Persecution and Promise // Matthew 5:10-12

INTRODUCTION

Bible Passage: Matthew 5:10–12

End of the Beatitudes — blessings Jesus spoke to his disciples at the beginning of the SotM

Blessed = those who have received divine favor — flourishing

Reminiscent of Moses’s final blessing of Israel in Deuteronomy 33:29 — “How happy you are, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is the shield that protects you, the sword you boast in. Your enemies will cringe before you, and you will tread on their backs.”

What Jesus calls “blessed” ≠ what we expect — good life belongs to the poor in spirit, mourning, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, show mercy, make peace, and even those who experience persecution

Matthew 5:1–12 CSB

When he saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. “You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Big Idea: Persecution is inevitable but Jesus promises us a reward greater than its pain. 

Four truths to answer two questions: 1) What is persecution? 2) How could it be a blessing?

EXEGESIS // Matthew 5:10-12

QUESTION #1 — What is persecution?

ONE // Persecution is a Consequence of Living Righteously

Matthew 5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.”

We know it’s bad but what actually is persecution?

Also translated as pursuit — idea of being targeted by someone for something; in the context of this passage, Jesus describes persecution as being something that happens to his followers for being on the wrong side of the world or the dominant culture around them and for that reason, they are targeted.

Types of persecution the disciples would face: insults, slander — but eventually Jesus would also include in this list arrest, public floggings, even martyrdom or dying for their faith (Matt 10:17, 21)

Assumption — not IF but when this happens, know that you are blessed and that the kingdom is yours!

Why does Jesus treat persecution as inevitable for the disciples? Why does following Jesus mean we experience persecution, insult, and slander?

Persecution isn’t some random misfortunate that certain Christians will experience more than others, it isn’t the result of an unfavorable political situation, or of being in the religious minority in a secular culture — Jesus says persecution is fundamentally a consequence of living righteously.

Matt 5:10 “blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness” — Jesus suggests that if we live according to what he teaches — if we live by what is right, then we will experience friction with a world that does not live by the same values

Seems obvious — godly character might provoke resentment from those who have rejected God

John Piper observed that righteous living will be persecuted not only because it doesn’t fit with the way of the world but because offends the way of the world — If you seek justice, you will offend the corrupt and powerful. If you embrace a biblical sexual ethic, your life will be an affront to a culture that loves free sex. If you walk humbly, you will expose the evil of pride. If you live modestly and are happy, it will show the folly of luxury and decadence.

Thomas Brooks (puritan preacher) — “It is not the blood but the cause that makes a martyr.”

Jesus tells us in no uncertain terms that if we live faithfully to what he teaches, our experience will be one of persecution by a world that has rejected his Way

Jesus goes on to say that persecution is not just because of the way we live, but also…

TWO // Persecution is a Consequence of Identifying with Jesus

In the next verse Jesus goes on to suggest that we will experience persecution because of our association with him — Matthew 5:11 “You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me.”

Immediate context — “Because of me” shows that those who persecuted Jesus will also persecute those associated with him. The phrase translated “because of me” is literally “because of my name.” This likely implies that some were offended because Jesus claimed a certain name or title that expressed his deity and/or messiahship. Jesus’s claim to be the exalted Son of Man from Dan 7:13 ultimately prompted his condemnation by the Sanhedrin (Matt 26:64), and the disciple’s insistence on Jesus’s identity as the Son of Man would have been equally offensive.”

Further application — Being identified with Jesus invites persecution from those who have rejected him.

John 15:20 “Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.”

Being identified with Jesus is a blessing and a burden.

Blessing — We are no nearer to the heart and life of Christ than when we experience persecution for his name; in some way participating with him in his death reminds us all the more how we participate in his life (Rom 6:4-5)

Burden — Pain of persecution is real and it is inevitable for those who belong to Jesus; 1 Peter 4:12 “Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you, as if something unusual were happening to you.”

