Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 5:10
Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
10, 11. for righteousness’ sake. for my sake ] Observe these limitations. The cause in which a man suffers is everything. Many Galilan zealots who had been persecuted, reviled, traduced, when they rose against Herod or the Roman power had no share in this blessedness.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Blessed are they which are persecuted – To persecute means literally to pursue; follow after, as one does a flying enemy. Here it means to vex, or oppress one, on account of his religion. They persecute others who injure their names, reputation, property, or who endanger or take their life, on account of their religious opinions.
For righteousness sake – Because they are righteous, or are the friends of God. We are not to seek persecution. We are not to provoke it by strange sentiments or conduct; by violating the laws of civil society, or by modes of speech that are unnecessarily offensive to others. But if, in the honest effort to be Christians, and to live the life of Christians, others persecute and revile us, we are to consider this as a blessing. It is an evidence that we are the children of God, and that he will defend us. All that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, 2Ti 3:12.
Theirs is the kingdom of heaven – They have evidence that they are Christians, and that they will be brought to heaven.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Mat 5:10
Persecuted for righteousness.
Persecution
I. In what religious persecution consists.
1. Negative persecution which falls short of violence.
2. Domestic persecution.
3. Private persecution.
4. Public persecution.
II. The folly and wickedness of those who inflict persecution.
1. It is contrary to mound reason.
2. It is contrary to sound policy.
3. It is contrary to Scripture.
4. Persecution for righteousness is virtually aimed at Christ.
III. The happiness of those who endure it.
1. They are furnished with satisfactory evidence of the sincerity of their religion.
2. They are blessed in the enjoyment of those consolations which are generally administered under circumstances of persecution.
3. They largely share the sympathy of the children of God.
4. They are encircled with high associations, so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
5. They are blessed in extensive usefulness.
6. Great reward in heaven.
7. Let us be thankful that we are happily exempted, in a great measure, from the evil of persecution.
8. Let us not go out of our way to provoke persecution.
9. Support those who suffer persecution. (E. Clagton.)
I. The nature of true religion.
1. Its principles-These are spiritual-unpopular-present. Not something without a man, but within. Not of earth, but from above. They are: poverty of spirit, docility of mind, intense aspirations after God, purity of heart.
2. Its practice. Penitential sorrow, mercy, peaceableness, endurance.
II. The blessedness of those who possess true religion. They have peace, true satisfaction. They enjoy all spiritual blessings they are children of God-then all things are theirs.
1. Have you in possession the principles of true religion?
2. Do you daily reduce them to practice? (Good Seed for the Lords Sowers.)
Persecution for righteousness sake.
I. What persecution is. It is more than affliction. It is cruel and unjust.
II. The subjects of persecution. Many suffer for their own peculiarities.
III. The promise belonging to it-Great is your reward in heaven. (W. Reeve, M. A.)
Persecution.
I. The persecutions which attend the followers of Christ.
1. It is seen in marked disrespect.
2. In the Christians company being avoided.
3. In ridicule and slander.
II. The causes of persecution.
1. The degenerate state of the world.
2. The influence which Satan exercises over the minds of men.
3. The conduct of Christians in the world.
III. The manner in which we are called to suffer persecution. Rejoice, etc.
1. Because the terra of our suffering at most can be but short.
2. Because we suffer in a righteous cause.
3. Because we have the most illustrious example.
4. Because if we suffer with Christ we shall also reign with Him.
IV. The encouragement afforded.
1. So persecuted they the Prophets.
2. They possess the kingdom of heaven.
3. Great is their reward in heaven. (J. Jordan.)
I. The grounds of persecution.
II. The times.
1. In heathen lands.
2. When its professors are despised, and in a minority.
3. When their doctrines strongly clash with reigning maxims and controlling interests.
III. The ways.
1. Reviling.
2. Slandering.
3. Injuring.
4. Destroying:
IV. The extent.
1. Upon property.
2. Upon relatives.
3. Upon good name.
4. Upon life.
V. The rewards. (L. O. Thompson.)
The blessedness of persecution.
I.
1. See this illustrated.
2. The form of the persecution. Reviling, injurious treatment, slander.
3. The ground of it. Because righteous.
4. The source of it. Enmity against God.
II. To view persecution as a ground of rejoicing.
1. As an attestation of Christian goodness.
2. It connects you with the Prophets.
3. It brings great reward in heaven. Expect persecution; bear it; profit by it. (T. G. Horton.)
I. True godliness is usually attended with persecution.
1. Christ died to take the curse from us, not the cross.
2. Piety will not shield us from suffering.
3. The way to heaven, though full of roses in regard of the comforts of the holy, is full of thorns in regard of persecutions.
4. Before Israel reached Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey, they must go through a wilderness of serpents and a Red Sea.
5. So, the children of God in their passage to the Holy Land, must meet with fiery serpents and a Red Sea of persecution.
II. Christianity is sanctity joined with suffering.
1. Saints carry Christ in their hearts, and the cross on their shoulders.
2. Christ and His cross are never parted.
3. It is too much for a Christian to have two heavens-one here and one hereafter.
4. What is the meaning of the shield of faith, the helmet of hope, the breastplate of patience, but to imply that we must encounter with sufferings?
III. Was Christs head crowned with thorns, and do we think to be crowned with roses?
1. If we are Gods gold, it is not strange to be cast into the fire.
2. Persecutions are pledges of Gods love, badges of honour.
3. In the sharpest trial there is sweetest comfort; Gods fanning His wheat is but to make it purer. (Thomas Watson.)
I. What is persecution?
1. An abuse of power employed to the harm of another, with something of eagerness, pursuit, and perseverance.
2. No mortal is so weak, so wholly destitute of power, but that he has wherewithal to be some way or other upon the offensive; so there is no one in his turn is not some way or other capable of persecution.
3. The meanest vassals upon earth can have the insolence to say, With our tongue we will prevail! our lips are our own, who is lord over us?
II. Persecution for righteousness sake. Men may be said to suffer persecution for righteousness sake when they suffer for doing the duties of their stations, not in those acts alone which respect the faith and worship of God (though these more especially), but throughout the whole stage of Christian virtue, as princes, magistrates, subjects, or Christians.
1. When a prince is made uneasy by potent factions in the government, when designs for public good are directly opposed, or artificially frustrated, then is he persecuted.
2. When a magistrate finds a weight thrown in the scales of justice, and the furious power of parties bears heavy on his hands, then is he persecuted.
3. When a faithful subjects good deeds are lessened and undervalued or skillfully ascribed to ill ends: in a word, whenever he suffers in his goods or good name for adhering unmovably to an even course of duty, then is he persecuted.
4. When a mans sobriety and conscientiousness are traduced as preciseness; his firm adherence to well-established principles, as stiffness, bigotry, and narrowness of mind; his moderation disputed-then is he persecuted. (Lancelot Blackburn.)
Persecution, in the Scriptural use of the term, is evil treatment on a religious account.
I. It is the infliction of an injury, or the withholding of a right, because the person thus persecuted renders what he regards a duty to his God.
(1) Every person who suffers in his name, person, or family, for the faithful discharge of what he considers to be his duty to God, and who is actuated,
(2) not by a spirit of pride, or affected singularity, but by a
(3) commendable regard to Divine authority, and a
(4) sincere intention of promoting the interests of Christianity, and the good of man, is persecuted for righteousness sake.
