How could anyone find joy in the midst of persecution? It seems like a cruel joke for Jesus to tell not only His disciples, but also the crowd gathered around Him, to rejoice while being persecuted. The answer comes when we consider the fact that persecution for any cause should not result in “rejoicing,” but only for a specific cause. Let’s take a closer look at what Jesus said.  

Jesus began this beatitude by saying, “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:10).  First, notice that Jesus is looking back to those “who have been persecuted.” Here, He is referring to the Old Testament saints like Noah, Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, and a myriad of others. If you want to see the list, check out Hebrews 11 in which the author mentions those saints in Old Testament history who were constantly persecuted and yet never lost their faith. Jesus said that their reward is “the kingdom of heaven,” and in this case, it’s heaven itself. It’s the “kingdom” where God rules and reigns, and the location of that kingdom is “in heaven.” 

Jesus goes on to say, “Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely on account of Me” (Mt. 5:11). In this next verse, Jesus moved from looking backward to looking at the present time as He spoke directly to His disciples, and of course, to the others in the crowd. Notice that the source of persecution is people who slander Jesus’ followers simply because they are His followers. Jesus Himself offended the religious leaders of His day, not only because of the amazing things that He did, but also for the things that He said, specifically, claiming that He was “God in flesh” (Jn. 10:33). As we sing at Christmas time, He was “Immanuel, God with us” (Mt. 1:23). 

And then Jesus prepared His disciples for their future persecution by giving them ample warning saying, “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (Jn. 15:20). That’s a difficult “promise” for Jesus to share, but He wanted to give them the “hard truth” so that when persecution came, they would not be caught off guard. That persecution would come because of who they were, followers of Jesus. As His followers, they echoed what Jesus said about Himself as they made every effort to live as He lived. 

And this brings us to the final comment of Jesus in this beatitude, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Mt. 5:12).

Jesus reminds His followers that they would follow in the footsteps of the great Old Testament prophets, and that like them, their reward would be in heaven. Just like an athlete enduring the painful process of training, all the time they are looking forward to winning the race and gaining the prize that God has in store for them. 

Both Peter and Paul had more to say about being persecuted. Of course, Peter was in that crowd on the hillside, and almost forty years later would write, “If you do what is right and suffer for it, you patiently endure because this finds favor with God” (1 Pet. 2:20). Their suffering was to come as a result of their lifestyle, reflecting the life of Jesus Himself. That’s why Peter said that Christ’s suffering “…left us an example that we should follow in His steps (1 Pet. 2:21). Peter goes on to say that “…even if you were to suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled…for it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong” (1 Pet. 3:14, 17).

And Paul recognized in his own life that when he suffered for the cause of Christ, he experienced deeper fellowship with Christ. He called it “the fellowship of His sufferings” (Phil. 3:10). Finally, Paul echoed the words of Jesus saying, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not” (Rom. 12:14). We should count it a privilege to be able to pray for and bless those who persecute us. Through the centuries, thousands of “persecutors” have come to faith in Christ because of the testimony of those whom they were persecuting. Interestingly, the Apostle Paul was one of them!!!

And so, if any of you are suffering persecution “for the sake of righteousness,” then you have great cause to rejoice, because your true reward is in heaven. Furthermore, you can experience deeper fellowship with Christ and have an opportunity to bless and pray for those who persecute you. Finally, Peter tells us, “If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God….let those who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right” (I Pet. 4:16, 19).

Let each of us always do “what is right,” and if we suffer persecution for it, then let’s entrust our souls to God, who is faithful to see us through that time of testing, and in the end, grant us entrance into His heavenly kingdom.