Persecuted for Righteousness

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 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.” Matthew 5:10-12

God made us with pain and fear sensors that keep us from trouble.  Certainly, I would never have been ready for persecution when I was younger.  I’m still not sure I would be.  However, I believe many Christians today seek out persecution by committing “spiritual muggings” and then rail against those who demand that the laws of our nation be followed which separate church and state.  It is like the growing fad in the Philippines of volunteers being crucified on Good Friday, but only for a little while.  

It is more than poetic that Jesus begins and ends the Beatitudes with the promise that both the poor in spirit and those persecuted for righteousness receive the kingdom of heaven.  It is further evidence that these are not just a series of teachings recorded decades after he preached, but a coherent exhortation on how to become more like Jesus.  In E Stanley Jones' “Christ of the Mount”, he showed that Jesus did not just teach these things, he lived them.  And as the Incarnation, the very image of the Living God, we not only get to know who Jesus was through this sermon, we draw closer to God the Father as well.  Time and again, Jesus avoided being executed, until the time was ripe at Golgotha.  Even then, he prayed for the cup to pass from his lips, but that God’s will be done.  

Peter’s letters warn us against being persecuted for the wrong reasons. “But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened. But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil (1 Peter 3:14-17).”

Corrie Ten Boom, in her marvelous book, “The Hiding Place”, described being beaten, stripped naked and tortured in Ravensbrück concentration camp for the crime of helping to secret Jews out of Nazi-occupied Netherlands.  This is the definition of being persecuted for doing what is right.  She remembered her sister, who would die in the camp, saying that Jesus was persecuted in the same way, and what a blessing it was for them to share in his suffering!  

It is the highest compliment to be persecuted for following Jesus.  Let us not make the mistake that feeling persecuted for saying we follow Jesus is good, when Jesus himself kept silent in the face of his enemies.