Beatitudes 4

An examination of the beatitudes found in Matthew 5:10-12

Verses 10-12

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. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The last of the beatitudes seems counterintuitive. How can we blessed when we are persecuted, insulted, and mischaracterized in our pursuit of righteousness?  There doesn’t seem to be much blessing here at all. But, take heart.

We can blessed in these things by recalling our reward in heaven. While we believe that God does bless and reward us here on earth, we realize that our greatest blessings are in heaven. We await those blessings as we await the coming of the Lord.

Also, we are blessed by remembering that others were persecuted before us. We are not alone. Others who have sought to live righteous lives have experienced persecution, pain, and sorrow.  They made it through and so shall we.

Blessed are Christians in this age and the age to come. Blessed are we indeed!

Tony French