The Sermon on the Mount (15)

Rev. C. Vogelaar, Clifton, NJ

There are great privileges but also duties for God’s children. Let there be reverence towards God. They should behave as children and be content with what the Lord gives. Let there be love to Him which is shown in a tender walk in the fear of His name. We have mentioned the marks of these children in the beatitudes. This is the last one of them. It seems to be strange that the peacemakers will be persecuted. The life of true pilgrims is full of strange paradoxes. They rejoice with joy unspeakable, yet they mourn with a lamentation which the world does not know. Also, this beatitude shows something which we would not expect. Should not peacemakers be respected, loved, and appreciated? In verse 11, the Lord Jesus says they will be persecuted: “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely.”

Persecution

They will be persecuted, or literally, the Greek meaning is “to pursue, to harass, trouble, or molest” as Saul of Tarsus did to the church. We know that David was hunted or pursued by King Saul, and he had to flee from place to place. That is also the meaning of the word in this beatitude. The world hates the true believer. In Matthew 10:22, we read, “And ye shall be hated of all men for My name’s sake.” We also read in Matthew 24:9, “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name’s sake.” The Saviour also speaks of it in John 15:19, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”

This persecution may be manifest in different forms. Men may ignore, exclude, or discriminate against God’s people. They may slander them as happened in the history of the early Christian church. Persecution also took place by torturing believers, putting them into camps, or killing them. How many of them were thrown before the lions in the arenas in the Roman Empire? In the time of the Reformation, many were brought to the stake and burned. Because they gathered in hidden places, they were accused of immorality; they were dealt with as atheists because they did not worship the emperor. In our days in several countries of the world, true Christians also experience such violence and hatred, and many have to give their life for their confession. Let us remember in our prayers the suffering church in Communist or Muslim countries.

This persecution, however, may also take place in more subtle ways as when Christians come into conflict with the anti-discrimination laws. In practice, this means that tolerance is proclaimed, but severe intolerance is experienced by those who cannot bow before the idol of the anti-discrimination law and want to be obedient to the higher law of the King of the Church.

We may well wonder why this all did and does take place! What is the cause of this hatred of those who are called peacemakers? What is the explanation of this undeserved hatred? We say undeserved because it is not caused by provoking, offending, high-minded, or proud attitudes. It is true, God’s people also have their own character, and the Lord tells them, “Be ye wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” The Lord has said, “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” The Lord Jesus Himself says what the cause of this is.

Cause of this persecution

He says, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” That is why they are persecuted. They are the same as in verse 6, where it says, “They which do hunger and thirst after righteousness.” There is a righteousness which is only in Christ Jesus that is needed by all of us. It is the righteousness by which people will be able to stand blameless before God. Christ merited this. However, righteous also means a walk according to His will, and here we have the explanation. The world hates Christ and also those who love Him, seek Him, and hunger for Him. The walk of these pilgrims on earth accuses them. We could say it this way—those true citizens of the kingdom of God, of which we read the marks in these beatitudes, are persecuted because they are different.

In our days, people love to speak about diversity. Also, our young people studying at colleges are instructed to respect diversity in many aspects. However, there seems to be one exception to this rule: if you seek to walk in obedience to the Lord, separate from the world, and you do not follow its fashions and customs, then this may be taken as an attitude that condemns the world. It is true that worldly people sometimes have to admit that there is something of respect for God’s dear children, that their life makes some impression upon those who are strangers of it. God prevents by the withholding hand of His common goodness that which lives in the heart of His enemies from becoming openly manifested. Yet, this is the testament of the Saviour, “In the world ye shall have tribulation,” and that also implies being persecuted, looked down upon, excluded, and ignored as if you do not belong in this time and were born a couple hundred years too late. The Lord, however, also comforts those who are persecuted when He says, “Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Reward

Also, in the first beatitude, we read this promise, “For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This is a reward by grace. One of our forefathers says, “The cross is the golden ladder by which we climb up to heaven.” A crown of honour is waiting for God’s people. The Apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:7&8, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but to all them also that love His appearing.” The Apostle John on the isle of Patmos saw them as coming out of the great tribulation and worshiping the Lord before the throne.

The Lord will deliver His Church, and He promises, “I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him” (Psalm 91:15). The Lord Jesus was persecuted, reviled, and cast out, but in Him people that were despised will be more than conquerors. Oh, there are no words to describe what the Lord has laid in store for those who fear Him.

This last beatitude is also a very searching one. It is true that God’s children realize their weakness and sometimes fear that when heavy persecution comes to them, they will deny Him. They need to be kept by the power of God unto salvation. Yet, there is something in their heart which the Lord Himself has put there, that is, they are afraid that His name would be dishonoured because of them and they desire His glory. Where do we belong? To the enemies? That is, to those who never learn to bow before Him, never lay down their weapons and surrender unto Him, maintaining themselves perhaps with a little religion but without His love. Or, are we pilgrims and sojourners on earth knowing that this is not the land of rest, and do we long to give Him all the honour? Blessed are those who are glad when they experience something of His nearness. With that nearness, martyrs could sing in the flames on the burning stake, and a tried Church may by moments lift up their head in the furnace of affliction. The time is coming that the Lord will deliver them from themselves, from their enemies; that is His promise. They will see Him as He is and honour and rejoice in Him.

(This concludes the articles in this series.)

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen