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 he persecution of Christians is on the increase in the western world. In a few nations the persecution has taken the form of physical violence. In others churches are being burned. In most countries the followers of Jesus Christ are being insulted, ridiculed, and maligned because they will not change their viewpoint. One website was very open, “I don’t believe in a god, so I don’t hate Christians because a nonexistent entity nonexistently loves them more than me. I hate them because they fail to realize the truth: there is no god” (www.sciforums.com). Christians are being increasingly charged with intolerance because they refuse to adopt the changing moral standards accepted by society. The moral religion of western culture is in fact the absence of morality, and the persecution of Christians is increasingly acceptable. Is that tolerance? Persecution of Christians is not new. It is like a boomerang. It occurred under the Caesars of the Roman Empire because Christians upset the social order. The ancient historians record that Christians refused to adopt the moral or religious practices and social order accepted by those cultures.
Background. Jesus knew that His disciples would eventually be persecuted. It was coming and it would be severe. So it is not surprising that Jesus refers to it in the Sermon on the Mount.
The Sermon on the Mount describes the characteristics of a true disciple. Jesus told us that those who saw themselves as spiritual beggars and mourned over their sin would be blessed. They would see the Kingdom of Heaven and eventually be comforted. They would hunger and thirst to be holy. They would yield or submit to God as a dog does to his master. A disciple would show mercy to others, and be honest without deceit. In our last study we saw that the disciples would seek peace with others. They would seek to live in peace with everyone as much as possible. But unfortunately, that virtue is missing in some spiritually immature Christians.
The Beatitudes list the virtues of a disciple. So what is their reward? Jesus answers that question in the next beatitude.
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. (NASB) Matt. 5:10-11 Jesus says their reward is persecution. The Greek word that He uses for “persecuted” is DIOKOO. The word has the idea of hot pursuit, oppression, and harassment. It implies that someone really wants to hurt someone else. It is not accidental. It is intentional. The word is also used in John 5:16 where we are told that Jesus was being persecuted. In that passage the Jewish religious leaders were upset with Jesus. They were not causing Jesus physical pain, but they were repeatedly insulting and confronting Him. This tells us that persecution includes more than just a physical attack. It can include insults, negative comments, slander, and lies about one’s character. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day eventually lied about Jesus at His trial before King Herod because they wanted Jesus murdered. He was eventually crucified. |
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| Life & Heart of Jesus | ||||||