II. There are other modes of persecution.
1. The carnal mind in its enmity against God has devised crafty and cruel schemes for the vexation and embarrassment of the servants of Christ.
(1) There is persecution by speech.
(2) Men shall revile you. (J. E. Good.)
Mean things dignified
It is said of Joan, Countess of Shrewsbury, that in the midst of court festivities, she let her garter fall unawares; and, upon her blushing at the accident, the king took it up in his hand, whereat the nobility smiled. Well, said the king, I will make this an honourable ornament ere long. Upon that came the Order of the Knights of the Garter, the garter thus becoming an ornament of the highest order. If man can put honour on such mean things, then God much more. He ennobleth reproaches, and sanctifieth afflictions to His children, and maketh the sufferings of His servants as so many ensigns of heavenly nobility. If men had but the true skill of Christianity, they would be ambitious of the crown of martyrdom, and look upon it as a blessed thing when men speak all manner of evil of them. (Spencer.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 10. They which are persecuted] , they who are hard pressed upon and pursued with repeated acts of enmity. Parkhurst. They are happy who suffer, seems a strange saying: and that the righteous should suffer, merely because they are such, seems as strange. But such is the enmity of the human heart to every thing of God and goodness, that all those who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution in one form or other. As the religion of Christ gives no quarter to vice, so the vicious will give no quarter to this religion, or to its professors.
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.] That spiritual kingdom, explained Mt 3:2, and that kingdom of glory which is its counterpart and consequence.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The men of the world judge those men very unhappy and miserable whom their rulers make the objects of their wrath and malice, and pursue violently to the loss of their estates, liberties, or lives, never considering the cause for which they are so pursued: but they are quite mistaken; for that man who is pursued by such violence, and hunted upon this account, because to please men he durst not sin against God, but labours to keep a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men, Act 24:16, is a blessed man; and if he be hunted out of the kingdoms of the earth, yet he shall be hunted but to heaven, for to such men belongeth the kingdom of God in glory, Jam 1:12; 1Pe 3:14; 4:13.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
10. Blessed are they which arepersecuted for righteousness’ sake, c.How entirely this finalbeatitude has its ground in the Old Testament, is evident from theconcluding words, where the encouragement held out to endure suchpersecutions consists in its being but a continuation of what wasexperienced by the Old Testament servants of God. But how, it may beasked, could such beautiful features of character provokepersecution? To this the following answers should suffice: “Everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light,lest his deeds should be reproved.” “The world cannot hateyou but Me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereofare evil.” “If ye were of the world, the world would lovehis own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen youout of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” “Thereis yet one man (said wicked Ahab to good Jehoshaphat) by whom we mayinquire of the Lord: but I hate him; for he never prophesied goodunto me, but always evil” (Joh 3:20;Joh 7:7; Joh 15:19;2Ch 18:7). But more particularly,the seven characters here described are all in the teeth of thespirit of the world, insomuch that such hearers of this discourse asbreathed that spirit must have been startled, and had their wholesystem of thought and action rudely dashed. Poverty of spirit runscounter to the pride of men’s heart; a pensive disposition, in theview of one’s universal deficiencies before God, is ill relished bythe callous, indifferent, laughing, self-satisfied world; a meek andquiet spirit, taking wrong, is regarded as pusillanimous, and raspsagainst the proud, resentful spirit of the world; that craving afterspiritual blessings rebukes but too unpleasantly the lust of theflesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life; so does a mercifulspirit the hard-heartedness of the world; purity of heart contrastspainfully with painted hypocrisy; and the peacemaker cannot easily beendured by the contentious, quarrelsome world. Thus does”righteousness” come to be “persecuted.” Butblessed are they who, in spite of this, dare to be righteous.
for theirs is the kingdom ofheavenAs this was the reward promised to the poor inspiritthe leading one of these seven beatitudesof course it isthe proper portion of such as are persecuted for exemplifying them.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Blessed are they which are persecuted,…. Not for any crimes they have done, for unrighteousness and iniquity, as murderers, thieves, and evildoers, but
for righteousness sake: on account of their righteous and godly conversation, which brings upon them the hatred and enmity of the men of the world: for saints, by living righteously, separate themselves from them, and profess themselves not to belong to them; their religious life sets a brand upon, and distinguishes other persons; yea, it reproves and condemns their wicked lives and practices; and this fills them with wrath against them, and puts them on persecuting them: or by “righteousness” may be meant, a righteous cause, the cause of Christ and his Gospel; for by making a profession of Christ, showing a concern for his interest, and by engaging in a vindication of his person and truths, saints expose themselves to the rage and persecution of men: and particularly, they are persecuted for preaching, maintaining, or embracing, the doctrine of justification by the righteousness of Christ; because it is not of man, nor agreeable to the carnal reason of man; it is opposite to the way of justification, which men naturally receive; it excludes boasting, and is contrary to their carnal and selfish principles: persecution is either verbal with the tongue, by cruel mockings and reproachful language; or real, by deeds, such as confiscation of goods, banishment, imprisonment of body, and innumerable sorts of death: the latter seems here more especially designed, and both are expressed in the following verse; and yet the saints, though thus used, or rather abused, are happy;
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven: the same blessedness is predicated of these as of the poor in spirit, ver. 3.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
That have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake ( ). Posing as persecuted is a favourite stunt. The kingdom of heaven belongs only to those who suffer for the sake of goodness, not who are guilty of wrong.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake:” (makarioi hoi dedlogmenoi eneken dikaiosunes) “Spiritually prosperous or blessed are those who have been and/or are now persecuted for righteousness’ sake,” or because of righteousness, because you follow me. The “they” first, primarily referred to was not just a general generic statement, a generalization statement, though the principle is true. But our Lord was specifically applying this principle of prosperity blessings to then be resting upon those disciples (as a church), who had come up close to Him for this special hour of beatitude pronouncements to and for them, Mat 5:1-2.
2) “For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (hoti auton estin he basilela ton ouranon) “Because of them is, or theirs is (exists) the kingdom of heaven;” Our Lord simply asserts that this new covenant fellowship of disciples before Him (already) constituted His church, as John asserted “He that hath the bride is the bridegroom,” Joh 3:29.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
10. Happy are they who suffer persecution The disciples of Christ have very great need of this instruction; and the more hard and disagreeable it is for the flesh to admit it, the more earnestly ought we to make it the subject of our meditation. We cannot be Christ’s soldiers (369) on any other condition, than to have the greater part of the world rising in hostility against us, and pursuing us even to death. The state of the matter is this. Satan, the prince of the world, will never cease to fill his followers with rage, to carry on hostilities against the members of Christ. It is, no doubt, monstrous and unnatural, that men, who study to live a righteous life, should be attacked and tormented in a way which they do not deserve. And so Peter says,
“
Who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?” (1Pe 3:13.)
Yet, in consequence of the unbridled wickedness of the world, it too frequently happens, that good men, through a zeal of righteousness, arouse against them the resentments of the ungodly. Above all, it is, as we may say, the ordinary lot of Christians to be hated by the majority of men: for the flesh cannot endure the doctrine of the Gospel; none can endure to have their vices reproved.
Who suffer on account of righteousness This is descriptive of those who inflame the hatred, and provoke the rage, of wicked men against them, because, through an earnest desire to do what is good and right, they oppose bad causes and defend good ones, as far as lies in their power. Now, in this respect, the truth of God justly holds the first rank. Accordingly, by this mark Christ distinguishes his own martyrs from criminals and malefactors.
