The Blessed Life - Part 5

The Blessedness of Those Who Are Hated

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.

(Jesus, Matthew 5:10–12)

            Awhile back, the rap-turned-music group DC Talk recorded a song that said “we all wanna be loved,” which captures a reality for the vast majority of us—we want to be accepted, not hated. In looking at the character traits outlined in Jesus’ beatitudes, one would think that people like this would be admired and accepted by everyone. After all, they are humble peacemakers who pursue righteousness. Why wouldn’t everyone love people like this?

            But Jesus ends his list of blessings by characterizing these people as “persecuted for righteousness sake.” The reality is, people who live righteously are not always accepted. A couple of cases in point are John the Baptist (the prophet mentioned earlier) whose head was presented on a platter for speaking against Herod Antipas’s incestuous and adulterous relationship. Then there is Jesus, who was plotted against and sent to execution on a Roman cross (an instrument of torture) because of people who absolutely despised Him. The sad truth is, the kind of people Jesus describes as blessed are often rejected and ridiculed by certain others.

            If we are characterized by the traits Jesus has spoken of, then we are becoming more like Him; and if we are becoming more like Him, then we will suffer persecution just as He did. Jesus actually stated so in these words:

If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said 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 keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me” (Jn. 1:18–20).

The follower of Christ Paul wrote to one church: “For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Phil. 1:29, emphasis added), and to Timothy, he says that “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim 3:12).

Why have people disliked Jesus and those who follow Him? Perhaps the best explanation is wrapped up by these thoughts penned by John MacArthur:

The world went along for thousands of years before it ever saw a perfect man. Until Christ came, every person, even God’s best, were sinful and flawed. All had feet of clay. To see God’s people fail and sin is often taken as an encouragement by the wicked. They point a finger and say, “He claims to be righteous and good, but look at what he did.” It is easy to feel smug and secure in one’s sinfulness when everyone else is also sinful and imperfect. But when Christ came, the world finally saw the perfect Man, and all excuse for smugness and self-confidence vanished. And instead of rejoicing in the sinless Man, sinful men resented the rebuke that His teaching and His life brought against them. They crucified Him for His very perfection, for His very righteousness. (MacArthur, 228)

Astounding as it is, people will hate and even kill others because of their righteousness, as we see in the life of Christ, and Jesus continues to evoke reaction today as well. I read recently of an armed services chaplain who was considering not praying in Jesus’ name anymore because of the pressure he is receiving from others. We can see cases all throughout history of people who have faced various levels of persecution because of their allegiance to Christ.

            Jesus even said to His apostles before sending them out for ministry that “brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake” (Matt. 10:21–22). A man was telling me last week about the fact that his family has been opposing him on various issues since he has begun to follow Christ. Jesus makes it clear that those who live for Him will be hated, even reject by their own family at times.

So when Jesus says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,” we see that this is a reality for those who follow Christ. He says that people will “revile” and “say all kinds of evil against you falsely.” In the book of Luke, Jesus is quoted as saying, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets” (Luke 6:26). If everyone likes you and loves what you are saying, then this is actually a sign that you are not aligned with Christ. The blessed life is characterized as one of being rejected by certain people, but Jesus goes on to show that there is cause to rejoice if you are being persecuted for His sake.

Works Cited:  

John F. MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Matthew 1–7 (Chicago: Moody Press, 1985).

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version.  Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.