"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake." - Jesus, Matthew 5:10-11
The Lord Jesus said we are blessed when someone persecutes us for following Him. While what He said is true and good, many of us may struggle to believe it if we're experiencing that persecution. Why is that?
Because persecution isn't something we naturally desire.
When a blessing doesn't feel like one
We Christians like to believe that blessings always feel good. After all, Proverbs 10:22 tells us that "The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it," right?
So, why does Jesus say that we are blessed when someone persecutes us as we follow Him? Why should we believe that we are in a better spot, in a better position when someone ridicules and mocks us for our faith in Christ?
- Didn't Psalm 91:9-10 tells us that "Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling"?
- Didn't Proverbs 3:5-6 tell us to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths"?
- Didn't Psalm 23:4-6 say that "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever"?
These verses don't lie. God doesn't lie. Jesus didn't lie when He said we're blessed if we're persecuted on His account. If He said we're blessed, we're blessed.
Why is that?
The verse that follows Jesus' words above tell us the reason why we are blessed when that happens:
"Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:12)
- We're blessed because we're in the company of people who followed God and obeyed Him.
- We're blessed because there's a great reward waiting for us in heaven.
- We're blessed because we stood up for Christ the Lord, who died for our forgiveness and rose again for our hope.
- We're blessed because if we could endure persecution for Jesus, we can endure anything; there is nothing left to fear.
- We're blessed because we can understand more deeply what experienced for us and in so doing, have a closer relationship with Him.
In closing
Friends, persecution and other hardships shouldn't be enough to stop us from following Christ. If any, these persecutions serve as a reminder to us that Christ went through such pain just so we could be made right with God.