I now return to what I said a little before, that as, all that will live godly in Christ Jesus “(Paul informs us), shall suffer persecution,” (2Ti 3:12,) this admonition has a general reference to all the godly. But if, at any time, the Lord spares our weakness, and does not permit the ungodly to torment us as they would desire, yet, during the season of repose and leisure, it is proper for us to meditate on this doctrine, that we may be ready, whenever it shall be necessary, to enter the field, and may not engage in the contest till we have been well prepared. As the condition of the godly, during the whole course of this life, is very miserable, Christ properly calls them to the hope of the heavenly life. And here lies the main difference between Christ’s paradox and the ravings of the Stoics, who ordered that every man should be satisfied in his own mind, and should be the author of his own happiness: while Christ does not suspend our happiness on a vain imagination, but rests it on the hope of a future reward.
(369) “ Nous ne pouvons pas batailler sons l’enseigne de Jesus Christ a autre condition.” — “We cannot fight under the banner of Jesus Christ on any other condition.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(10) Persecuted for righteousness sake.Here again there is a profound significance in the order. The work of the peacemakers is not a light and easy work. Often, as of old, when we labour for peace, men make them ready for battle (Psa. 120:7); but not the less is the blessing sure to follow. Amid seeming failure or seeming success, those who are persecuted, not for opinions, but for right conduct, the true martyrs and confessors of righteousness, attain their reward at last. There is something suggestive in the fact that the last promise is the same as the first. We end, as we began, with the kingdom of heaven; but the path by which we have been led leads us to see that that includes all the intermediate blessings, of which at first it seemed but the prelude and beginning.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
10. Persecuted for righteousness Let us not suppose, however, that peacemakers in this world will always enjoy peace from men. In maintaining truth and right, and all those principles which truly make for the peace and blessing of the world, they will find room for the most heroic firmness, and for the bravest activity. They will find they have blows to take, and sufferings to endure. The scourge, the prison, and the stake have been their fate. But here is a benediction that can pay them for all And doubtless these simple words have, in all ages, consoled the sufferers for Christ in dungeons, under the rack, and amid the flame. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven To the persecutor belongs the kingdom of hell, but to the true sufferers for Christ belongs the kingdom of heaven. The persecution named in this eighth benediction seems to consist rather of bodily tortures and martyrdoms. Hence the reward is the glorified kingdom of God. In benediction first, the kingdom of God below a present reward for a present want is promised; but in benediction eighth, the kingdom of glory is the martyr’s reward.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“Blessed ones, those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the Kingly Rule of Heaven.”
Here those who are blessed by God ‘have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake’. This can hardly refer to His current disciples, for they are hardly yet in a position to have faced any real level of persecution. And if it had been meant to refer to them, why the change of tense? Thus the blessed ones spoken of are in the past, which is confirmed by the introduction of the present listeners in Mat 5:11. For John, who is specifically said to have ‘come in the way of righteousness’ (Mat 21:32), had certainly been persecuted ‘for righteousness’ sake’, and we may see it as very probable that some of his faithful disciples had suffered with him in one way or another. They would not have sat idly by while he was hauled off to prison, and they may well have been roughly handled when they visited him, as very bravely they continued to do (Mat 11:2). And they may also have come in for mistreatment in the synagogues as well, in the same way as Jesus’ disciples would later. So Jesus may here be pointing His disciples in that direction as an example.
The past tense may, however, also be seen as including the prophets (who are specifically referred to in Mat 5:12) and others who in the past have suffered ‘for righteousness’ sake’. There were in fact no lack of heroes of the faith in the past (Heb 11:35-38). And that such would enjoy the Kingly Rule of Heaven is implicit in Mat 8:11 where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are also seen as enjoying it. If this is so then this reference to the persecution of others in the past is a timely warning to His disciples of what they too can expect (see Mat 10:17-23), and an assurance that the saints of the past will not lose out, any more than they will. (It also confirms the exclusion of this beatitude from the original list of beatitudes). And the whole point is that these things happened to God’s blessed ones in the past, with the consequence being their enjoyment of His Kingly Rule. This is then ample confirmation that His present blessed ones will experience the same.
The persecution of the prophets is a clear theme in 2Ch 36:16, see also 1Ki 19:10 ; 1Ki 19:14; Neh 9:26; Jer 2:30, so that Jesus was by no means the first to draw attention to it (Mat 21:34-36; Mat 23:29-31; Mat 23:35). Indeed, as He points out, the persecutors drew attention to it themselves (Mat 23:30). Jesus is thus aligning His present disciples with the past, as part together of all God’s purposes through history.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Persecution of the Godly, And the Blessedness That Is Seen To Be Theirs As A Result. They Will Therefore Be Like The Prophets Of Old Who Were Also Persecuted (5:10-12).
Analysis of Mat 5:10-12 a
b For theirs is the Kingly Rule of Heaven” (Mat 5:10 b).
c Blessed are you when men shall reproach you, and persecute you (Mat 5:11 a).
d And say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake (Mat 5:11 b).
c Rejoice, and be extremely glad (Mat 5:12 a).
b For great is your reward in Heaven (Mat 5:12 b).
a For so persecuted they the prophets who were before you” (Mat 5:12 c).
Note how in ‘a’ reference is made to the persecuted for righteousness’ sake, and in the parallel reference is made to the persecuting of the prophets. In ‘b theirs is the Kingly Rule of Heaven and in the parallel great is their reward in Heaven. In ‘c’ those who are reproached and persecuted are blessed, and in the parallel they are to rejoice and be very glad, and centrally in ‘d’ the cruelty of the treatment of His people is emphasised.
As we have already noted this section also follows a threefold pattern. ‘You’ (His disciples) are addressed, and are advised that firstly they are to be persecuted for His sake (Mat 5:10-12), secondly that they are to be the salt of the earth (Mat 5:13), and thirdly that they are to be the light of the world (Mat 5:14-16).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Persecution of the Godly, And the Blessedness That Is Seen To Be Theirs As A Result. They Will Therefore Be Like The Prophets Of Old Who Were Also Persecuted, And Will Be The Salt Of The Earth And The Light Of The World (5:10-16).
It will be noted that we have not included Mat 5:10 in the above series of beatitudes, even though it appears to follow precisely the same pattern, and in spite of the fact that at first sight it appears to be the tail end of an inclusio made up of ‘theirs is the Kingly Rule of Heaven’ in Mat 5:3; Mat 5:10. And yet there is good reason for not doing so, for once examined more carefully it will be seen that it does not actually strictly follow the same pattern as the previous verses.
The previous seven beatitudes are all of a kind. They have indicated the present spiritual condition of those whom God has blessed, including aspects such as poverty of spirit, a state of mourning, meekness, hunger and thirst for righteousness, an attitude of mercy, purity of heart and the heart of a peacemaker. It is not a question of anyone choosing between them. All have in varying degrees been worked into the hearts of those who have been blessed by God. But this ‘eighth’ beatitude, very much refers to something done to people in the past, even though still effective in the present time, and is therefore not strictly parallel to them. It is very much ‘the odd one out’. Rather than having in mind the present position of His disciples as the other beatitudes do, it has in mind what has happened to people who are seen as connected with the past (they ‘have been and are persecuted’). They also were ones blessed by God, but they are not specifically those addressed in Mat 5:3-9.
