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

Notice the first seven beatitudes describe the character of those who are saved and commit themselves to Christ, while the final one describes the result or cost of choosing this life. And the last has the same reward as the first: the reward of the kingdom of heaven, which is our future glorification in heaven with Jesus. This makes clear the intent of the beatitudes, which Jesus used to start the sermon on the mount, is to describe the character of the saved and the blessings and cost of salvation.

In summary, the character includes the humility of recognizing our need for Christ, the brokenness of repenting for sin, the trust in God required to be low and meek, the heart-change of desiring the righteousness of God over the pleasures of the world, and the self-denial of showing mercy, seeking reconciliation, and desiring that our enemies find salvation. The blessings are salvation, comfort, leadership, fulfillment, mercy, seeing God and becoming a mature child of God. And the cost is the sacrifice required to walk with Christ, which results in persecution from the world.

This last point of persecution is not at all the least significant of them. Notice that what follows the beatitudes is a further explanation of persecution, not of any of the other beatitudes, making persecution a point that Jesus did not want missed.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matt 5:11-12, NIV)

Some things to note are that this persecution is a public and aggressive pursuit and not simply whispers or rumors, that Jesus equates righteousness with himself, and that Jesus compares those who are persecuted for him with the prophets.

Jesus wanted to be clear: choosing Christ is a huge, life-changing decision that puts us in opposition to the world. James wrote, “friendship with the world is hostility toward God,” (Jam 4:4, NASB). How often do those leading others to Christ make this point clear? Probably not at all, yet here Jesus begins the first and most comprehensive sermon in the New Testament, the introduction to Christian living, with this very important consideration.

The modern church is too seeker-friendly and not Christian-friendly enough. Church is for Christians, not non-believers, and Jesus himself was described as often encouraging others not to follow him. Read Luke 9:57-62, John 6:60-66, and Matt 19:16-22, and see how Jesus did not try to talk anyone into staying with him. Instead, he makes it clear what we have to give up in order to follow him. If we are not willing to take the hard road of self-sacrifice and persecution and pay the cost of being a disciple, we are not worthy of Christ, and are not welcome in heaven.

He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it. (Matt 10:37-39, HCSB)

As Christians, we can consider every struggle a test to reveal and strengthen our faith. If we fail the test, that may mean we do not truly love Jesus, or maybe it means we need to dig deep within ourselves and discern what we truly love. If we want to love Jesus, it is a choice. We must choose him over everything else in our lives. We must ask ourselves, “what is getting in the way?” Throughout my posts on the beatitudes, I have provided examples of things in our life that come before God and need to be changed. When we recognize our weakness of faith, and take action to rectify it, the test becomes a strengthening!

Remember, each beatitude begins with “blessed are those who,” indicating that those who embrace the Christian life will consider it a joy to pursue each of these, no matter how difficult. This does not mean that in the moment we laugh and rejoice. We certainly are not rejoicing while we mourn or in the moment of persecution, but our joy comes from knowing that there is a future reward for all that we endure for the sake of Christ, a joy that fills us with hope that gets us through these trials.

However, it is important to acknowledge that many, yes many, will fall away due to persecution, devotion to the world, and simply because it is so difficult. Jesus told the parable of the seeds (Matt 13:3-23) explaining that most would fall away, and he warned of the coming tribulations where many Christians would betray one another and that wickedness would be so great that, “the love of most will grow cold,” (Matt 24:9-12). This is not only a faith check, but also a stern warning that we must prepare for hard times! The more attached we are to the world, the more difficult the Christian walk will be for us.

…you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. (Matt 10:22, NRSV)

Are we ready to endure to the end, no matter what persecution comes our way? It all comes down to this: we must love God most.

Blessings! – Shamar Covenant