BEATITUDES (12) Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted (2)

​“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Mt 5:10-12)
 
Review
We’ve been talking about the Beatitudes Jesus taught on the Mount, and last Sunday, we started to discuss the last blessing.
 
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:10)
 
The world never says that persecuted people are blessed, but Jesus said “blessed are those who are persecuted” not because persecution itself is a blessing, but because those who are persecuted will ultimately inherit the kingdom of God after going through hardships for righteousness, which refers to Jesus.
 
So, we focused on the relationship between being a Christian and persecution. Why should Christians be persecuted in the world? That was the main question we addressed in the last sermon.
 
The first thing we looked at was how Jesus brought us peace. To solve the problem of sin and reconcile us with God again, Jesus had to sacrifice His own life, shedding His blood on the cross to pay the ransom for our sins. In other words, we can have peace with God only through Jesus’ suffering and sacrifice.
 
And now, because all Christians are called to serve as peacemakers in the world and deliver the message of reconciliation to others, we also must join in Jesus’ suffering and sacrifice. Without suffering, we can’t really carry out the ministry of reconciliation that’s given not only to a few devoted, faithful Christians, but to all Christians who believe in Jesus as their Savior and Lord.
 
I emphasized one of the important aspects of Christians’ persecution. I said that general hardships are given regardless of our will, but Christians’ persecutions are chosen.
 
It means that we can always join in Jesus’ suffering and sacrifice wherever we are if we are willing to do so. It also means that if there’s no suffering or sacrifice at all in our lives as Christians, that’s because we don’t choose to join in Jesus’ suffering, not because suffering isn’t given to us naturally.
 
To explain this, we looked at the apostle Paul’s life. Before encountering Jesus, he lived a good and stable life. But after meeting Jesus, his life changed completely. He had been a persecutor of believers and churches but he then declared that he was filling up in his flesh what was still lacking in regard to Christ’s affliction, which means that he actively and willingly chose to suffer for Jesus by proclaiming the gospel no matter what He faced along the way.
 
So, I think the word ‘choice’ is key to understanding the meaning of Christian persecution. We can choose whether or not to suffer for Jesus. If we make the decision not to talk about Jesus and the good news He brought us to our friends or family members, we don’t have to run the risk of their judgment.
 
However, if we choose to deliver the good news to them, we may risk losing them. That might be the one of the ways that we can join in Christ’s suffering.
 
I’m not saying that we should go outside right now and proclaim the gospel. What I want to emphasize here is that true Christians are those who willingly choose to join in Jesus’ suffering and sacrifice in whatever form it may take.
 
Christians and Persecution
That’s what we mainly talked about last Sunday, and today I’ll dig deeper into the meaning of Christians’ persecution. Why should Christians be persecuted on earth? And how can we endure, overcome, and even rejoice in suffering as Christians? These are the two questions I want to answer today.
 
So, why are Christians persecuted on earth? We can answer this through what Jesus said in the gospel of John.
 
Let’s read Jn 15:18-20 together.
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also…” (Jn 15:18-20)
 
 This is what Jesus told His disciples right before He was arrested by soldiers. Here, Jesus clearly mentioned the reason His disciples would go through hardships.
 
The world would hate them because they didn’t belong to the world, but to Christ. Likewise, if we belong to the world and follow its ways, there’s no reason for the world to hate us. Rather, it will love us. But, if we follow the way of Jesus in the world, it will hate us and persecute us in all kinds of ways. 
 
Christians can be defined as those who live in the world but don’t belong to the world. Even though we live in the world, we’re not of it because Jesus chose us as His own. Although we have our citizenship in this world, our true citizenship belongs to the eternal kingdom of God. 
 
And, as God’s people, we’re called to follow God’s will and not the ways of the world. And if we do so, the world will hate us just as it hated Jesus, His disciples, and the first Christians.
 
So, it seems that being a Christian and undergoing persecution are inseparable. As Paul said, “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2Tm 3:12).
 
If we really want to live a Christ-centered life, not following the ways or values of this world, but the word of God, we’ll face persecution. We can’t avoid suffering.
 
Likewise, we can’t accept the gospel of Jesus Christ without suffering. As Paul also said, “Join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God” (2Tm 1:8).
 