Thus Mat 5:10 is neither referring to anyone’s spiritual condition, nor is it looking at the present, both of which are an essential aspect of Mat 5:3-9. Its conformation with them is thus in form not in substance. It does not fit into their pattern.
The exclusion of it from the list of beatitudes is further supported by the fact that it fits better into the context if it is seen as introducing what follows, for, as can be seen from the chiasmus below, it fits very adequately into the pattern of the following verses. Furthermore, seeing it in this way also fits in with the idea of the seven previous ‘blessings’ as paralleling the seven ‘woes’ of chapter 23. Had the beatitude in Mat 5:10 exactly paralleled the other seven these considerations would have had to be thrust aside, but in view of the total difference in approach from the other seven these other considerations must be seen as gaining considerable weight.
Thus it seems more probable that we are to see Mat 5:10 as forming a very suitable continuation link between the seven blessings, and His following words which deal with the persecution of those to whom He is speaking, that is, as its being the introduction to Mat 5:10-12, rather than as being simply an eighth blessing of a slightly different kind to the others. And as we shall see His words in Mat 5:10 do actually form an important introduction to the theme that follows.
(We have no ardent quarrel with the majority who wish to make it an eighth rather distinctive beatitude, something which might be seen as supported by its parallel ending to that in Mat 5:3, for after all, the two statements referring to the present possession of the Kingly Rule of God would make a good inclusio. Nevertheless in our view the overall evidence is against it and it interferes with the argument).
So we would suggest that its exclusion from the previous list would seem to be supported by two facts:
1). This beatitude is different in emphasis from the other seven, referring to something that is done to blessed ones, rather than to an attitude that they are to maintain.
2). This beatitude does not refer to the present in the way that the other seven beatitudes appear to do, but specifically refers back to the past. Had it been intended to be one of a group of eight why should there be such a largely unnecessary change of tense?
Certainly its likeness to them in structure emphasises how closely the seven beatitudes are to be linked with it and what follows, but in view of the change of tense the persecuted and blessed ones of Mat 5:10 do not appear to be identical with the blessed ones of Mat 5:3-9 (who are in fact referred to in Mat 5:11). We can talk of timeless presents and the perfect taking an aoristic force as much as we like, but the question still remains as to why such a shift had to be resorted to. if it was a continuation of the beatitudes, why not simply have Mat 5:10 as a timeless present as well?
The question then that we must ask is why there was such a change of tense? And if it is not part of an inclusio why does it end with the same phrase as Mat 5:3?
In fact the first question is answered if we look at the balance of Mat 5:10-12. This small passage opens with – ‘Blessed ones those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake’, – and ends with – ‘so (as in Mat 5:11) persecuted they the prophets which were before you’. The parallel is clear. The former is then followed by, ‘for theirs is the Kingly Rule of Heaven, while the latter is preceded by ‘for great is your reward in Heaven’. Again the parallel is clear. The parallels and the balance are unmistakable. The whole emphasis of the passage is then based on Mat 5:10 introducing people who have been persecuted in the past. The idea is that having outlined how His disciples have been blessed He turns that idea of God’s blessing on the persecuted ones of the past, in order to introduce the idea to the disciples that they too must expect to be persecuted. Mat 5:10 thus includes the prophets, it includes famous martyrs of the past (see Hebrews 11), it includes John the Baptiser who has been persecuted and still is being persecuted, and it includes some of John’s disciples, who must surely also have suffered to some extent for their faithfulness to John, and were still doing so. These are shown to enjoy a similar blessedness to the people being described in Mat 5:3-9, and that in a phrase which is similar to and follows the pattern of Mat 5:3-9, while at the same time being intended to be introductory to Mat 5:11. Mat 5:12 then goes on to make the contrast with the prophets more specific.
In view of the fact that the disciples had not yet been persecuted their persecution could not simply be described in the same form as the previous beatitudes, for it had not happened. So we may see Jesus as devising this way of continuing the general pattern of the beatitudes by following them with a beatitude on persecution which clearly refers to those persecuted in the past, in such a way that it could then lead on to introducing the future persecution of the disciples, something which He was well aware was coming. It also had the intention of introducing the persecution of those in the past as an encouragement to the disciples. A blunt introduction of the disciples’ coming persecution without the encouragement of the fact that it had already been experienced by others might have been something that He saw as too abrupt. And besides He probably wished positively to give them that encouragement. Mat 5:13-16 can then be seen as explaining, by contrast, what will cause men to wish to treat them so badly. No one is more hated by the ungodly than those who act as salt and come bringing light.
The mention again of ‘for theirs is the Kingly Rule of Heaven’ then brings out that the prophets, and martyrs, and John and his disciples, will not lose out on the Kingly Rule of Heaven either, indeed they will have the same blessing as the current disciples in Mat 5:3. And if it be argued that the Kingly Rule of Heaven was not for them we simply point out that in Mat 8:11 it is made quite clear that figures from the past will also sit down in the heavenly Kingly Rule of Heaven.
This interpretation further explains the difference between ‘for righteousness’ sake’ in Mat 5:10 and ‘for My sake’ in Mat 5:11. John after all came ‘in the way of righteousness’ (Mat 21:32) and the blood of the prophets was ‘righteous blood’ (Mat 23:35). See also Mat 13:17 where the ‘righteous men’ certainly include those who have suffered in God’s name. So they suffered ‘for righteousness’ sake’, for the carrying forward of His purpose of deliverance (see on Mat 5:6), while for Jesus’ disciples there was the greater joy and privilege that they suffered ‘for His sake’. Note also how this places Jesus in a position at least on an equality with that of ‘righteousness’ (is this last a circumlocution for God on the same basis as the use of ‘Heaven’?).
By this means Jesus is seen to be bringing together the saints of the past and the present, while putting the main emphasis on those in the present, that is, His listeners, yet at the same time demonstrating that they are now being called on to carry on the witness (light) and preserving influence (salt) of the prophets. For Jesus’ new community this is evidence that they do not stand on their own. They are rooted firmly in the past, as the past is rooted firmly in them (Heb 11:40).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
It is inevitable that the reproach of Christ will strike the disciples in their endeavor to follow these rules, and so Jesus adds:
v. 10. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. In living these principles of Jesus and thus confessing Christ before men, the righteousness of the Christians’ lives tends to make them conspicuous before men, to make them seem different from, morally cleaner than, the others. And therefore the children of the world will resent this aloofness, construing their attitude as a criticism of their own behavior. The hatred of the world because of this belief results in persecution, Joh 15:19. The consolation of the followers of Christ, in that case, is that the various evidences of hatred which they must endure will be more than outweighed by their heritage, the kingdom heaven.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Mat 5:10. Blessed are they which are persecuted, &c. One might imagine that a person of the amiable temper and behaviour described in the last-mentioned beatitude would be the darling of mankind; but our Lord well knew it would not be so, as long as Satan was the prince of this world; he therefore warns them beforehand of the treatment which all were to expect, who were determined thus to tread in his steps, by subjoining, Happy are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake. “Instead of those pomps and pleasures, those victories and triumphs, in expectation of which you may now be crowding around me, my followers must prepare themselves for the severity of suffering, and through my grace courageously endure the greatest extremities, for the testimony of their consciences; for the cause of true righteousness, holiness, and virtue. Their richest treasure is beyond the reach of their most inveterate enemies, for they shall reign with God in everlasting glory.” This is the last of these sacred paradoxes, says Heylin; paradoxes to the world, but savoury and luminous truths inthe eye of right reason. This beatitude needs no farther explanation or proof, than what is obviousfrom the universal sentiment of mankind, who agree to place the heroic character in suffering for a good cause. So our Milton assures
That suffering for truth’s sake With fortitude, is highest victory.
