Our first marginalized saying of Jesus is found in Matthew 5, also known as the Beatitudes, which are part of the “Sermon on the Mount.” Today, you can go to the hill where Jesus spoke these words, and visit this beautiful church surrounded by well-kept gardens. We’ll leave the question whether Jesus would have wanted that for a different day. Anyway, it is a beautiful place.
The church has paid quite a bit of attention to the Sermon on the Mount, but not always the best kind of attention. There has been much debate over the centuries about how we are supposed to read and apply these teachings. It’s obvious that these teachings are difficult to live out. Consequently, while some Christians have done their best to live them out carefully, the majority have been convinced that we should “apply the broad principles.” In other words, water these words down so much that we don’t really need to change our lives significantly. It’s as if Jesus was joking around with us. That Jesus, he’s such a kidder.
What if we are meant to take all these sayings seriously, even literally? One greatly neglected passage comes from verses 10-12: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Did everybody hear that? Okay, I know that Christians were persecuted a long time ago, and some in a few Communist regimes or in areas controlled by ISIS, but this can’t apply to Americans, can it?
We American Christians treat suffering as something to be avoided at all costs. We’re hardly ready to skip a meal for the sake of the gospel, or if we do we make a big deal of it. We’re impressed with ourselves if we endure people giving us funny looks for talking about Jesus. But Jesus said we would be persecuted. That means people will hate us, spread nasty rumors about us, physically hurt us, threaten us in many ways, take away our employment, children, you name it. This is what we should expect. God’s Word says in 2 Timothy, “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” No, we shouldn’t get out of it just because we are Americans.
Not only should we expect persecution, but we should rejoice in it. Jesus taught almost the same words in Luke 6, but he also said “Rejoice in that day [of persecution], and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven.” Leap for joy!
So, am I saying we should seek out persecution? What do you think Jesus is saying? Jesus’ first disciples rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for His name (Act 5:41). (Oh yes, they were beaten too). A number of people in the history of the church were happy to turn themselves in to be persecuted. When the persecution ceased in some areas, some Christians headed to the desert to find suffering through depriving themselves. I don’t know if that’s the best way, but they took Jesus seriously, and I’ll give them credit for that.
We have known people living for Jesus who have been beaten up, hated by family members, seen family members haul them to court and try their children taken away, be unable to find and keep a job, watched family members murdered for their testimony, even been killed themselves. We’ve known people who have to sneak around to worship, hiding a Bible in their clothing. We’ve known people who have forsaken lucrative careers, stability, marriage prospects, closer relationships with people they care about, etc. for the sake of following Jesus. Somehow as American Christians, we took on the notion that some might suffer greatly, but if we can avoid it, we shouldn’t have to suffer at all. But if we have compassion, we will suffer with others. The background meaning of the word compassion is “suffer with.” If we love other brothers and sisters in Christ, we will find ways to suffer with them. Find ways to give to ease their suffering. Find ways to meet some of them and listen to their stories. Pray for them until we feel their pain. Maybe we can even give up our own comfortable homes, lavish vacations and stable, flourishing careers to live near and serve those who suffer for the Name.
Let’s follow Jesus whatever the cost, counting all things loss. Comment below, please!
HIS WORDS, HIS WORKS, HIS WAYS 