Normative experience for Christians

J.C. Ryle — “The servant of Christ must never be surprised if he has to drink of the same cup with his Lord.”

Prophets before you — you can’t look to acceptance by the world as an indicator of faithfulness to Jesus 

World hated me, it will hate you also 

No two ways about it 

Quarles — “Because of me” shows that those who persecuted Jesus will also persecute those associated with him. The phrase translated “because of me” is literally “because of my name.” This likely implies that some were offended because Jesus claimed a certain name or title that expressed his deity and/or messiahship. Jesus’s claim to be the exalted Son of Man from Dan 7:13 ultimately prompted his condemnation by the Sanhedrin (Matt 26:64), and the disciple’s insistence on Jesus’s identity as the Son of Man would have been equally offensive.”

Application — Persecution is the inevitable pain of knowing Jesus and living righteously… that’s why Edwards says “never expect to find in this world anything better than a wilderness.” That is a challenging and uncomfortable truth that might land differently with each of you:

1. Concerned — God is in control. Augustine, “The martyrs were bound, imprisoned, scourged, racked, burnt, rent, butchered—and they multiplied.”

2. Confrontational — Peter likewise says don’t suffer as an evildoer in 1 Pet 4:15)

3. Comfortable — A. W. Tozer “People remark how favored the church is in this country. It does not have to face persecution and rejection. If the truth were known, our freedom from persecution is because we have taken the easy, the popular way. If we would love righteousness until it became an overpowering passion, if we would renounce everything that is evil, our day of popularity and pleasantness would quickly end. The world would soon turn on us. We are too nice! We are too tolerant! We are too anxious to be popular! We are too quick to make excuses for sin in its many forms! If I could stir Christians around me to love God and hate sin, even to the point of being a bit of a nuisance, I would rejoice. If some Christian were to call me for counsel saying he or she is being persecuted for Jesus’ sake, I would say with feeling, ‘Thank God!’”

Wherever you exist along that spectrum, Jesus is calling you to faithfulness despite persecution you will experience — and that it is actually a blessing 

QUESTION #2 — How can persecution be a blessing?

THREE // Jesus Promises a Reward of Future Glory

Calling persecution a blessing raises all kinds of objections:

Not reasonable — doesn’t comport with reality; must be Ivory tower theology or the fumbled counselor of a pastor who has never experienced suffering themselves

Not workable — If I’m in control of my life, I’m not going to point myself in the direction of persecution, ridicule, and suffering. That would be foolish.

Foundation of this blessing: there is a reward — the kingdom of Heaven is yours; here’s why that matters:

We think we can’t live for a reward; Jesus doesn’t say not to pursue a reward, he says don’t do it foolishly — don’t look for a reward where it can’t be found

Reward puts persecution into perspective — Thomas Watson, “The wight of glory makes persecution light”

Future glory gives us hope

Future glory gives us ambition for righteousness

Carson, “We are enabled to invert these natural, worldly values only when we recognize that God will in turn invert our marginalized status and grant eternal compensation.”

Apart from a reward, this is senseless masochism

Future glory tells us that God is doing something through this suffering we know as persecution

Shadrach, Meshach, Abednago (Daniel 3)— That God was with them in the fire makes a profound statement about the role of suffering in his mysterious plan of redemption; God is giving using suffering for good and for glory

FOUR // Jesus Promises a Reward that Shapes our Present Experience

Christianity is not all about loss or all about delayed gratification

Blessed life is one is actually one of flourishing and happiness — not mind over matter, not a “blessing in disguise” happy ending

Why? Because we experience the suffering of persecution in hope of a future reward and God giving meaning to our suffering.

Suffering is not unique to the Christian life, but we do so understanding that in God’s plan of redemption every ounce of suffering is given meaning and purpose 

Present reward also — not a clever mind game (it looks like suffering but it’s actually a blessing in disguise!), but a reality which radically shapes our perception of our lives in the present