Blessed they who are persecuted on account of righteousness, for *theirs* is the kingdom of the heavens.
The list of blessings ends with one for people who are attacked for doing right. Why does living God's way cost something, and what does the Lord promise in return?
The first seven blessings describe character. This one describes what that character brings on the disciple:
This verse stands apart from the seven blessings before it. They deal with what true disciples of the Lord Jesus are like and how they behave. Here the Lord speaks about the results of their righteous behaviour. As long as He does not reign as King of righteousness, people who live by God's principles and thoughts will face persecution and suffering.
Righteousness here is a way of living, not a theory. The world admires much of it — until it costs someone:
Practical righteousness means living by the Word of God and His principles. The world values love of the truth, honesty, faithfulness and respect for other people too… But suppose an employer asked his Christian employee to hide the truth in a situation that was awkward for him. Suppose he asked him to tell a lie instead, or to help with a dishonest deal. What will happen when the employee says: "I can't do this, because it does not agree with the Word of God"? … Many a believer has lost his job because he would not share in the unrighteousness of this world.
Verse 10 and verse 11 are not saying the same thing twice. One suffering keeps the conscience clean; the other answers Christ's claim on the heart:
So the two kinds of persecution in verses 10 to 12 bring in the double character we find in the letters — suffering for righteousness' sake, and suffering for Christ's sake. These are two completely different things. Where righteousness is the question, a person is simply brought to the point. If I do not stand and suffer here, my conscience will be stained. But this is in no way suffering for Christ's sake. In short, conscience is what comes in where righteousness is the question. Suffering for Christ's sake is not a question of open sin, but of His grace and its claims on my heart.
This difference runs through the rest of Scripture too, and one is greater than the other:
If we suffer for righteousness' sake, we are happy — and we are still more blessed if we suffer for His name… The Lord Himself makes this difference between suffering for righteousness and suffering for Christ (Matthew 5:10-11), and so does Peter (1 Peter 2:20; 3:17; 4:14).
The reward here repeats the one given to the poor in spirit at the start of the list:
Here the list clearly begins over again. The first blessing was, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," and the next three were all marked by righteousness. Poverty of spirit is the first thing God works in a newly born soul… But here the point is not so much what they are, as what others make their lot. The last two blessings speak of what the world hands out to them. The first four are marked by righteousness within — the last three by grace within.
The promise is not that the pressure will lift today. The present order is temporary:
If you are poor in spirit, if you do not stand up for your rights, what do you get in this world? You get persecution. People laugh at you as a madman. Here is the difference between this world as it is now and the coming age when the King reigns: now righteousness suffers, then righteousness will reign. For now you must do good, suffer for it, and bear it patiently, because the kingdom is hidden and the King is out of sight… This suffering may come in many shapes — in your business, your family, or from your neighbour.
Many assume persecution means violence. The Lord's own wording widens it:
Let us be careful not to become persecutors ourselves. Some think there is no persecution except fire and sword. Yes, there is persecution of the tongue… You can kill a man in his good name as truly as in his body. A good name is as precious as costly ointment. To strike another person in his name is what our Saviour calls persecution.
- Character first. The first seven blessings shape who a disciple is. This one shows what that life brings while the King is still rejected.
- Righteousness defined. It is living by God's Word in daily matters — the honesty an employer praises until it costs him something.
- Conscience engaged. You suffer for righteousness when saying no is the only way to keep a clean conscience. You suffer for Christ's sake when His claims draw out your heart.
- Kingdom promised. The same reward given to the poor in spirit closes the list — the kingdom belongs to those the world pushes out.
- Order reversed. Now righteousness suffers and the kingdom is hidden. When the King reigns in the open, righteousness will reign with Him.
Blessed are ye when they may reproach and persecute you, and say every wicked thing against you, lying, for my sake.
In the verse just before, the Lord describes a kind of person. Here He turns and speaks straight to the men in front of Him. Three details carry the weight: the change of pronoun, the new reason — no longer righteousness but "on my account" — and the small word "falsely."
The previous verse speaks about a group; this one speaks to a group. Writers see the shift as deliberate warmth rather than a stylistic accident.
Notice another difference in verses 10 and 11. In Matthew 5:10 it is "Blessed are they." In Matthew 5:11 it is "Blessed are you." When real suffering for Himself is in view, He drops the abstract wording as too cold. He makes it personal: "Blessed are you." Why? Because you are linked with Him now.
The reason for the ill-treatment has moved as well. Verse 10 gives righteousness; here the reason is a Person.
It is not now for righteousness' sake, but "for My sake." There is something still more precious than righteousness, and that is Christ. And when you have Christ, you can have nothing higher. Truly blessed to be persecuted for His sake!
What provokes the hostility differs in each case.
Here the Lord does not speak of sufferings for righteousness' sake, but of abuse, persecution and evil words for His sake. This is connected with the Person of our Lord and the confession of His Name. Suffering for righteousness comes from our moral attitude and actions. Suffering for Jesus' sake comes from our confession of Him.
The blessing does not rest on being disliked. One word guards the whole verse from misuse.
Our walk in the world should have the character of white linen. Sometimes people say: it is a good thing when people speak evil against you. The Lord Jesus said, "Blessed are you when others ... utter all kinds of evil against you." Yes, He did — but with the added words, "falsely" and "on my account." If it is for Christ's sake, and false, we can bless God for it. But let us make sure it is not because the garment is stained by the flesh. That would be to our shame, and a misrepresentation of our blessed Lord. In the same line with this is 1 Peter 4:14: "If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you."
One writer reads the change from "they" to "you" as marking two different experiences. A believer cannot produce the second one, and the Lord walked that road first.
Why is it "they" in verse 10, and "you" in verse 11? The one is doing the will of God, His revealed will. The other is suffering for the sake of the Lord Jesus, and that is a gift of God. Every true saint of God suffers with Christ — not to the same extent... And in a thousand ways we suffer with Christ, but it is not everyone who suffers for Him; that is a gift: "to you it has been granted for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for his sake."
The Lord's choice of word rules out treating this as a rare hazard for a few unlucky believers.
By using the word "when" the Lord shows He is not hinting at something that may happen. He is pointing to a fact we should expect. Those who take the side of our Lord and Saviour, confessing Him openly and bravely, will reap contempt, mockery and scorn... Some meet such a confession with a pitying smile. But as soon as the believer shows he is a Christian by his conduct as well, rejection and hatred follow.
If suffering on His account follows confession, it has a starting point — and a familiar set of voices that head it off.
Suffering for Christ's sake is the result of speaking about Him to others. It is not merely a firm no when someone asks or tempts us to do wrong. It is an earnest heart that watches for every chance to speak about the blessed Lord and salvation... There are always plenty of worldly-wise Christians near us who check our zeal and hinder faithfulness — all under the fair name of prudence.
- Confession — good behaviour is not the trigger. Suffering for righteousness follows how we live; suffering on His account follows whom we name.
- Personal — Christ Himself is now the cause, so He drops "they" for "you"; the sufferer is linked with Him.
- Gift — every believer suffers with Christ; suffering for Him is a gift God grants.
- Certain — He says "when," not "if"; contempt is the expected return for taking His side.
- Falsely — the blessing rests only on false charges borne for His sake, never on reproach we have earned.