"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake:for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner
of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad:for great is your reward
in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you" (Matt. 5:10-12).

So far we have seen in the beatitudes chiefly the character Of God’s children; now we turn to
meditate for a little on their position in an evil world. The moral character of those who belong
to Christ must necessarily arouse the spirit of persecution, and expose them to trial, until the
kingdom of heaven is set up in power and glory. Had no special blessing been pronounced on this
condition of things, the disciples might have been ready to say that their state was anything but
blessed. But this would have been the natural, not the spiritual, way of thinking; walking by sight,
not by faith. Surely much unbelief still lurks in the hearts of believers! But oh, the grace, the rich
and abounding grace, of our Lord Jesus! He pronounces those twice blessed who are exposed to
persecution from the world. This completes the beautiful picture of His people’s character and
condition, and adds great interest and fulness to every circumstance of their position while the
kingdom is in abeyance.

"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake:for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven." This must have been a strange language to those who were looking for outward glory,
or a reign of peace, a paradise on earth. But the Lord plainly sets before His disciples what their
new position would be in this world, and the more distinct their likeness to Himself, the heavier
would be their persecutions. But He especially refers, in this beatitude in verse 10, to the
righteousness which brings persecution in this life. For example, a Christian who is walking with
the Lord fears to do what is wrong and desires to do what is right; he seeks to maintain a
conscience void of offence toward God and toward man. This is the breastplate of righteousness.
But he is offered, perhaps, a promotion in his position if he will agree to do something which he
fears not to be right. The offer may be a tempting one and he is needy. But no, he waits on the
Lord; he brings the matter before Him; light shines, the tempter’s object is seen, and he positively
refuses; righteousness prevails, but he suffers for it. He is misunderstood, is called foolish, or it
may be fanatic, and madman. He not only loses what was offered but what he had; he is of no use;
he loses his job. Still he can say, "My present loss, under the righteous government of God, will
prove my eternal gain." He has a clear conscience, a happy heart; he is drawn closer to the Lord
in dependence on Him. "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake:for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven." When the king returns from the far country and calls His own servants
around Him, it will be wonderful to hear Him say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant:
thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into
the joy of thy Lord" (Matt. 25:21).

Here let us pause a little. Let us consider carefully the many ways in which we may be faithful
or unfaithful. Are there not many shades of practical unrighteousness in the affairs of this life? But
they must all be flight up against and measured by a righteous standard. How solemn, though how
blessed the thought, of being manifested before the tribunal of Christ_of having every thought,
word, and act brought into the light, examined and estimated there. Do we expect to hear Him

say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant"? I do not press for an answer, but let your heart
answer to Him. Be manifested before Him now; seek to do the whole will of God in all things and
during all your earthly days. Considering what the Lord has said about our blessings here, what
must it be hereafter, when He will have everything His own way, and when every blessedness
shall have its full and everlasting reflection in us! May we, then, fear to sin, even though we may
have to suffer for it.

We come now to the closing beatitude of the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are ye, when men shall
revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake."
The promised blessing to the sufferers for Christ’s sake has some sweet and precious peculiarities
in it. And note that this promise is very personal. "Blessed are ye" rather than the abstract,
"Blessed are they." He is looking at the disciples around Him and, knowing what they would have
to pass through, He speaks directly to their hearts and gives them to feel His personal interest in
them and their personal nearness to Himself. This must always be the case when we suffer for His
name’s sake. This is a much higher thing than suffering for righteousness’ sake, though the two
may often go together. Many an upright mind has suffered for righteousness’ sake, who knew not
the Saviour’s love or His saving grace. Naturally upright, they would not stoop to deceive, and
suffered for it. Even natural uprightness is too straight for the crooked ways of this sad, deceitful
world. Oh, how difficult and trying is the path of the Christian in the midst of it all! He must live
and walk by the Word of the Lord and in communion with Him if he would be preserved from
a defiled conscience and a feeble testimony.

Suffering for Christ’s sake is the result of speaking about Him to others. Not merely giving a
decided no when we are asked or enticed to do what is wrong, but having an earnest heart that
watches every opportunity to speak about the blessed Lord and salvation, even, if possible, to
those who would put difficulties in our way. There are always plenty of worldly-wise Christians
near us to check zeal and hinder faithfulness by what passes under the fair name of prudence.

‘ There is a time and place for everything,” it may be suggested, "and there is no use in offending
others, losing your influence, and throwing away your prospects for life. Surely we are not called
upon to be always speaking about Christ and the gospel; you may cause your good to be evil
spoken of." Such fair speeches and plausible reasons may come from the lips of some lukewarm
Christian or mere professor of Christianity; and thus these people may, at least for a time, be
doing the enemy’s work. The voice is the enemy’s, regardless of whose lips have uttered the
words. We are certain it is not the voice of Jesus; His sheep hear His voice and follow Him.

When Christ is precious to our hearts, such reasonings have no power. We see Him to be worth
infinitely more than all that the world can do or give. The fair words of prudence fall to the
ground; grace triumphs. Christ is before the soul; He commands all its energy; His love inspires
the tongue; the lips cannot be refrained; His name burns in our hearts, it burns in our words, and
we long for it to burn in the hearts and on the lips of others.

In the proportion that Christ is before the soul, in the proportion that He commands it, in that
proportion will be our faithfulness and our sufferings. It may not be bodily suffering or even
worldly loss; but a very narrow path will be left for such to walk in, and a wide path of rejection.

Save for those who are in the same narrow way, such an one would be alone and despised in the
world. You may speak of religion in a general way, of preachers, of churches, of missions to the
heathen, of societies for doing good, and be popular; but speak of the Lord Himself, of His
precious blood, of the full assurance of salvation, of oneness with Hun in heaven, of separation
from the world, of standing apart from all its shows and entertainments, and you will rapidly
reduce the number of your friends. And as far as the enemy can gain power, you will be reviled
and persecuted for His name’s sake. It may be nothing more than cold rejection, a contemptuous
sneer, but the same spirit would lay the fagots and silence the witness in the flames of martyrdom.
Who were the most implacable enemies of the Lord and His servant Paul? The most religious men
in Israel. Is the world or human nature changed? We believe not.

But all this was anticipated by the blessed Lord, and graciously provided for. He thinks of
everything. The saints are never dearer to His heart than when despised and suffering for His
sake. "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of
evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad:for great is your reward
in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." Should they suffer unto
death, heaven will be their immediate home. "Great is your reward in heaven." And they will also
have the honor of following in the footsteps of those who suffered as the heralds of His
coming_who testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

The Lord grant that our meditations on these beautiful beatitudes may leave an indelible
impression of the Saviour’s character on the whole life of both the writer and the reader.