The Beatitudes – Those Who Are Persecuted

As we conclude our study of the Beatitudes, let’s start by reviewing what Jesus has talked about and how He has talked about it. First, notice how Jesus lays this out very intentionally—He starts and ends by saying the people who do these things will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Second, He orders these “blessings” as a roadmap, showing what our journey as Believers should look like. Jesus started by talking about “those who are poor in Spirit”—those who are able and willing to recognize their need for a Savior. Next were “those who mourn”—those who, among other things, recognize the gravity of their sins and are grieved by them, just as God is grieved by our sins. This grief should lead us to a place of humility, which is the next blessed group in the list. It’s only when we truly embrace humility that we can allow God to begin to change us. And, as God changes us to be more like Him, we will desire Him and His ways more and more—we will become “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” As we seek out God more and allow Him to change our hearts, we will begin to display more and more of His attributes: being merciful, pure in heart, and peacemakers. This brings us to the final Beatitude: “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” If you’ve been with us through this whole series, it shouldn’t surprise you at this point to hear Jesus describe a group of people as “blessed” that the world would tell us are oppressed, but let’s break down why this is.

In John 15:18–20, Jesus told His disciples, “If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.” As we become more and more like Jesus—more and more a part of His upside-down Kingdom—and less and less like the world, the same evil and hatred that nailed Jesus to the cross will inevitably be turned towards us. But it’s not ultimately us that the world will hate—it’s Jesus in us.

As we become more like God and allow Him to change our hearts and minds, we should expect to face trials and tribulations in this world, but we can take comfort in knowing that Jesus has already defeated evil.

If you were with us during the 40-Day Fast, this concept should sound familiar to you, as this is a concept John talks about repeatedly throughout the book of Revelation. Let’s take a look at Revelation 12:11, specifically, where John records, “They conquered [the devil] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives to the point of death.” This adds a layer of meaning to what Jesus is saying in this Beatitude. Look at the first and last parts of this verse from Revelation: “They conquered… [and] they did not love their lives to the point of death.” Talk about upside-down! But, just as Jesus conquered sin and death by sacrificing Himself, we are called to walk in His footsteps and, if called, humbly accept earthly persecution and even death for the sake of our Lord and King.

Now, chances are, if you’re a Christian living in America today, you’re not going to have to face true persecution the way many of our brothers and sisters across the globe do, but there’s still a principle here we can apply to our own lives. The New Testament authors refer repeatedly to the idea of persevering or finishing the race (see Acts 20:24; 1 Corinthians 9:24; Philippians 3:13–14; 2 Timothy 4:7–8; Hebrews 12:1–2; and James 1:12, to name a few). Even if we don’t face active persecution, we will, as Jesus says in John 16:33, “have suffering in this world.” But as Jesus goes on to say in the same verse, “Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

To bring this all back to the beginning, let’s revisit a concept we discussed in the first article of this series, the Kingdom of Heaven. As Jesus responded to the Pharisees when they asked Him about the Kingdom, “The Kingdom of God is not coming with something observable; no one will say, ‘See here!’ or ‘There!’ For you see, the Kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:20b–21). Yes, there is a coming day when we will get to be part of a new and perfect Kingdom where we will exist in perfect communion with God. But we also get to experience the direct presence of God and a personal relationship with Him in the present; we are the Kingdom of Heaven! The theological term for this concept is “the already and not yet.”

To summarize all of this, as we become more like God and allow Him to change our hearts and minds, we should expect to face trials and tribulations in this world, but we can take comfort in knowing that Jesus has already defeated evil—and if we persevere to the end, we will get to experience rewards beyond our comprehension.

If you missed our 40-Day Fast and study of the book of Revelation and would like to go back and check it out, the recordings of all 40 devotionals are available wherever you listen to your podcasts and on our website, experiencecc.com.