Kingdom, week 3: Persecution

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when others revile and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account."   (Matthew 5:10-11)

Persecution is what happens when someone holds a conviction, others disagree vehemently with it, and the latter makes life hard for the former.  This can either happen with physical persecution, emotional persecution, verbal, etc.  People have been persecuted for their race, their religious beliefs, their actions, their words, and anything else under the sun that has put them in opposition to others. 

Jesus here speaks of two kinds of persecution in His Kingdom: persecution for righteousness, and persecution for Him.
The first, righteousness, in this passage, simply refers to performing and acting in line with what is God's revealed will and purpose for us.  It refers to living life before God's face, and earnestly desiring His will to be done. 
People don't just hate God's word and will if they're atheists or if they live in a 10-Commandment-less culture.  People can live in a Biblical theocracy and still be hostile to it.  This is why people didn't receive Jesus when He came to Israel--they hated God, even though they thought they loved him.  In reality, their religious observance didn't flow out of love for God, but out of love for self, as all religion does.
Anyone willing to be persecuted for the sake of God's Word and will are promised two things: a) persecution, and b) God's Kingdom.  Since the Fall, man leans away from God and His Word, and so anyone who assumes His Word to be true and lives in light of it will be opposed.  But Jesus promises here that they'll receive the Kingdom.
This is because if they're hungry for God's righteousness, they'll be hungry for Jesus.  "If you believed Moses, you would believe me...if anyone's will is to do God's will, he'll know whether my teaching is from God" (John5:46, 7:17).  Simply, if you believe in God's Word, the truth therein, and live in light of it, you'll receive Jesus, because the Word leads you to Him and the salvation that He provides for us (see Galatians 3:24-26).

This leads us to the second persecution: for Jesus' sake.  It's no secret that Jesus is "the stumbling block" all throughout the Bible.  This is because He's the only way to God (see John14:6, 1 Timothy 2:5, and Hebrews 7:25), and He saves people by His grace and work, not by the peoples' work (see Isaiah 53:11-12, Luke 19:10, and 1 Timothy 1:15).  Very simply, Jesus is the King of God's Kingdom, and the only way into this Kingdom is through the King: Jesus. 
To be saved, one has to believe that they exist because God created them, that they're sinners in need of salvation, and that Jesus' perfect life which culminated in a bloody crucifixion and triumphant resurrection is the only way to salvation. 
This doesn't make them judgmental towards others.  It makes them citizens of a different "Kingdom" while still living in the same physical world as others.  And being "called to belong to Jesus" (Romans 1:6), they're called to shine their light so others see (Matt5:14), make disciples of all nations (Matt28:20), and bear witness to Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts1:8). 
So of course they'll be persecuted: they believe everyone (including themselves) is on their way to hell if not for Jesus having born their hell on himself on the cross, "to be received in faith".  Have you, Christian, ever talked to a non-believer about what you believe about Heaven and Hell?  It's even more uncomfortable than being a Broncos fan this past Sunday night around 8:00!

But it's the truth.  And Jesus' death and resurrection proves it to be true.  If you've repented and followed Him, you have no choice, not only to believe it, but to proclaim it.  "Make disciples of all nations...teaching them to obey all I've commanded you" were His words to us. 
The stakes being so high in the Bible run completely counter to the way our minds work.  But so is grace counter to our way of thinking.  God says He saves us by HIS powerful working (see Ephesians 2:10, Hebrews 4:12-13). 
As offensive as Jesus the Stumbling Block is to people (1Peter2:6-8), the proclamation about Him is what saves many of those offended people (1Peter1:23-24, cf Romans 1:16). Blessed are you for being persecuted for Christ's sake--it means you are "counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name" (Acts5:41), which puts you in a long line of witnesses who will receive an eternal inheritance.  And in many cases, blessed will be those who are standing within eye-shot of your being persecuted, because many of them will be saved.

Are you willing to suffer dishonor for Jesus?  He gave so much for us...how much have you given? 
One more thought: Jesus is telling us to be persecuted, not to be the persecutors.  Just because you have the truth doesn't mean you can smack people in the face with your every conviction.  Let the Holy Spirit do the discerning.  Be known for talking about Jesus, not for disagreeing with everything.  You will have opportunity to share conviction, but don't get to 5:10-11 in Matthew without first going through 5:3-9 ("blessed are...poor in spirit...meek...merciful...peacemakers...").  It is your humility which will "heap burning coals on peoples' heads", not your actually heaping burning coals on their heads.