01.01. The Sermon on the Mount (9)
"The Sermon on the Mount" (9)
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you (Matthew 5:11-12) Sufferings for Christ’s sake The last of the nine beatitudes also forms the transition to the following part of the "Sermon on the Mount." The Lord no longer speaks generally of the disciples in the third person, but addresses them directly with the personal "ye," as He does in Luke 6:20-26 throughout. At the same time He applies to them His words of verse 10. He sees His disciples, knows already what they will have to go through and gives them a wonderful promise.
Although this beatitude is similar to the previous one, there is a difference. Here the Lord does not speak of sufferings for righteousness’ sake, but of abuses, persecutions and evil words for His sake. This is connected with the Person of our Lord and the confession of His Name. Suffering for righteousness is a consequence of our moral attitude and actions; suffering for Jesus’ sake is a consequence of our confession of Him.
Confession of Jesus In democratically ruled countries there is not official persecution of Christians as there still is in some other countries. As an example, according to the German constitution nobody may be placed at a disadvantage because of their faith and religious views; freedom of faith, of conscience and freedom of religious and ideological confession are guarded. This does not mean, however, that everyone is well disposed towards Christians. Many a young believer has experienced mockery and abuse when, upon starting work, they have confessed, "I believe in the Lord Jesus as my Saviour." It may even be that there is not only abuse and slander, i.e. words, but acts of persecution. By using the word "when" the Lord shows that He is not hinting at something that may possibly happen, but is pointing to a fact that is certainly to be expected. Those who take the side of our Lord and Saviour, openly and courageously confessing Him, will reap contempt, mockery and scorn. Suffering for Jesus’ sake and for righteousness’ sake often coalesce. Sometimes people react with scorn and contempt when the Name of the Lord Jesus is frankly confessed. Such a confession may even be met with a pitiful smile, but as soon as the believer shows himself to be a Christian by his practical conduct as well, there is rejection and hatred.
Satan always tries to prevent the disciples of the Lord from confessing His Name. He whispers to the soul, "Is it really necessary to speak of the Lord Jesus now? You do not always have to witness to the gospel!" He doesn’t only want to prevent the confession of Christ as Lord, but also the spreading of the glad tidings of His grace. For one who really loves the Lord there should not be any silence. Neither can there be any consideration of one’s own position or the position of one’s family. Is the Lord not worthy of our unreserved confession of Himself, even if supposed disadvantages go along with it? In Acts 4:1-37; Acts 5:1-42 the apostles give an example of this suffering for the sake of the Lord Jesus. After they had healed many and led them to the Lord, they were taken captive by the leaders of the Jews and told not to speak in the Name of Jesus any more (Acts 4:18; Acts 5:28). But they could not and would not be silent. And when, after their second imprisonment and miraculous deliverance, they were again attacked and even beaten, how did they depart from the presence of the council? Rejoicing that they were counted worthy to be dishonoured for the Name (Acts 5:41 -See J.N.D. Trans.).
Joy
Thus the Lord Jesus adds to His beatitude: "Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven." What a privilege to possess and confess Christ as Saviour and Lord! He is worthy that we should openly confess Him. For a fearful soul and for the flesh the supposedly disadvantageous consequences of a faithful confession of our Saviour carry a lot of weight. Here the Lord says something else. The disciples of the Lord should rejoice not in spite of, but because of the sufferings connected with their confession (see Romans 5:3; James 1:2). Even if the confession of the Name of the Lord does result in disadvantages here on earth-which is not always the case-the reward in the heavens which He has promised is incomparably greater! To know that we walk in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus already gives us joy, and this joy is increased by the promised reward which is not connected with earth but with heaven (Compare Matthew 6:19).
Examples The Lord then refers to the Old Testament prophets as examples. They had once been persecuted because they witnessed for God. Elijah (1 Kings 19:2), the prophet Zechariah at the time of king Joash (2 Chronicles 24:21), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:2) and many more (compare Nehemiah 9:26; Acts 7:27; 1 Thessalonians 2:15) are examples of this. Moses too, who calls himself a prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15; Deuteronomy 18:18) suffered for the sake of his God by the Egyptians as well as by his own people. In the New Testament the remarkable words are written of him that he esteemed "the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense..." (Hebrews 11:26).
It is not mentioned here in Matthew 5:11-12 that the Lord Jesus Himself was persecuted and going to be killed. Nevertheless every disciple may remind himself constantly that He is the great example of suffering and patience. By comparing His disciples, who would be persecuted for His sake, with the prophets who had been persecuted for God’s sake, He silently testifies to His deity and thus gives the highest motive for enduring persecution for His Name’s sake.
Summary This last beatitude concludes the first part of the so-called "Sermon on the Mount." In it the Lord Jesus as the King who would soon be rejected by His own people, announces the principles of the Kingdom of God as guidelines and encouragement for His disciples. When we look at the individual utterances we see in them a clear order. In the first three beatitudes the self-knowledge and humility which are first of all necessary for the disciple of the Lord, are mentioned. In the following four verses we see the striving for righteousness and a life which is pleasing to God. Finally, in the last two we see the trial which in this world is the result of a life with the Lord Jesus, and the suffering for Him which this entails.