Blessed When We Are Persecuted – Really? …Hello readers. Lent is upon us and one of Jesus’ words from the Beatitudes is so powerful and on this Good Friday, I couldn’t think of any other Scripture that would bring forth the power of Jesus even through all the horrible persecution it endured for him.

After reading quite a few translations from Matthew 5:10, I kept going back to the Message because the depth of the words reminded me that, if Jesus could take persecution then we can as well because Jesus is always right beside our side. Take this Beatitude to your heart:

“You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution.
The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.”

It’s understandable that this beatitude is not one of the favorites for many people! But it is so important and especially on this Good Friday, where we see not only hurt and persecution, we also see restoration. It’s like a paradox, a good Friday, an awful Friday, life, death, etc.

As people of faith, we like to focus on all that we gain by following Jesus such as: eternal life, a restored relationship with God, a life of meaning and purpose, a heart of worship, and the friendship, guidance, hope and peace that surpasses understanding from our Savior. Yet, Good Friday feels more like a “see-saw.” Was it good for Jesus? We say “no” but because he died for us, everything in our lives is good through him. How bitter-sweet this dark day is.

Jesus has always been honest to those who follow him on the path of right choices and yes, he tells us we will incur suffering. Even small choices can require sacrifices. Giving the right of way to the car merging into your lane, or returning the money when a cashier gives too much change, or biting your tongue and changing the subject when someone starts to share juicy gossip…we get it, we live in that ‘ying-and-yang’ sometimes right on the edge.

In Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book, The Cost of Discipleship, he challenged Christians to let their faith make a difference in their choices—large and small. Bonhoeffer faced awful persecution, including imprisonment and then being put to death for taking a stand against Hitler. How could he do it—FAITH! Bonhoeffer’s faith was solid and he would not play the game with Hitler and his minions; he was not going to let a godless regime take over his life and the lives of the people in that country and other countries Germany was pouncing on.

As I think of our country right now, how would we react if someone wanted to take us down because you weren’t abiding by laws that are not truly laws? In the hatred we are living in, it can be scary and it can make us extremely mad. Yet, none of this is going to change unless we stand up in our faith and share the love of Jesus. Bonhoeffer would say to us, “do not be afraid, the Lord is with you and the Lord will give you the words to share and the strength to endure.” Wow, I get a ‘gulp’ on that because can I do it? I know God is there but? Honestly, persecution is something we all want to avoid but there are times we cannot.

You and I may never face such heroic choices, but in whatever ways we endure persecution or sacrifice for Jesus’s sake, our Lord assures us that in the midst of it, we are still blessed. Some folks may say “really?” Didn’t your Jesus die—so what did that get for him?” But we know the story and how it ends on Easter morning. So, let’s follow in the steps of Jesus, knowing that he is with us on the road, on the path, and everywhere. And because Jesus is with us, he is able to bring glory to God and further his kingdom even in the midst of such time of persecution, AMEN.