Book 11:
This was the prerogative of the martyrs in the primitive church, and justice has since had its martyrs in all ages. After declaring the general axiom, our Lord applies it (continues this writer) to his disciples now present, to animate their zeal, who were to lead the van in this magnanimous combat, see Mat 5:11-16. But though what is here said may be peculiarly applicable to the apostles and ministers of Christ, yet there can be no doubt that it is also applicable to all those who come within the character here described; all who are holy themselves, the salt of the earth, and therefore capable of seasoning others.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Mat 5:10 . Comp. 1Pe 3:14 ; 1Pe 4:14 .
., as in Mat 5:6 . ., is, as to substance, not different from , Mat 5:11 . In communion with Christ there is righteousness, and in this is expressed the full Messianic consciousness , [396] the certain holy self-feeling of which for the persecuted begins (Act 9:4 ).
To take the . . . differently from Mat 5:3 (Kienlen in d. Stud. u. Krit . 1848, p. 678: Mat 5:5 is the entrance into the kingdom of God; Mat 5:10 , the consummation in the same, comp. Lange) is purely arbitrary. See rather the preceding remark.
[396] This putting forward the person as Lord and Master is, in Weizscker’s view, p. 151, a reason for regarding ver. 11 f. as a later explanation to the original text. But even in the whole train of the discourse that follows from ver. 17 onwards, such a personal assertion comes out strongly enough; comp. especially the constant symmetrical recurrence of , and immediately in ver. 17 the expression of the Messianic consciousness, , . . .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
DISCOURSE: 1294
PERSECUTION FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS SAKE
Mat 5:10-12. 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.
CHRISTIANITY, to one who is not acquainted with its real nature, must appear full of paradoxes. In the preceding verses, we are informed what practical religion is; and, in the parallel passage in St. Lukes Gospel, we have the same truths yet more plainly and explicitly declared [Note: Luk 6:20-26.]. Had any uninspired person avowed such sentiments, we should have been ready to pronounce him mad: for there is scarcely any thing which we regard with dread, but a blessing is annexed to it; or any thing which we consider as desirable, but a woe is denounced against it: the poor, the hungry, the weeping, the despised, are congratulated; and the rich, the full, the laughing, and the honoured, are represented as in a truly pitiable condition. But perhaps the greatest paradox of all is, that persons possessed of vital Christianity should be objects of persecution; that their piety should be the ground of that persecution; and that they should, on this very account, be esteemed happy. But so it is: and so it will appear; if we consider,
I.
The case here supposed
Our blessed Lord evidently supposes that his people will be persecuted for righteousness sake. But,
This, it must be confessed, is a very improbable case
[The very character of his people seems to preclude the idea. Were the disciples of Christ the very reverse of what they are, we might well expect them to be objects of hatred and contempt. But who can hate the humble, the meek, the pure, the peaceful, and those whose chief desire is to serve and honour God? What connexion can there be between the verses of our text, and the whole preceding context? One would imagine that the declaration before us was altogether destitute of any foundation in fact.
That their very righteousness should be the ground of their suffering, appears still more strange. If they were obnoxious to the charge of sedition, or to any thing else that rendered them bad members of society, one would not wonder that they should be evil treated on those accounts, notwithstanding they might in other respects be eminently holy. But that their conformity to Christ should be the true reason of the worlds enmity against them, seems incredible.]
But we are taught to expect that it would exist
[Our blessed Lord warned all his disciples, that they would receive, each in his appointed measure, the very same treatment as he received [Note: Joh 15:18-21; Joh 16:1-3.]. And his Apostles guard us against being surprised or offended at it [Note: 1Pe 4:12. 1Jn 3:13.].
We must not indeed imagine that our enemies will avow the real ground of their aversion: they will not say, I hate you for your piety: they will give some other name to piety: they will call it fanaticism, or hypocrisy; and under that character will raise up their voice against it. When the Jews threatened to stone our Lord, he said to them, Many good works have I done among you; for which of them do you stone me? They replied, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God [Note: Joh 10:32-33.]. In like manner they sought to put him to death for violating, as they alleged, the sanctity of the Sabbath day [Note: Joh 7:19; Joh 7:23.]. But whence came all this zeal for Gods honour, and for the observance of the Sabbath? Were they all so holy and so righteous? No: in the midst of all their pretended concern for Gods law, they were ready enough to violate it themselves, and even to commit murder: which was a demonstration, that the reasons they assigned were mere pretexts; and that the sanctity of his character was the true ground of their opposition to him. Precisely thus must we expect persecution, ostensibly as evil-doers, but really as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.]
And experience proves that it does exist
[Look at the holy men of old: where will ye find one who was not persecuted for righteousness sake? And are the descendants of Cain or of Ishmael extinct? Is not that which St. Paul spoke in reference to Ishmael, still found true? As then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now [Note: Gal 4:29.]. Christians are not indeed dragged, as formerly, to prison and to death: but shall we therefore say, that they are not persecuted? Are they not reviled? Have they not all manner of evil spoken against them falsely? Do not men separate them from their company, and reproach them, and cast out their name as evil, for the Son of Mans sake [Note: Luk 6:22.]? Yes truly: All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer, yea and do suffer, persecution [Note: 2Ti 3:12.]. There is not a single exception to be found. Times and circumstances may produce considerable difference in the nature or degree of opposition which may be made to the Lords people: but all will have to experience some. Christianity is the same in itself that it ever was: and it will be found the same in its effects. Christ came not to bring peace, but a sword [Note: Mat 10:34-36. Luk 12:51; Luk 12:53.]: and whoever gives himself up to Christ, must expect to find, that his greatest foes will be those of his own household.]
Granting, then, that this case does exist, let us consider,
II.
The light in which it should be viewed
To the eye of sense it has a very terrific aspect: but to the eye of faith it is by no means formidable: on the contrary, the believer views his persecutions,
1.
As a badge of honour
[He looks back on all the prophets; he looks at Christ and his Apostles; and sees that they all trod the same thorny path before him, and were made perfect through sufferings. Hence he views persecution as the reproach of Christ [Note: Heb 11:25-26.]; and, in submitting to it, considers himself as a partaker of Christs sufferings [Note: 1Pe 4:13.]. Whilst others consider him as degraded by the contempt cast upon him, he regards himself rather as exalted by it; he views it as turning unto him for a testimony [Note: Luk 21:12-13.], that he is indeed a faithful servant of his Lord. St. Paul, speaking of sufferings for Christs sake, represents them as a special gift of God, an honour bestowed upon us for Christs sake [Note: Php 1:29.]: and in this light all the Apostles regarded them: for when they had been imprisoned and scourged for their fidelity to their Divine Master, they went out of the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for Christs sake [Note: Act 5:41.]. Thus, Christian, shouldst thou do: thou shouldst glory in the cross of Christ [Note: Gal 6:14.]; thou shouldst take pleasure in persecutions for Christs sake [Note: 2Co 12:10.]; and instead of being ashamed of the indignities which thou sufferest, thou shouldst glorify God on account of them [Note: 1Pe 4:16.].]
