Matthew 5:10-12 is the last of the beatitudes of Jesus. This is the longest beatitude. It is stated in verse 10. It is restated in verses 11-12. This is the only beatitude Jesus explains. Verses 11-12 are a commentary on verse 10. This is the only beatitude that contains a direct address. Verse 10 is in the third person: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” Verse 11 is in the second person: “Blessed are you…” This is the only beatitude that contains a command. Verse 12 says, “Rejoice and be glad.” These unique features transition from the introduction to the main body of the Sermon on the Mount. Moreover, these features emphasize the spiritual gravity of Christian persecution.

Virtually every godly person you meet in the Old Testament was severely persecuted. 

This trend continues in the New Testament with the apostles and the early church. Two thousand years of church history have recorded more persecution than revival. Ironically, persecution has been the catalyst for revival. Tertullian said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” The Lord Jesus Christ did not escape persecution. 

• His birth was scandalized as illegitimate. 
• His life was criticized without reason. 
• His works were attributed to Satan. 
• His message was condemned as blasphemy. 
• His death was a miscarriage of justice. 

Jesus was persecuted for righteousness’ sake. So it will be with everyone who follows Jesus. In John 15:18-20, Jesus says, “If the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” J.C. Macaulay said, “If the world had nothing better than a cross for Jesus, it will not have a royal carriage for his followers.”

Job’s friends accused him of harboring secret sin. Their theology could not compute the notion that the righteous suffer persecution or that it could be a blessing. Many of us think the same way. If we accept this truth, it is a blessing we do not want. Jesus says to those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, “Congratulations! You’re already blessed!” 

1 Peter 3:14 says, “Be even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed.” 1 Peter 4:14 says, “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” Do you want to be blessed? The world blesses those who avoid and evade persecution. God blesses those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Matthew 5:10-12 teaches three lessons about Christian persecution. 

The Reality of Christian Persecution 

Verse 10 says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” This final beatitude is not about Christian character, attitude, or behavior. It is about how others respond to the one who lives according to the previous beatitudes. Note the first four words of verse 11: “Blessed are you when…” Persecution is not a hypothetical possibility. It is a definite reality. John 16:33 says, “In the world you will have tribulation.” Acts 14:22 says, “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” 2 Timothy 3:12 says, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

Christians avoid persecution by disconnecting from the world. This does not require a monastic life. Many Christians fill their lives with church activities that surround them with Christians and separate them from non-Christians. Matthew 5:13-16 calls followers of Jesus the salt of the earth and the light of the world. As salt flavors meat and light dispels darkness, Christians influence the world by infiltration, not isolation. Likewise, Christians can avoid persecution by assimilating into the world. One of the worst things that can be said about the church today is that no one wants to persecute us. In leaning over to reach the world, we have fallen in. We see little persecution because the world sees little that is different about us. To follow Christ is to be in the line of fire. 

Must I be carried to the skies 
On flowerly beds of ease
While others fought to win the prize
And sailed through bloody seas? 

Expect persecution! 1 Peter 4:12 says, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” If you are considering following Jesus, Christ promises persecution, not prosperity. If you are a new believer, there will be dangers, toils, and snares along the way. If you are a seasoned Christian, the battle is not over. Verse 11 describes righteous persecution in three ways. 

You will be reviled. To revile is to blame, curse, mock, insult, or find fault. In this verse, Jesus mentions reviling before persecution. This is not accidental or incidental. Many times, persecution is verbal abuse rather than physical abuse. Bad, hard, mean words are not watered-down persecution. It’s foolproof persecution. Children sing, “Sticks and stones may break my bones. But words will never hurt me.”Adults know that words hurt in places sticks and stones can never reach. Words are like nitroglycerin: they can heal hearts or blow up bridges. There will be times when words will blow up in your face. 

You will be persecuted. Persecute means “to pursue” with bad intentions. Like an animal pursuing its prey. Like a hunter stalking his victim. Like an army chasing the enemy. It is to be harassed, oppressed, and molested by trouble. Throughout church history, Christians have suffered violent persecution that has cost them their lives. Many suffer for Christ around the world today. We do not have to face martyrdom. But we must be prepared to face various forms of persecution. It may happen in an unbelieving home. It may happen in a cynical classroom. It may happen in a hostile workplace. 

You will be slandered. Others will “utter all kinds of evil against you falsely.” This is the tool of those who do not have the power to persecute you. They do with their tongues what they cannot do with their hands. It is also the tool of those who have the power to persecute. The persecution of the innocent is justified through character assassination. Truthful testimony can be nullified by undermining the credibility of the witness. This is the scheme of the enemy. You cannot stop it from happening. Make sure they utter evil against you falsely. 1 Peter 3:16 says you should have “a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.”

The Reasons for Christian Persecution 

Verse 10 says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” This beatitude is not a blanket blessing on all who are persecuted. Some persecution has nothing to do with righteousness or unrighteousness. Hardship, trouble, and suffering are a part of life in a fallen world. Others suffer persecution because of their own choices, words, and actions. This is not the persecution God blesses. 

Warren Wiersbe wrote: “We must be careful to distinguish between persecution and punishment. We are punished by good men for doing evil, and we are persecuted by bad men for doing good.” If you are persecuted, make sure it is for the right reasons. Jesus gives two godly reasons for persecution.

For Righteousness Sake. Verse 10 says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This is the second reference to righteousness in the beatitudes. Matthew 5:6 says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” Here Jesus blesses those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. The term means the same thing in most places. Righteousness is conformity to the revealed will of God. To be righteous is to be right with God. It is a life that is pleasing to God. Pleasing God often entails displeasing others, leading to persecution.

