The Beatitudes
Part 3
“Blessed are the Peacemakers and the Persecuted”
Matt 5:1-12 “And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
3 ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’”
11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
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Now this time we’re going to look at the last 2 Beatitudes on the Peacemaker and the Persecuted.
The Beatitudes have tracked the spiritual salvation and growth of all of us from poor in spirit, to mourning over our spiritual poverty and turning to Christ for forgiveness, to developing meekness, to hungering and thirsting for righteousness, to developing mercy and purity of heart, and now the fruit of being a PEACEMAKER.
PEACEMAKER first refers to those who themselves have a peaceable temper, and who seek to promote peace in others.
It is those who are so far from sowing the seeds of discord between the brethren, that they both avoid contention themselves, and labor to extinguish it wherever it prevails, doing all they can to heal the differences between brethren and neighbors, to reconcile divisions, and to restore peace wherever it is broken, as well as to preserve it where it is.
Listen to the Apostle Paul in Ro. 12:18–“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” NIV
Eph. 4:3 “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” NIV
Ro. 14:19 “So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” ESV
Heb 12:14 “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” ESV
God is a peacemaker: “They shall be called children of God.”
And the great result of peace is God’s blessing:
Ps 133:1-3 “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! 2 It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. 3 It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows (commands) his blessing, even life forevermore.”
Where peace reigns between brethren, God commands His blessing!
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Jesus says that we’re to be peacemakers for that is what God is!
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Vs 9
In other words, to be a peacemaker is to prove you’re a chip off the old block!
You are like God when you seek peace!
For instance, listen to what it says God did through Jesus:
Col. 1:20 NLT “And through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.”
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Now, there are some who go the opposite direction and seek to destroy peace and unity—they are discord sowers.
The Bible has a few select names for them…
First, the Talebearer:
Pr. 18:8 “The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.”
What we call gossip the KJV calls a talebearer.
A talebearer is a person that literally goes around bearing tales.
The Hebrew word we translate into “talebearer” means “to roll to pieces.”
This person goes around stirring up scandal by telling tales about others that “roll” or crush that person’s reputation to pieces!
The talebearer’s stock in trade is to magnify and sensationalize rumors and partial information, sowing seeds of doubt and mistrust about someone else.
Then a second word the Bible uses is WHISPERER.
Prov. 16:28 “The whisperer separates the best of friends.”
The WHISPERER is someone who tells secrets and sows discord one person at a time.
Like a bee flies from flower to flower, the whisperer goes from person to person with negative words about someone they want to hurt.
Typical words from a whisperer are: “I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but…”
Or, “Don’t tell so and so that I told you this.”
Or, “I’m not gossiping, I just thought you might want to pray for…”
In truth the whisperer is a secret assassin, leaving ruined or tainted reputations in their wake.
The Bible says “A perverse man sows strife…”
So something in the whisperer’s character is perverse, taking unnatural delight in spreading gossip.
King David well knew the pain a whisperer brings: “All who hate me whisper together against me. They imagine the worst for me…”—Ps. 41:7
The BUSYBODY is also included in the talebearer/whisperer category.
A busybody is someone who digs up evil reports and makes it their business to spread it.
We could say whisperers whisper and busybodies dig!
The Apostle Paul warned strongly against the sowers of division: “I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.”—Ro. 16:17
And Peter warns that suffering eventually comes to the gossip and busybody:
“But let none of you suffer…as a busybody in other people’s matters.”—1 Pet 4:15
So busybodies sooner or later reap pain and suffering.
This is why Peter again advises, “If you want a happy, good life, keep control of your tongue, and guard your lips from telling lies.”—1 Pet 3:10 LB
These are just a few of the enemies of peace in a congregation, a business, or a home.
Jesus says that as children of our father in heaven, we should instead do all we can to bring peace and unity!
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Then next, Jesus focuses on the persecuted:
Matt 5:10-11 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Now here we have one of the paradoxes so common to Jesus’ teaching—if you’re experiencing the pain of persecution you are blessed and should rejoice!
Notice first that the persecution has come because the persecuted one has walked in righteousness—he or she are living a life of obedience to the Lord.
We’re reminded of Paul’s words here: “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,”—2 Tim. 3:12 NIV
It’s a guarantee in this dark and fallen world that if you walk with Jesus and live by the Word, you will become a target of mockery, or ridicule, or criticism, or rejection, or even of hatred.
Jesus commands us later in the SOM, “Bless those that CURSE you; do good to them that HATE you, and pray for those that spitefully use and PERSECUTE you.”—Matt 5:44
So the theme of persecution is found throughout the Lord’s teaching.
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DEFINE—PERSECUTION: diṓkō—to aggressively chase, like a hunter pursuing a catch (prize)—to zealously persecute, hunt down, to pursue with all haste (“chasing” after), earnestly desiring to overtake.
We think of Paul when he was Saul going from city to city, pursuing, hunting, capturing, imprisoning, and killing Christians. That’s the idea here.
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And here’s the paradox: Jesus says, “When you’re persecuted, ‘Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad!’”
The NLT puts it this way: “Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.”
When persecuted, first remember that God hears every word spoken against you, sees every evil action, and writes it all in his book.
And secondly, remember—a great reward awaits you in heaven!
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When the Apostle John was caught up into heaven and given the book of Revelation, he saw an altar, and under the altar were the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of God and for their testimony.
They cried out to the Lord, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
And “a white robe was given to each of them; and they were told, ‘just a little while longer.’”—Rev. 6:10-11
So the sufferings of God’s persecuted people are well known in heaven, they are rewarded, and one day avenged!
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We see in the Book of Acts the disciples followed Jesus’s instructions to a tee:
Acts 5:40-41 LB “The Council accepted his (Gamaliel’s) advice, called in the apostles, had them beaten, and then told them never again to speak in the name of Jesus, and finally let them go. 41 They left the Council chamber rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer dishonor for his name.”
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Now, to keep things real I have to think this requires a choice to rejoice in times of persecution.
I’ve not been physically assaulted for the name of Christ, but I have been verbally assaulted and treated harshly for my witness.
And I have to tell you, no overwhelming joy washed over me at the time. I had to make the conscious decision based on the teaching of Scripture to look up and thank God for the honor of suffering for his name.
But Jesus is clear: When you pay a price for standing for him, it should be viewed as a happy moment when you are joining the ranks of the great prophets of old—Isaiah, Jer., Ezekiel, and so forth. Not to mention of Jesus himself!
Next time: Salt, Light, and the Law!