Nevertheless, we can keep walking in the face of persecution because Jesus, who overcame the world, is with us now and gives us eternal peace, joy, and hope through which we can also overcome the world. As Jesus said in John 16:33,
 
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16:33)
 
We may experience troubles because of the name of Jesus. We may encounter many situations where we need to make a choice to sacrifice and suffer for Jesus. But we don’t have to be afraid—rather, we can actually rejoice in those moments because Jesus is always with us, strengthens us with eternal peace, and gives us true joy in Him.
 
Joy in the Midst of Persecution
That’s what makes Christian persecution unique. One of the characteristics we find in the persecution of early Christians is that they rejoiced in the midst of severe persecution.
 
As you may know, the history of the church started with persecution. From the first time people started to gather as a church, those who believed in Jesus were subject to persecution.
 
When the first church appeared in Jerusalem as a result of Peter’s proclamation, the Jews didn’t see it as a different religion but as a heresy of Judaism because most of the first believers were Jewish people who believed in the God of Israel. The difference was that they, the Jewish Christians, also believed in Jesus as the Son of God whom the religious leaders had crucified.
 
So, the first persecution was carried out by Jews. The apostle Paul was one of the persecutors. So, needless to say, the apostles of Jesus Christ were often arrested, interrogated, beaten, and even killed. But we don’t find any record in the Bible that says that they were greatly disappointed or intimidated by the persecutions. Rather, they rejoiced in the midst of them.
 
Acts 5:40-42 says, “They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah” (Acts 5:40-42)
 
The more the apostles were severely persecuted, the more they rejoiced. Nothing could stop them from proclaiming the gospel. Not even severe persecution and death could block their ways or cover their mouths because they rejoiced in suffering for Christ.
 
Hebrews 11:38 does a great job describing such bold Christians. “The world was not worthy of them” (Heb 11:38).
 
Because they weren’t even afraid of suffering, sacrifice, persecution, and death, there was nothing left for the world to use to stop them. Because they were so filled with unending joy, they were ready to risk even their lives for the gospel.
 
Then, we might ask, “How could they rejoice in the midst of such severe persecution? Where did their joy and courage come from?”
 
Joy in the midst of suffering is a common characteristic that we can find in the lives of many predecessors of faith. 
 
Paul said, “Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions”; Peter said, “rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ”(1Pt 4:13); and Jesus said,  “…when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me, rejoice and be glad…” (Mt 5:11-12).
 
So, how were they able to rejoice in suffering? What was the power through which they could overcome so much persecution and where did it come from?
 
These questions can be answered by just one event—the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
 
Before being crucified, Jesus told His disciples that he would rise again on the third day. And as He said, Jesus died and was buried, but rose again from the dead in three days. It began rather quietly, but soon had a huge impact on the whole world.
 
First, it completely changed the disciples’ lives. Before seeing the resurrected Jesus, they were terrified. They were gathered together, locking every door because of the fear that they would also be killed like Jesus. They had no hope. The one they had followed was crucified and they faced the same danger.
 
But, Jesus appeared to them and showed His resurrected body with His hands nailed and His side pierced. And this is the first response the Jesus’ disciples showed. John 20:20 says,
 
“The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.” (Jn 20:20)
 
Now, their fear was gone and heavenly joy, peace, and hope took its place. Then, after seeing the resurrected Jesus and being filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to openly proclaim the gospel. And the core message of their proclamation was the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
 
From that time on, nothing could stop them from preaching the name of Jesus. Persecution and even death couldn’t cover their mouths because they were filled with the overflowing joy and eternal hope they found in the resurrection of Jesus.
 
The reason they were able to rejoice in suffering for Jesus was that they knew that they would also be resurrected with Him after this life.
 
Peter, who had betrayed Jesus three times because of his fear of death, now rejoiced in suffering for the name of Jesus Christ because he turned his focus to the future glory that God would give him at the end of his journey of faith to which nothing in this world can compare.
 
After saying “Rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ” (1Pt 4:13), Peter added, “so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.” (1Pt 4:13b-14)
 
That was the key factor that made Peter rejoice in his suffering—his eyes were fixed on eternal glory. He rejoiced in participating in the suffering of Christ not because he enjoyed the suffering itself but because he was looking forward to the eternal glory that will ultimately appear.
 