2.
As a means of good
[Even at present the believer feels that his trials are subservient to his best interests [Note: Heb 12:11.]; that his tribulations tend to increase his patience, experience, and hope [Note: Rom 5:3-5.]; and bring him a hundredfold of blessings into his soul [Note: Mar 10:29-30.]. And when he looks forward to the eternal world, and considers how rich a recompence he shall there receive for every sacrifice which he has here made for God [Note: Heb 12:26.], he accounts himself happy in being called to bear the cross [Note: Jam 5:11.]. He knows that the trial of his faith will be found to praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ [Note: 1Pe 1:7.]; and that his afflictions, which are but light and momentary, will work for him a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory [Note: 2Co 4:8-11; 2Co 4:16-17.]. He expects assuredly the kingdom of heaven, because God has promised it to him [Note: 2Ti 2:12.]: yea, he expects more: he expects that his reward shall be great in heaven, and increased in proportion to his sufferings: he expects it also as a just retribution [Note: 2Th 1:6-7.]: but still he does not expect it as merited by those sufferings: he makes the atoning blood of Christ the only foundation of his hope: and it is for Christs merits, and not his own, that he is thus exalted. This distinction is accurately marked by the Apostle John; who, seeing in a vision all the martyred saints who had come out of much tribulation, tells us, that they had washed their robes, not in their own tears or blood, but in the blood of the Lamb; and that therefore they were before the throne of God [Note: Rev 7:14-15.]. Bear this in mind, my brethren, and do not hesitate to expect all that God has promised.]
3.
As a ground of joy
[Our blessed Lord, in reference to those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, says, Blessed are ye; and he calls upon them to rejoice, and be exceeding glad. To the same effect also his Apostles speak; congratulating every persecuted saint, and encouraging him to glory in all his tribulations [Note: Jam 1:2; Jam 1:12. 1Pe 3:14; 1Pe 4:12-16.]. Doubtless, afflictions are not joyous in themselves, but grievous: but, when regarded in the preceding views, they become real sources and grounds of joy. St. Paul was certainly a very competent judge: and he, after a careful computation founded on actual experience, says, I reckon that the sufferings of this present world are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us [Note: Rom 8:18.]. However painful therefore they may be, if only they conduce to our everlasting felicity, they must, and will, to every believing soul, be an occasion of joy. He will take joyfully the spoiling of his goods [Note: Heb 10:34.]; and, if his blood be poured out as a drink-offering upon the sacrifice and service of the Churchs faith, he will congratulate himself on it as a happy event, for which he has reason to bless and glorify his God [Note: Php 2:17.].]
Let me however subjoin a word of caution
[Take care that your cross is indeed the cross of Christ. If it be brought upon you by your own fault or imprudence, it is your own cross, and not the cross of Christ. See that you do not, from a pretended zeal for God, neglect or violate your duties to man. If you suffer, take care that it is for well-doing, and not for evil doing [Note: 1Pe 3:17.].]
Let me add also a word of encouragement
[God does not send you on a warfare at your own charges. He bids you to commit your soul to him in well-doing, with an assured hope that he will keep it [Note: 1Pe 4:19.]. Your merciful Saviour, who has trod the way before you, will sympathize with you under your trials [Note: Heb 4:15.], and overrule them all for good [Note: Rom 8:28.], and in due time put you safely, and for ever, beyond the reach of all [Note: Rev 7:16-17.].]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Ver. 10. Blessed are they that are persecuted ] To be persecuted (as simply considered) is no blessed thing; for then it were to be desired and prayed for. But let a man love a quiet life, and labour to see good days, said those two great champions, David and Peter, Psa 34:12 ; 1Pe 3:10 , who themselves had endured a world of persecution, and paid for their learning. The like counsel gives St Paul and the author to the Hebrews, 1Ti 2:2 ; 1Th 4:11 ; Heb 12:11 ; for they felt by experience how unable they were to bear crosses when they fell upon them. It was this Peter that denied his Master upon the sight of a silly wench that questioned him; and this David that changed his behaviour before Abimelech, and thereupon gave this advice to all that should come after him.
For righteousness’ sake ] This it is that makes the martyr a good cause and a good conscience. Martyrem facit causa, non supplicium, saith Augustine: not the suffering, but the cause makes a martyr. And Multum interest, et qualia quis, et qualis quisque patiatur, saith Gregory: it greatly skilleth, both what it is a man suffereth, and what a one he is that suffereth. If he suffer as an evildoer, he hath his mends in his own hands, Talia quisque luat, qualia quisque facit; but if for righteousness’ sake, as here, and if men say and do all manner of evil against you (falsely and lyingly, ) for my sake, as in the next verse, and for the gospel’s sake, as Mark hath it, this is no bar to blessedness: nay, it is a high preferment on earth, Phi 1:20 , and hath a crown abiding it in heaven, beyond the which mortal men’s wishes cannot extend. Ultra cuius excellentiam mortalium vota non extenduntur. (Scult.) But let all that will have share in these comforts, see that they be able to say with the Church, Psa 44:21-22 “Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of the hearts, that for thy sake we are slain continually.” Upon which words excellently St Austin, Quid est, inquit, novit occulta? quae occulta, &c. What secrets of the heart, saith he, are those that God is here said to know? Surely these, that for thy sake are we slain, &c.; slain thou mayest see a man, but wherefore or for whose sake he is slain, thou knowest not, God only knoweth. Potes videre hominem morte affici; quare mortificctur nescis, Res in occulto est. Sunt qui causa humanae gloriae paterentur, as that Father goeth on. There want not those that would suffer death (and seemingly for rightousness’ sake) only for applause of the world and vain glory: as Lucian telleth of Peregrinus the philosopher, that merely for the glory of it he would have been made a martyr. , et propterea ab Asiae proconsule dimissus est, tanquam ea gloria indignus. The Circumcelliones (a most pernicious branch of the heresy of the Donatists) were so desirous to obtain (by suffering) the praise of martyrdom, that they would seem to throw themselves down headlong from high places, or cast themselves into fire or water. Alexander the coppersmith was near martyrdom, Act 19:33 , who yet afterward made shipwreck of the faith, and became a bitter enemy to the truth that he had professed, 1Ti 1:19-20 ; 1Ti 4:14-15 . Felix Mauzius, an Anabaptist of Helvetia, being put to death for his obstinace and ill practices at Tigere, praised God that had called him to the sealing up of his truth with his blood, was animated to constancy by his mother and brother, and ended his life with these words, “Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” What could any hearty Hooper, trusty Taylor, or sincere Saunders have said or done more in such a case? It is not then the suffering, but the suffering for righteousness’ sake, that proverb a man blessed and entitleth him to heaven. The Philistines died by the fall of the house, as well as Samson; sed diverso fine, ac fato, as Bucholcer saith. Christ and the thieves were in the same condemnation. Similis poena, sed dissimilis causa, saith Austin: their punishment was all alike, but not their cause. Baltasar Gerardus the Burgundian that slew the Prince of Orange, June 30th, 1584, endured very grievous torments: but it was pertinace in him rather than patience; stupidity of sense, not a solidity of faith; a reckless disposition, not a confident resolution. Therefore no heaven followed upon it, because he suffered not as a martyr, but as a malefactor.
