Blessed are Those who are Persecuted

In these “interesting” times it is often necessary to be clear about what the words mean.

See “Names” on bloodyshovel

In this case we need to be clear on what “persecution” is. The basic idea of “persecution” is to pursue, to chase after, and (by implication) to harass. In other words, persecution is action taken in opposition to someone.

Persecution is not disagreement. That is, if I disagree with you, I am not persecuting you. If I pass a law that has general application and it happens to impact you because of some aspect of your faith, that is not persecution.

Again I emphasize that persecution is positive action taken against a person for some reason. (That reason does not have to be faith-related.)

Apart from mistaking disagreement for persecution, another mistake people make is to assume that because they are being persecuted, they must be righteous. Sometimes people are against you because you are wrong, not because you are right.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God.

We notice that this beatitude has the same promise as the first. Structurally this indicates that verses 3-10 are a literary unit. This particular structure is called an inclusio. Another way to think about this is as a “bookends” structure. Thus we see that the following verse, which also talks about persecution, is the beginning of a new section; the repeated idea of persecution serves as a literary bridge.

Giving the same promise for the first and last beatitude indicates that there is a similarity in the state of those being blessed. Both the person who is poor in spirit and the person who is persecuted for righteousness’ sake share a common feature: rejection. The poor in spirit person is unwanted because he has no value; the persecuted person is rejected because he is not conforming.

The sense of rejection, of being excluded and even attacked, is one of the more powerful ways society can enforce conformity. The idea of hammering down the nail that sticks up is an economical way to ensure that most people will conform. You make a few examples and the rest fall in line. And for most people this is enough.

The promise attached to this beatitude lets us know that we are not left desolate. The world may not want us but God does. We are not left “to twist slowly in the wind.” There is a place for us.

The author of Hebrews notes that we are not blazing a trail on our own. He says,

Therefore Jesus, in order to sanctify the people by his own blood,
suffered outside the gate. Accordingly, let us go to him outside the
camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no enduring city here; but we
seek one that is coming.

-- Hebrews 13:12-13

In an ironic sense, the fact that the world rejects us means that we are free. Because we have no enduring city here, we are not bound to any present commitment. If the world does not want us, how can it make a claim on us?

Thus we are free to explore ways of being that are outside the norm. We are not locked into the traps and vicious circles the world finds itself in. We do not have to be part of the “rat race.” Jesus talks about the things the Gentiles chase after; we, instead, need merely to seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and we will have what we need.

Because of the active nature of persecution, we may find that our lives are strongly impacted because of our stand for righteousness, even to the point of death. Focusing on the goal of the kingdom — being pure in heart — helps us bear the loss of all things (Philippians 3:8).