The same goes for Paul. He faced many hardships until he was executed, but he never stopped proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was able to do so because his eyes were fixed on the future and eternal glory that God would give Him, not on temporary things of the world.
 
So Paul wrote, let’s read it together,
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2Co 4:17-18)
 
Paul also said,
“I want to know Christ - yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” (Php 3:10-11)
 
Paul said that his suffering was light and momentary. But we know that it wasn’t light or momentary at all. He was insulted, beaten, imprisoned, stoned, and exposed to death over and over again from the moment he met Jesus and started to proclaim the gospel.
 
His suffering wasn’t light or momentary, but heavy and constant over a period of many years. Nevertheless, Paul said that those were only light and momentary troubles. That’s because he compared them to eternal glory.
 
Paul’s eyes were fixed on what’s unseen, glorious, and eternal, not what’s seen and temporary. Because he was so filled with the hope of joining in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, he was even ready to become like Jesus in His suffering and death. Paul knew that he couldn’t join in Jesus’ glory and resurrection without joining in His suffering and death. This faith enabled him to rejoice in suffering.
 
The more severely he was persecuted, the more Paul rejoiced because he felt that he was getting closer to the glory of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe that’s the point of view that we all must have as Christians. If we lose the perspective of eternal glory of the kingdom of God, we’ll never be able to join in Jesus’ suffering in this world.
 
What we need to keep in mind is that all the things we see now in this world are temporary and that the eternal kingdom of God is waiting for us. What’s more important, how we live eternally after death is determined by how we live here on earth for a comparatively short amount of time.
 
If we choose to suffer and sacrifice for Christ here on earth, we’ll also join in the glory of the resurrection when He returns. But if we’re ashamed of the gospel, what will Jesus say to us when He returns?
 
Jesus said, “Whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it… If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels” (Mk 8:35, 38)
 
Hebrews 11 lists the names of many faithful Christians, including Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. But what captures my attention most whenever I read this chapter is the record of unnamed Christians.
 
Hebrews 11:36-38 says, “Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated - the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.” (Heb 11:36-38)
 
This is how the first Christians kept their faith under the Roman emperor Nero’s severe persecution. Their hardships go far beyond our imagination. It’s hard to even read about it.
 
They could have easily avoided this suffering. They just had to deny the name of Jesus. But rather than denying Jesus and living a comfortable life, they chose to wander, suffer, and face persecution and death for the name of Jesus. And Hebrews 11:35 gives us a clue about how they made such a decision.
 
“Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection.” (Heb 11:35)
 
The reason they could not only endure the suffering but even rejoice in it is because they put their hope in the resurrection of Jesus which is glorious and eternal and far outweighs all the suffering and hardships they went through.
 
That’s the perspective I want us to discover today. If we could really see and feel the eternal glory of the kingdom of God, we wouldn't care about anything in this world. Rather, we’d willingly and gladly choose to join in Jesus’ suffering with the desire to join in His resurrection and glory.
 
So I hope and pray that all of us here can have true faith in God so that we can fix our eyes on what’s unseen, glorious, and eternal and so that we can follow Jesus, taking up our crosses and rejoicing in joining in His suffering.
 
Let’s pray.
 
[Closing prayer]
Heavenly Father, we praise Jesus Christ, Your Son, who died for us and was resurrected from the dead. In every difficult situation, we can find peace and hope in You, Lord.
 
We want to thank You for letting us know the meaning of believing in and following Jesus. Please open our eyes so that we can see eternal hope in you. Allow us to keep participating in Your mission even though persecution will follow us, and fill us up with the Holy Spirit and true peace in You so that we can boldly proclaim the gospel wherever we go.
 
O Lord, please open our eyes and allow us to find living hope in You.
 
Help us fix our eyes on what’s unseen, glorious, and eternal so that we won’t be moved by anything in this world, including the suffering and hardships that we may encounter as we follow Jesus.
 
 
We pray in the precious name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
 
 
[Reflection Questions]
1. What kind of peace, joy, or hope do you find in Jesus? How is it different from the peace, joy, and hope of this world?
 
2. Have you experienced hope for the resurrection and the kingdom of God? How has it changed your perspective or lifestyle?