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven ] “Surely if there be any way to heaven on horseback, it is by the cross,” said that martyr, Bradford, that was hasting thither in a fiery chariot. The Turks account all them whom the Christians kill in battle, Mahometan saints and martyrs; assigning them a very high place in Paradise. In some parts of the West Indies there is an opinion in gross, that the soul is immortal, and that there is a life after this life, where beyond certain hills (they know not where) those that died in defence of their country should remain after death in much blessedness; which opinion made them very valiant in their fights. Should not the assurance of heaven make us valiant for the truth? Jer 9:3 ; should we not suffer with joy the spoiling of our goods, Heb 10:34 , yea, the loss of our lives for life eternal? should we not look up to the recompense of reward? to Christ the author and finisher of our faith, who stands over us in the encounter, as once over Stephen, with a crown on his head, and another in his hand, and saith, Vincenti dabo, to him that overcometh will I give this, Act 7:56 ; Rev 3:11 . Surely this Son of David will shortly remove us from the ashes of our forlorn Ziklag, to the Hebron of our peace and glory, 1Sa 30:26 ; 1Sa 30:31 . This Son of Jesse will give every one of us, not fields and vineyards, but crowns, sceptres, kingdoms, glories, beauties, &c. The expectation of this blessed day, this nightless day (as one calleth it, . Naz.), must (as it did with David’s soldiers all the time of their banishment) digest all our sorrows, and make us in the midst of miseries for Christ to over abound exceedingly with joy, as Paul did. , 2Co 7:4 . Queen Elizabeth’s government was so much the more happy and welcome, because it ensued upon the stormy times of Queen Mary. She came as a fresh spring after a sharp winter; and brought the ship of England from a troublous and tempestuous sea to a safe and quiet harbour. So will the Lord Christ do for all his persecuted people. “Ye see” (said Bilney the martyr, and they were his last words, to one that exhorted him to be constant and take his death patiently)-“ye see,” saith he, “when the mariner is entered his ship to sail on the troublous sea, how he, for a while, is tossed in the billows of the same; but yet in hope that he shall once come to the quiet haven, he beareth in better comfort the troubles that he feeleth. So am I now towards this failing: and whatsoever storms I shall feel, yet shortly after shall my ship be in the haven, as I doubt not thereof by the grace of God,” &c. Lo, this was that which held the good man’s head above water-the hope of heaven. And so it did many others, whom it were easy to instance. Elizabeth Cooper, martyr, being condemned, and at the stake with Simon Miller, when the fire came unto her, she a little shrank thereat, crying once, Ha. When Simon heard the same, he put his hand behind him toward her, and willed her to be strong and of good cheer. “For, good sister,” said he, “we shall have a joyful and sweet supper.” Whereat she being strengthened, stood as still and as quiet as one most glad to finish that good course. “Now I take my leave of you” (writeth William Tims, martyr, in a letter to a friend of his, a little before his death) “till we meet in heaven: and hie you after. I have tarried a great while for you; and seeing you be so long in making ready, I will tarry no longer for you. You shall find me merrily singing, ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth,’ at my journey’s end,” &c. (Acts and Mon.) And I cannot here let slip that golden paraclesis, wherewith those forty martyrs (mentioned by St Basil) comforted one another, when they were cast out naked all night in the winter and were to be burned the next morrow: “Sharp is the winter,” said they, “but sweet is paradise; painful is the frost, but joyful the fruition that followeth it. Wait but a while, and the patriarch’s bosom shall cherish us. After one night we shall lay hold upon eternal life. Let our feet feel the fire for a season, that we may for ever walk arm in arm with angels. Let our hands fall off, that they may for ever be lifted up to the praise of the Almighty,” &c. , , , ’ , ..
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
10. ] ‘Martyres non facit pna, sed causa. Nam si pna martyres faceret, omnia metalla martyribus plena essent, omnes caten martyres traherent: omnes qui gladio feriuntur, coronarentur. Nemo ergo dicat, Quia patior Justus sum. Quia ipse qui primo passus est, pro justitia passus est, ideo magnam exceptionem addidit. Beati qui persecutionem patiuntur propter justitiam .’ (Aug [39] Enarr. in Psa 34:13 , vol. iv.) See 1Pe 3:14 ; 1Pe 4:14 , which probably refers to this verse. The repetition of the promise in Mat 5:3 is a close of the string of promises as it began. See the remarkable variation in the var. readd.
[39] Augustine, Bp. of Hippo , 395 430
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mat 5:10-12 being regarded as a transition to a new topic. his seems arbitrary. Delitsch, anxious to establish an analogy with the Decalogue, makes out ten seven from Mat 5:3 to Mat 5:9 , Mat 5:10 one, Mat 5:11 one, and Mat 5:12 , though lacking the , the tenth; its claim resting on the exulting words, . This savours of Rabbinical pedantry.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Mat 5:10-12 . . . The original form of the Beatitude was probably: Blessed the persecuted. The added words only state what is a matter of course. No one deserves to be called a persecuted one unless he suffers for righteousness. . (perf. part.): the persecuted are not merely men who have passed through a certain experience, but men who bear abiding traces of it in their character . They are marked men, and bear the stamp of trial on their faces. It arrests the notice of the passer-by: commands his respect, and prompts the question, Who and whence? They are veteran soldiers of righteousness with an unmistakable air of dignity, serenity, and buoyancy about them. . . . The common refrain of all the Beatitudes is expressly repeated here to hint that theirs emphatically is the Kingdom of Heaven. It is the proper guerdon of the soldier of righteousness. It is his now, within him in the disciplined spirit and the heroic temper developed by trial.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mat 5:10
10″Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Mat 5:10 “those who have been persecuted” This is a perfect passive participle. It speaks to those who have been and continue to be persecuted by an outside agent (i.e., Satan, demonic, unbelievers). The persecution of believers is a real possibility, even an expected reality, for God’s children in a fallen world (cf. Act 14:22; Rom 5:3-4; Rom 8:17; Php 1:29; 1Th 3:3; 2Ti 3:12; Jas 1:2-4; 1Pe 3:14; 1Pe 4:12-19; Rev 11:7; Rev 13:7). Notice the suffering is occurring because of the godly lifestyle and witness of believers. God uses it to make believers like Christ (cf. Heb 5:8).This verse is a needed balance to the modern American (health, wealth and prosperity, see Gordon Fee, The Disease of the Health Wealth Gospel) overemphasis on the covenant promises of Deuteronomy 27-29 applied directly and unconditionally (i.e., ignoring the curses for disobedience) to all believers. Health, wealth, and prosperity promises must be balanced by the repeated acknowledgment of the suffering of believers, because they are people of faith in a fallen, godless world. Jesus suffered, the Apostles suffered, the early Christians suffered, so shall believers in every age! With this truth in mind it is also probable that the church will go through the tribulation period (no secret rapture)!
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
a re persecuted = have been persecuted. Compare Psa 37:39, Psa 37:40.
for = on account of.
for righteousness’sake. Not otherwise.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
10.] Martyres non facit pna, sed causa. Nam si pna martyres faceret, omnia metalla martyribus plena essent, omnes caten martyres traherent: omnes qui gladio feriuntur, coronarentur. Nemo ergo dicat, Quia patior Justus sum. Quia ipse qui primo passus est, pro justitia passus est, ideo magnam exceptionem addidit. Beati qui persecutionem patiuntur propter justitiam. (Aug[39] Enarr. in Psa 34:13, vol. iv.) See 1Pe 3:14; 1Pe 4:14, which probably refers to this verse. The repetition of the promise in Mat 5:3 is a close of the string of promises as it began. See the remarkable variation in the var. readd.
