Blessed Persecution
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Introduction
Introduction
The year was AD 177. The city was Lyons, Gaul, modern day France. Persecution of Christians had been growing steadily over the last couple of years. Pothinus, a disciple of Polycarp, had been sent to Lyons around AD 152 to bring the gospel, and many who heard the gospel believed. As Christianity grew, so did the anger of the non-believers. Christians were hated as many thought the gods were punishing the city for allowing Christians to dwell there. In an effort to rid the city, Christians were thrown out of businesses and even some out of their own homes. Once, when there was a mass arrest of Christians, some non-believers were inadvertently taken into custody, and to prove they were not of the Way, they gave false testimony against those who were.
In the end, many of the Christians were martyred in the arena. Their tortures had become entertainment for the crowds. Pothinus, the man who originally brought the gospel to the city and was now bishop at 92 years of age, was tortured in the arena and died in his cell two days later— a cell no larger than your dishwasher at home. (Blandina: A Faithful Witness, Christianity.com)
The jailers who did the torturing within the prison and led them to the arena were heard wondering aloud, “Who are these Christians? They go willingly and cheerfully to their deaths.” (Trial and Triumph, Hannula, 22)
As we close out the Beatitudes this morning, we are answering that question and explaining their response of willingness and cheerfulness. As we look at the text this morning, I want us to focus our attention on four aspects of persecution that directly linked to our being willing to suffer and be cheerful in suffering. The first aspect of persecution that I want us to focus in on is the variety of persecution. Second, I want us to focus in on the validity of persecution. The third aspect we need to place our attention on is the value of persecution. Finally, the verification of persecution.
The Variety of Persecution
The Validity of Persecution
The Value of Persecution
The Verification of Persecution
“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!
Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.
“Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.
The Variety of Persecution
The Variety of Persecution
If we are wanting to be able to face persecution willingly and cheerfully, then we first need to focus on the fact that persecution comes in a variety of ways. Notice the four categories that Jesus gave when it comes to persecution.
There is first a hatred. This word for hatred is miseo (mih SEH oh). If you’ve ever heard the word misogyny—a hatred of women—then you may get the idea of this kind of hatred. It’s a deeply ingrained hatred. One that tends to be prejudicial; it’s often illogical, but not always. In Revelation, Jesus stated that the church hated the works of the Nicolaitans, and he also hates them. But in this case, we see that there is a hatred that people will have toward those who are disciples of Jesus. That’s the first persecution.
But it usually will manifest itself in the other forms of persecution. Such as an exclusion of the believer. This word could also be translated as excommunicate. In other words, it is to separate from the believer. Earlier, I spoke about how the people of Lyons would not allow the Christians inside their businesses. Families would often throw them out onto the streets. Which Jesus actually warned about:
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.
We talked about this story in Sunday School, but in John 9 Jesus healed a man who was born blind. This infuriated the Pharisees because it was done on the Sabbath Day. They demanded answers, and so they questioned him, then his parents. But his parents didn’t want to say too much.
(His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.)
So they questioned the man again. And after repeatedly telling them what happened, their response is recorded in
They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.
These are different words that what Luke recorded here, but the idea is the same. Jesus said that this would certainly be one of the variety of ways that disciples would be persecuted.
Another way is revilement. In other words, they will insult you. They will insult your intelligence, insult your beliefs, insult your lifestyle. They will insult your God. They will insult how you have reared your children and how you dress. You may have heard of the term, “New Atheism,” It used to be that atheists would stay silent or only share their views in private. But New Atheism is much more outspoken and militant and proselytizing. New Atheism seeks to shame and mock and insult those who believe in the supernatural. It’s not just Christians that they do this to, but Christians are often their targets because Christianity is all about evangelism and missions.
Abraham Piper, John Piper’s son, is this way. If you’ve ever read any of his posts or seen his TikTok videos, you will find him maligning, insulting, and shaming those of faith.
Then, finally, we see a fourth type of persecution. The spurning of the name. Literally, Luke wrote that the name is thrown out as evil. In essence, we’re slandered. Because we abide in Christ and his teachings, we are called evil. Homophobes, transphobes, misogynists, and the list goes on.
Jesus spoke of other ways that persecution can come as well, later on. Of course, there is the ultimate persecution of death. But what is the point? The point is that there are many ways that people can and will come against us as Christians. There isn’t just one way. Nor is there a sense in which we are to compare our persecution with another’s persecution.
It’s tempting to do that—to compare our suffering with someone else’s. Yes, people are being mean to me, but I’m not being buried alive like those in North Korea. They call me a homophobe, but that’s nothing compared to being sent to reeducation camps like those in China.
Are there degrees of persecution? Certainly. But it is God who determines what type of suffering and what type of persecution we receive. It is not good for us to compare our persecution to our brother or sister’s somewhere else. We can look to them as shining examples of faith and courage, and perhaps gain courage ourselves, but to pretend like what we suffer is not persecution does not lead to facing it willingly or cheerfully.
