Persecution and Blessings

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when others 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 so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. - Jesus (Matt 5: 10-12)

You might want to take a moment and reread those verses... Divine happiness comes to those that are treated badly by other people for following Jesus. Yep, that is what it says. How can that be? That is the big question behind the passage and needs to be understood by us if we are to truly walk in His steps and live victoriously.

Suffering is not what we strive for. I have never met anyone who really wanted to suffer. Having people say bad things about us is not something we enjoy. Being defamed is surely an unpleasant experience. But, that is what Jesus says will come our way if we follow Him. And He says that we are to find joy in it. So, let's dig in here and see if we can unpack some truths that will help us in our walk.

First things first, it is not that Christians want persecution or seek to provoke it. This persecution comes as a result of living a life filled with righteousness (not self-righteousness!). Our goodness bothers others badness to the point that they want our goodness to be messed up. So, they talk bad about you and me. They try to entice us into dishonoring ourselves by participating in bad conduct. As Jesus said in John 3, And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. Darkness hates light and followers of Jesus are bringers of light, so darkness seeks to put out the light. It is an outcome, not an intent.

Secondly, if this is persecution that is to bring blessings, it must be based on truth. When someone says bad things about us, it must be false. I must not go looking for persecution. Provoking someone to treat you badly (with that as the intent) is not what Jesus is speaking of. He is telling us that by nature, it we don't live like the world, then the world is going to bad-mouth us. But what they say must not be true! Peter puts in this way in 1 Peter 4, For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you. Get it... you used to live like them, but you changed and now they are not happy that you will not join them in the pig pen, so they talk bad about you. If the bad things that are said are true, that is not persecution!

Also, Jesus tells us that when persecution comes our way, we are to be happy. Why - because people have always treated His people poorly. The prophets were stoned and the apostles were crucified and beheaded. In other words, we are in great company! People that have taken a stand and lived for God have always faced a world that abused them. That is the reality of it. If we are living rightly and the world shuns us or mistreats us, we are to remember that the world has always treated His people that way.

And then their is the promise. If this happens to us, if people say evil things about us, if we face persecution... our reward is great in heaven. I have no idea what that means. I think of Heaven as a great reward, but Jesus takes it another step further and promises something even greater. What? I don't know, but if the reward is great and it is in heaven, then we should want it!

The story of Stephen in Acts 7 is one that should give us great encouragement and hope. Stephen's persecution ends in his death. Just before he jumps from this world to the next, he sees the heavens opened and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. The Son of God, the Creator of the Universe, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords gives Stephen a standing ovation. (roll that around for a minute) It makes my chest hurt to think that I have dishonored Him by my actions. I want Him to stand for me! I want Him to stand for you! Only a life lived rightly, confronting evil and enduring the abuse of the world is promised a great reward in heaven. You want it? Start living radically righteously and see what happens.

Wise or foolish?