[39] Augustine, Bp. of Hippo, 395-430
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mat 5:10. , they who endure persecution) In the next verse, signifies, Those who have offered themselves to undergo persecution. Our Lord already announces the treatment which He and His followers will receive from the world. He unfolds this truth, however, gradually. He speaks of His yoke in ch. Mat 11:29; of His cross in Mat 16:24. By comparing Mar 8:34, and Mat 10:38, it appears that He speaks of His cross to His disciples alone.- , for righteousness sake) In the next verse, He says, for My sake; cf. ch. Mat 10:39; Mat 10:42, Mat 16:25, Mat 18:5, Mat 19:12; Mat 19:29.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
the New Salt and Light of Human Society
Mat 5:10-16
We must expect to be persecuted, if we hold up the pure light of a consistent life amid the evils of the world. Men hate the light which exposes their misdeeds. They will tolerate you only so long as you leave them alone. But the universal testimony of those who have suffered thus is that the Son of man walks through the furnace beside His faithful martyrs.
Our holy lives ought to act as salt to arrest the corruption around us. It is said that the presence of a child has arrested many a crime. A sudden silence should fall on certain kinds of conversation when we enter the room. But it is very easy to lose our saltness, as did Lot in Sodom and the seven churches of Asia. See also Eze 15:2-5. Our lives ought to serve also as light. The spirit of man is a candle. See Pro 20:27. We need to be kindled by the nature of God. Men light candles and God will light you. Let us burn and shine as John did, Joh 5:35. Beware of the bushel and ask God to choose your stand.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
kingdom
(See Scofield “Mat 3:2”).
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
are: Mat 10:23, Psa 37:12, Mar 10:30, Luk 6:22, Luk 21:12, Joh 15:20, Act 5:40, Act 8:1, Rom 8:35-39, 1Co 4:9-13, 2Co 4:8-12, 2Co 4:17, Phi 1:28, 2Ti 2:12, 2Ti 3:11, Jam 1:2-5, 1Pe 3:13, 1Pe 3:14, 1Pe 4:12-16, 1Jo 3:12, Rev 2:10
for: Mat 5:3, 2Th 1:4-7, Jam 1:12
Reciprocal: Psa 38:20 – because Psa 44:22 – killed Psa 89:51 – they have Isa 66:5 – Your Jer 15:15 – know Jer 20:2 – smote Mat 3:2 – for Mat 13:21 – for Mat 22:6 – the remnant Mar 8:35 – for Mar 10:29 – for Luk 6:20 – for Act 5:41 – rejoicing Act 16:25 – sang Rom 5:3 – but we 2Th 1:7 – who 2Ti 3:12 – shall Heb 11:25 – Choosing Jam 5:11 – we count 1Pe 2:19 – for conscience 1Pe 2:20 – this
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
THE PERSECUTED
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:10
I.The saints have always been persecuted.
II.The world hates them because they are not of the world.
III.Their names are in the Book of Life.
IV.Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Rev. F. Harper.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
5:10
Thayer defines the original at this place, “to harass, trouble, molest,” and he says that it may be done “in any way whatsoever,” hence the persecution may be against one’s body or his mind. But this must be done because the victim is righteous, and has no reference to accidental affliction, or punishment for wrong doing. These persons have the qualities of the citizens in the kingdom of heaven.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 5:10. For righteousness sake. Righteousness includes all the preceding graces; but the peacemakers are especially persecuted; the effort to spread the gospel of peace provokes the hostility of men. Righteous living does the same, however men may be compelled to admit its excellence. The Jews would not expect persecution to befall the Messiahs subjects. Yet theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The promise to the poor in spirit also. The only difference grows out of the nature of the parties. The persecuted are probably capable of receiving a higher blessing. One class is spoken of throughout; the list of rewards begins and ends with the kingdom of heaven, a phrase summing up all the blessings.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Note here, 1. That all the disciples and followers of Christ, live they ever so holily and inoffensively in the world, yet must they expect suffering and persecution.
2. That the keenest and sharpest edge of persecution is usually turned against the ministers of Christ, and falls heaviest on the prophets of God.
3. That such sufferings and such persecutions as will afford a man solid comfort, and intitle him to real blessedness, must be endured and undergone for righteousness-sake.
4. That it is the will and command of Christ, that those which suffer for him, and for righteousness-sake, should not only be meek and patient, but joyous and cheerful: rejoice, and be exceeding glad.
5. That such a patient and cheerful suffering of persecution for Christ in this life, shall certainly be rewarded with the glory and blessedness of the life that is to come. Great is your reward, &c.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Mat 5:10. For righteousness sake Or for the sake of Christ and a good conscience; that Isaiah , 1 st, for their steady belief and profession of, and adherence to any article of Christian faith; 2d, for their performance of any duty, which they owe to God, their neighbour, or themselves, or for their obedience to the commands of God; 3d, because they cannot be prevailed on to own that to be an article of the Christian faith, or any part of Christian duty, which God hath not declared to be such; for, since this cannot be done without making profession of a lie, or pretending to believe what we see no reason to believe, to suffer on this account is evidently to suffer because we will not play the hypocrite, and give the lie to our own consciences; and therefore this, in Peters language, is to suffer from conscience toward God. Yea, since this cannot be done, but we must own another teacher, lawgiver, and author of our faith, besides the Lord Jesus, our sufferings for refusing to do this are truly sufferings for Christs sake, and such as make us happy sufferers. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven
In a peculiar sense, as hell belongs especially to hypocrites, Mat 24:51. And they shall receive an eminently great reward there, on account of their sufferings, and in proportion to them, Luk 6:23. And no wonder, for as their state on earth, under these persecutions, renders them conformable to their Head, and to the holy prophets and apostles, so shall they hereafter be conformed to them in glory.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Persecution is as much a mark of discipleship as peacemaking. The world does not give up its hates and self-centered living easily. This brings opposition on disciples of Christ. Righteous people, those whose conduct is right in God’s eyes, become targets of the unrighteous (cf. Joh 15:18-25; Act 14:22; 2Ti 3:12; 1Pe 4:13-14). Jesus, the perfectly righteous One, suffered more than any other righteous person has suffered. The Old Testament prophets foretold this, calling Him the Suffering Servant of the Lord (cf. Isa_52:13 to Isa_53:12).
Even though Jesus’ disciples suffer as we anticipate the kingdom, we can find joy in knowing that the kingdom will eventually be ours. It will provide release from the persecution of God-haters when the "Man of Sorrows" reigns. This second explicit reference to "the kingdom of heaven" concludes the inclusio begun in Mat 5:3 and signals an end to the Beatitudes (Mat 5:3-10).
"The ordinary Jew of Christ’s day looked only at the physical benefits of the kingdom which he thought would naturally be bestowed on every Israelite. The amillennialist of today, on the other hand, denies the physical existence of the promised Jewish kingdom by ’spiritualizing’ its material blessings. The beatitudes of the King indicate that it is not an either-or proposition, but the kingdom includes both physical and spiritual blessings. A careful study of the beatitudes displays the fact that the kingdom is a physical earthly kingdom with spiritual blessings founded on divine principles." [Note: Toussaint, Behold the . . ., p. 97.]