had a goal set before Him. He never stopped preaching the message of repentance even when He was almost stoned in the temple. Even when He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, He still had joy inside of Him.
Joy does not mean that we become numb to the pain and sorrow that may come with any form of persecution we experience. Joy is not happiness, as the latter is a temporary feeling residing in a man's soul. Instead, joy is of the inner-man, knowing that no matter what happens to us as a result of our faith in Christ, God's hand is over us and we have a hope of glory after this world in Him.
Pray for Thy Persecutors
God demands we love and pray for those who persecute us. This is essential as our intercessions and behaviours can serve as an avenue for them to turn to Jesus for new life and salvation in total repentance. Loving our enemies does not mean we compromise our worship as we must stand firm in the liberty purchased for us in Christ. Yet, as we remain loyal to God, it is expected that we overcome the evil men show us by our good works.
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. - Matthew 5:43-44
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. - Romans 12:14, 20-21
The Reward for The Persecuted
God has promised His kingdom to all who suffer for His sake. Asides the heavenly prize, there is also a maturity of faith that comes with trials of many kinds, of which persecution is one. Through suffering, endurance is produced in us and we slowly become perfect like our Father and conformed into Jesus’ holy image.
Knowing that the Lord Jesus went through all kinds of suffering and afflictions for our sake comforts and strengthen us as we walk with Him. Irrespective of what men say or do to us, the spread of God's Word and Kingdom on earth remains our utmost call. As such, we must pursue and seek His will with everything in us, knowing that one day, we shall receive our crowns of life and join the saints who have gone before us, to be with our King eternally.
May the Lord strengthen our inner-man so that we can stand for Him in a perverse world. Amen.
Further Readings: Isaiah 53, Matthew 10:16-39, Romans 8:35-39, James 1:2-4, 2 Timothy 3:12, Hebrews 12:1-3, 1 Peter 3:13-17
All Scripture texts cited are from the New King James Version Bible.
