The Beatitudes 8

Matthew 5:10-12
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.

This Beatitude is unique. First, it is the only one of the Beatitudes upon which Jesus elaborated. And second, every other Beatitude that Jesus taught has to do with positive and desirable character attributes, but persecution because of righteousness has to do with what can happen when Christians begin to display these positive character attributes.

When Christians realise how poor in spirit they actually are, they begin to walk humbly before God and others. People in the world interpret this humility as vulnerability and seek to exploit this perceived advantage in both business and personal relationships.

When Christians mourn and grieve over sin, they no longer enjoy or participate in the sinful practices of those around them. Usually, they can’t even condone their friends’ involvement in these practices, some of which they used to engage in often. This has the potential to unleash a barrage of accusations from those trying to justify their continued sinful practices.

When Christian begin to practice meekness, the world sees them as weak and looks down on them.

When Christians hunger and thirst for righteousness, nothing else will ever truly satisfy them. And when they find the true righteousness that only Christ can give, suddenly they enjoy a peace and contentment that endures through good times and bad. People in the world will see this enduring peace and will desire to have it. However, many will reject the fact that it can only be found in Christ and will reject anyone who tells them so.

When Christians show mercy, it goes against the competitive ‘killer instinct’ so valued by the world. Forgiving 490 times means suffering 490 abuses without seeking revenge!

When Christians refuse to dilute the purity of their hearts with anything that will compete with their devotion to Christ, the temptations will come thick, fast and continuously. This relentless onslaught comes from our enemy through world and the people who embrace it. And the moment we give in, rather than congratulations, we receive a heap of condemnation from the very ones who were urging us on.

When Christians act as peacemakers, they put themselves in a position where they may suffer misunderstanding and harm from one or both parties in a conflict.

Today let’s pray that, in spite of the possible negative consequences, we will choose righteousness over ungodliness.