Since Cain killed Abel, the righteous have been persecuted. 1 John 3:12 says, “We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him?” Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s were righteous.”  

It is not a blessing to be persecuted for unrighteousness. 1 Peter 3:17 says, “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” 1 Peter 4:15 says, “But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.” There is a difference between bearing your cross and reaping your crop. Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” 

It is not a blessing to be persecuted for self-righteousness. Being religious is not synonymous with being righteous. It may be religious hypocrisy that God ignores, not blesses. True righteousness invokes persecution. The righteous do not look for trouble. Their righteousness attracts trouble. Genuine righteousness condemns implicitly; it is easy to get into trouble for doing what is right. But if you are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed! 

For Christ’s Sake. Verse 11 says: “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” This verse amplifies, intensifies, and personalizes the final beatitude. Verse 10 is general: “Blessed are those…” Verse 11 is specific: “Blessed are you…” The pronoun is plural, indicating that every follower of Jesus will face persecution. In verse 10, Jesus says it will be for righteousness’ sake. In verse 11, Jesus says it will be “on my account.” This is the best definition of righteousness. It is not obeying rules, rituals, and regulations. It is being like Jesus. This is what Christianity is all about. 

• It is not subscribing to a creed or doctrine. 
• It is not following a moral code of conduct. 
• It is not participating in a ceremony of worship. 

 Christianity is Christ, and Christ is God. Christian persecution is persecution for Christ, not a cause. The name of Jesus is appealed to support various good causes. But Jesus is not a means to an end. Jesus is the means and the end. In Philippians 3:10-11, Paul declares his consuming passion: “That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”

Jesus was not persecuted because he blessed children, loved people, met needs, performed miracles, and welcomed sinners. It was because he was righteous. John 3:19 says, “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” 

Jesus is the light of the world. But those who love the dark hate the light. This is what happens to followers of Jesus. It is not a problem if you are religious. It is not a problem if you are Baptist, Presbyterian, or Charismatic. It is not a problem if you embrace the world’s materialistic values, political agenda, or sexual ethics. If you stand for Jesus, you will be persecuted! But Jesus trouble is good trouble! In A.D. 115, Polycarp was martyred. When asked to recant, Polycarp testified, “Eighty-six years I have served him, and he never once wronged me; how then shall I blaspheme my King, who has saved me?”  

The Response to Christian Persecution 

How should you respond when persecution comes? Consider what Jesus does not say. Do not give up, give in, or give out. Do not fight fire with fire. Do not grin and bear it with passive resignation. Verse 12 says, “Rejoice and be glad.” This is a divine imperative. 

• Followers of Jesus can rejoice and be glad when persecution comes. 
• Followers of Jesus must rejoice and be glad when persecution comes. 

This is a test of faith. Anyone can rejoice when they are affirmed, commended, and supported. Christians rejoice when persecuted for Christ. Acts 5:41 says, “Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.” Verse 12 issues a double-exhortation: “Rejoice and be glad.” To rejoice is to be joyful.  To be glad is to be exceedingly joyful. It means to leap exceedingly! Respond to persecution with unbridled joy! The grammar denotes continual action: Keep rejoicing! Keep being glad! 

Romans 5:3 says, “Not only that, but we rejoice in sufferings.” Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; against I will say, rejoice.” James 1:2 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.” Why rejoice? Verse 12 gives two reasons. 

Look Up and Rejoice. The first and last beatitude share the same blessing: “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This is the only reward in the present tense. The kingdom belongs to the poor in spirit and those persecuted for righteousness’ sake. The original is emphatic: “Theirs, theirs alone, is the kingdom of heaven.” Verse 12 says, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great.” The reward is not a statement about the righteousness of the persecuted. It is a statement about the faithfulness of God. Hebrews 6:10 says, “For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.”  

This reward is no consolation prize. It is a great reward. But this great reward will be in heaven, not on earth. Persecuted Christians may be delivered, vindicated, and recompensed in this life. That is no guarantee. Jesus guarantees their reward in heaven will be great. If you look for justice, deliverance, or vindication in this life, you may be disappointed. 1 Corinthians 15:19 says, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” In Christ, there is hope that transcends the grave.

Philippians 1:21 says, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” To respond appropriately to persecution, you must have a heavenly value system. This is one of the benefits of persecution. Persecution reminds us this world is not our home and sets our hope for the world to come. Colossians 3:1 says, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” If your hope is in Christ, your hope is in heaven. This is why we rejoice in persecution. Great is our reward in heaven. You may lose it all on earth. You will gain it all in heaven. 

Look Back and Rejoice. Verse 12 says, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” This is not about the fact that misery loves company. It is about being in good company. The prophets were men of God who were God’s mouthpieces to Israel. You would think the prophets would be honored among the people. They were not. Psalm 105:15 says, “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm.” This divine warning was necessary because they were prone to harmfully touch the prophets. 

Ahab asked Jehoshaphat to go to war with him against Syria. Jehoshaphat asked to inquire of the Lord. Ahab’s four hundred paid prophets spoke affirmatively. Jehoshaphat asked for another prophet of the Lord. In 1 Kings 22:8, Jehoshaphat answered, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil.” This was the disposition toward the prophets. They were hated for telling the truth. In Matthew 23:37, Jesus laments, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under wings, and you were not willing.”

The prophets were righteous. Yet the prophets were persecuted. Jesus bids those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake to rejoice, “for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” We should consider it a badge of honor to be persecuted on account of Christ. It is an assurance that we are going in the right direction. If you never face persecution for Jesus, examine whether you are going in the right direction. The way of the world is wide, easy, and crowded. It is not easy to go the straight and narrow way. But it’s the way of life. It is worth it! It pays to serve Jesus!