PERSECUTION DEFINED
Matthew 5:10-12

In our last study we focused on what persecution wasn't.  So, what is persecution?  It is the result of determining to live as Christ Jesus lived.  Paul wrote these words to Timothy, In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12).  Those born of the Spirit will be persecuted by those born of the flesh.  I think the contemporary British theologian, John R.W. Stott, defines it best when he states, Persecution is simply the clash between two irreconcilable value systems.

We have the example of Moses.  Listen to these words that described the dilemma Moses was in and the choice he made and the results which came from that choice.  The words are found in Hebrews 11:24-26:  By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter.  He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.  He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.   Moses had a choice to make, and a difficult one at that.  On the one hand, he could pursue that which his adoptive mother had been training him for all those years - to become the next great Pharaoh of Egypt.  That would mean power as the world's greatest leader and all the wealth and status associated with that position.  On the other hand, he could identify with his real people, the Hebrews, and join with them in their suffering.  This would mean that he would be exposed to poverty and hardships.  When Moses chose the one over the other, he chose persecution. 

The great Puritan preacher, Thomas Watson, wrote these words about this Beatitude many centuries ago.  They still are true today.  Listen carefully:  Though they be ever so meek, merciful, pure in heart, their piety will not shield them from sufferings.  They must hang their harp on the willows and take the cross.  The way to heaven is by way of thorns and blood....Set it down as a maxim, if you will follow Christ, you must see the swords and staves.

Friends, our responsibility is not to seek out persecution.  We are not to pursue becoming martyrs for the sake of martyrdom.  But, we must be willing to endure persecution whenever we experience it.

The word "persecuted", which is used three times in this Beatitude, comes from a Greek word meaning, "to chase, to drive away, to pursue."  The tense of the verb denotes a sense of continuousness.  We are to have a constant attitude of accepting whatever being faithful to God may demand even if might be our deaths.  I am reminded of that famous statement of Jim Eliot, one of the five missionaries martyred by the Auca Indians in 1956.  He said, on one occasion, He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.  That is the essence of being willing to suffer persecution.

Father, again it is difficult for us to comprehend the full measure of persecution.  We really have never been called upon to suffer for Christ.  We have not been considered as dead by our families because we have invited Christ into our lives.  We have not been tortured or imprisoned because of our faith.  Continue to teach us what persecution means, so that we will be prepared when it is our turn to suffer.  We pray this in Christ's name.  Amen.

 

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