“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake” (11/9/2021)

(Note: this is the ninth in a series of 10 articles on the Beatitudes in Christian Life)

Jesus knew that following Him, living his teachings, especially the beatitudes themselves, and acknowledging Him as the Son of God, Savior, would not be easy or even well received by the dominant culture. Perhaps because of this, the final beatitude is also the most complex in its length and composition:

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”

In this final beatitude, “righteousness’ sake” is synonymous and parallel with “because of me (Jesus).” Romans 3:22-27 tells us clearly that the LORD’s righteousness is fully manifested in Jesus Christ, in other words, Jesus is the full revelation of and personification of the LORD’s righteousness. Paul goes on to affirm the final beatitude when he states that all who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, Son of God, will be made right with the LORD.

The religious understanding of righteousness changed drastically with the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, righteousness was seen as belonging to the LORD alone because of humanity’s ongoing sinfulness after the fall. The only way to righteousness was on the path of right relationship with the LORD. One could not achieve righteousness; it was a God-given reward for putting the LORD at the center of one’s life. Then, Jesus demonstrated for us living righteousness, fully revealing the divine intent for humanity, culminating with Jesus willingly and lovingly sacrificing his life, dying for the sins of all who had been unable to achieve righteousness. Because of this, all who come to Christ and believe in Him are made righteous in the sight of the LORD.

Jesus’ final beatitude instructs us that indeed He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” While that identity was revealed in the Gospel of John, here in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus presents the same truth with different language. Jesus reveals that “the Way” to righteousness is through Him, the personification of “the Truth” as the Word made flesh. When we are willing to acknowledge Him, follow Him and even endure persecution because of our love of and faith in Him, our hope of a “life in abundance” as a reward in heaven will be realized.

As we continue on the journey of faith, hope and love in Christ, let us commit anew to living in Him and in bringing that relationship to bear on all our lives. Let us seek the gifts of the Spirit so that we have the courage to proclaim Christ as LORD and the strength to endure persecution in the secular world for our faith lived.

Until tomorrow, love well.