Week 16 - Matthew 5:10-12
"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
OK, so who is with me? Let's go out and get persecuted so we can be blessed with the kingdom. Who's with me? (Says the coach before leaving the locker room)
Part of me wonders how a Christian in the United States can even hear this as good news. Either we feel guilt about our low level of persecution or a challenge to live our faith more provocatively so we can receive more persecution.
But let's be honest: Guilt isn't Jesus aim here. He doesn't deal in guilt. Perhaps a bit of Godly sorrow, but guilt? The second challenge (to live our faith more seriously) isn't a bad one.
If you feel like the persecution you've received is difficult to compare with those who receive "real persecution," that's because you're alive and the "persecuted," as you define it, are not.
This passage ought to make us grateful to some degree to live where we do. But it ought to also make us question if our discipleship is radical enough to warrant persecution.
My thoughts are all over the page.
I want to hear your thoughts on this passage. Instead of asking prepared questions, dialogue with this text this week. What is God putting on your heart?
Please share your ideas and wisdom with me!
I've struggled with this text as well. But I can't help but think about the time I had the tremendous blessing to share a small portion of my time here on Earth with someone who literally gave up EVERYTHING to become a follower of Christ. Turning her back on her families religion and finding Christ Jesus meant losing her Earthly family, her home, and her life as she knew it. But to see her one could not feel sorry for her. She had the Peace that passes understanding, the JOY and HOPE of the promises to come. How much greater must the promise of a family in heaven be for someone who lost their family on Earth. I often find myself while being thankful for this place that I live also in some ways struggling to be grateful. Sometimes I can't help but wonder if I fail to grasp at times how GREAT the good news really is, and whether or not God's love has impacted my life as much as it could or should if I had been raised somewhere else. Don't get me wrong. When your Earthly life is filled with "Worldly blessings" the blessings and promise of the Lord doesn't seem to have as much of an impact.
ReplyDeleteI don't know I guess I say all of this to say that I don't believe we should feel guilty that we aren't getting persecuted, I think this is a message of hope to those who are being persecuted, as well as a call to LIVE a radical life as the prophets did. Stepping out in faith and following. Leaving behind that which is comfortable, good, and easy. To seek the Lord and find something that promises to be even more amazing!