Jump Start # 158

Matthew 5:10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.”

  Our beatitude today and the following one both deal with persecution. We will look at them separately. There is a difference between them. Verse 10 states, “Blessed are those WHO HAVE BEEN persecuted…” Verse 11 says, “Blessed are you WHEN people insult you.”

  There are two differences. First, in the people addressed. Verse 10 says THOSE; verse 11 says YOU. Secondly, there is a difference in time. Verse 10 says WHO HAVE BEEN; verse 11 says WHEN. One is past, the other is present and future. Similar thoughts, but not the same.

  Looking back, the Lord reminds the audience that the righteous have been persecuted in the past. God knows. God is aware. This is stated for the sake of the next verse, you will be persecuted. The end of Hebrews 11 is a good example of the persecutions in the past. There we find, “others experienced mocking and scourging, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated…wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.”

  Following God is not living the life of the rich and famous or a rock star tour. People didn’t rush the prophets or apostles seeking autographs, cameras (I know they didn’t have them back then) didn’t flash and throngs of people didn’t cheer when they passed by. Some are looking for that. Some want Christianity to be like that. It hasn’t and it won’t. The righteous in the past were ill treated. They didn’t live in the biggest houses on the block. They didn’t dress like the affluent. As you think about Jeremiah being put in the cistern, Daniel in the lion’s den, Isaiah, according to legend, being sawn in two, their lives were hard. Few would say, ‘that’s my dream. That’s what I want.’ In fact, it might cause some to question, where is God. If your own people are mistreated this way, why don’t you do something. He does. It’s in His time and in His way.

  God never forgot them. Are we not reading about them in Hebrews 11? And those that threw the rocks, shouted the insults, and thrust the swords into the righteous, their names? Who are they? Forgotten. Lost. Awaiting the fate that they chose. God’s righteous gained approval. They are resting. They await Heaven. Their journey, although difficult, was worth it.

  Jesus is preparing His followers. They would find difficulties as well. We sing a song, often at Thanksgiving that talks about the “faith of our fathers.” God remembered. We should. They are not to be worshiped nor elevated to any position. They simply did what they were supposed to.

  And so should we.

Roger