Alert To The Hurt

“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.”
Matthew 5:11-12 (NIV)

I will never forget when I went to Beijing as president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Under cover of night, we met two pastors of underground churches. We switched cars repeatedly to ensure we weren’t followed. Meeting with me meant that these pastors could have been imprisoned or even killed. 

In Jesus’ greatest sermon, He promises this very situation. Today’s verse is part of the “beatitudes” in the Bible, telling you what a life of blessing looks like. And what if Jesus says that blessing looks like suffering? Would you still want to follow Him? 

This reference to persecution is the only beatitude that Jesus repeats. And when Jesus says something twice, it should get double our attention. Jesus wants you to know this:

When you stand with Jesus, you will suffer with Jesus. 

Jesus wants you to be alert to the hurt. As a follower of Jesus, you can expect to be insulted, persecuted, and slandered by the world. “Insult” in the original language means to “bite and chew with your teeth.” It means calling you vicious names or trying to chew you up and spit you out. 

Why? The true reason why you will be persecuted is not because of how you live, but because of how He lived. This world will hate you because they hate Jesus. 

And not only will people verbally abuse you, but Jesus says that His followers will be physically persecuted. Over 365 million people in the world suffer persecution for the sake of following Jesus. Whether it is physical or emotional persecution, Jesus promises it will happen. 

These truths are difficult to hear. We prefer to hear about God’s pleasant gifts of comfort and convenience. But the Word of God says that when you suffer with Him, you will also reign with Him (see 2 Timothy 2:12). Suffering with Jesus means you will be blessed with His resurrection life.

In other words, don’t wonder or worry why the world hates you. When you have Jesus’ blessing, you don’t need anything else.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Thank you for standing with me, even with everyone hated you. You bore condemnation for my sake. May I also be the kind of follower and friend who will stand with You, suffer with You, and rise to Your resurrected life even now. In Jesus’ name and for His sake, amen.