The Validity of Persecution
The Validity of Persecution
So the first aspect of persecution that we need to focus on is the variety of persecution. Not everyone will be persecuted in the same way, but every believer will face it. The second aspect that we need to focus on is the validity of persecution. There is valid persecution and invalid persecution.
Notice in the verse what makes persecution valid.
“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!
Our persecution is only valid when it is on account of the Son of Man. In other words, the hatred that people have toward us, the exclusions and insults and name-calling, are only valid if it’s because of our stance with Christ. I know it is shocking to believe, but Christians can be jerks at times. Let me give you some low-hanging fruit as an example. There is one specific “Baptist” Church. This group of people call themselves a church but spew all manner of hatred and pride and all-around jerkery. They exist to antagonize any and everyone. They protest everything they can see, from military funerals to our own Southern Baptist Conventions. And people, not surprisingly, hate them. They call them names. They mock them and no one wants them around. Why? Is it because of their alignment with Jesus? No. It’s because they are a mean-spirited, hating, antagonistic bunch of jerks. So when people hate them, they cannot claim valid persecution is happening. Their claim would be invalid.
Look with me at what Peter wrote in his first letter.
For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.
For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.
Again
For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.
And just once more for good measure:
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
Too many times—and it seems to be more prevalent today then ever with the rise of social media—that Christians will claim persecution, but in reality, that claim is invalid because they are suffering for their own sin and not for Christ’s sake. Suffering for being a jerk to people does not bring joy. It only puffs one up in his own heart and mind, but not in God’s sight.
If you’re going to suffer persecution, make sure it is for valid reasons. Peter instructed his readers to stand firm in the faith and be ready to give an answer for the hope that is within them adding that it is to be done with gentleness and respect. Paul told the Ephesians that they were to speak the truth in love and the Colossians that their words were to be seasoned with salt. That isn’t always me. I forget those admonitions at times, and I pay for it. There is no cheerfulness in what I receive in return. There is only sorrow for my disobedience. Be sure your persecution is valid.
The Value of Persecution
The Value of Persecution
The first aspect of persecution that we focused on is the variety that it comes in. The second aspect is that there is validity to persecution only when it is for the name of Christ. The third has to do with the value of persecution. Jesus said that those who endure persecution for his name’s sake have a great reward in heaven.
Now, this is the crux of the matter. Jesus said to his disciples,
Luke 6:23 (ESV)
Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven;
Those words, “leap for joy,” are only one word in the Greek and they are used only three times in the entire New Testament. Do you know where the other two are? They’re all the way back in Luke 1. Mary goes to visit Elizabeth who is carrying John in her womb, and John leapt for joy at Mary’s voice. The second is Elizabeth’s recounting to Mary that it had just happened. So Luke is the only one to use this word.
That being said, look at the timing of the joy. It’s not later on. It’s not even in heaven (though there will be lots of joy in heaven). We are called to rejoice in that day. We are to leap for joy that same day! When people hate you because of Jesus, exclude you because of Jesus, mock you because of Jesus, and slander you because of Jesus, Jesus tells us to rejoice and leap for joy—that same day!
Luke shows us a shining example of this in Acts. Peter and John were arrested after healing a lame man, and were ordered to stop preaching in the name of Jesus. They were beaten and threatened, but finally released.
Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
Why? BECAUSE! There’s that word again: because/for. And then to emphasize it, Jesus said, “Behold!” Look at, focus on, give your undivided attention to this: your reward is great in heaven. If we are wanting to go willingly and cheerfully to persecution, then the only way is to focus on the reward and not the suffering. This is exactly what Jesus did.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
It’s not the persecution that we rejoice over. It’s not the persecution that causes us to leap for joy. It’s the value that comes from it; it’s the reward given through it.
And a lot of people don’t see these rewards as literal. I do. I see this as more than heaven and what heaven is—namely being with the Triune God in perfect harmony and love. I think Jesus and the apostles speak too much of rewards for them not to be literal. I would agree with Jonathan Edwards that the talk of rewards is quite literal. He preached,
Christ will reward all according to their works. He that gained ten pounds was made ruler over ten cities, and he that gained five pounds over five cities. Luke xix. 17. 2 Cor. ix. 6. “He that soweth sparingly, shall reap sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” And the apostle Paul tells us that, as one star differs from another star in glory, so also it shall be in the resurrection of the dead. 1 Cor. xv. 41.Christ tells us that he who gives a cup of cold water unto a disciple in the name of a disciple, shall in no wise lose his reward. But this could not be true, if a person should have no greater reward for doing many good works than if he did but few. It will be no damp to the happiness of those who have lower degrees of happiness and glory, that there are others advanced in glory above them: for all shall be perfectly happy, every one shall be perfectly satisfied. Every vessel that is cast into this ocean of happiness is full, though there are some vessels far larger than others; and there shall be no such thing as envy in heaven, but perfect love shall reign through the whole society. Those who are not so high in glory as others, will not envy those that are higher, but they will have so great, and strong, and pure love to them, that they will rejoice in their superior happiness; their love to them will be such that they will rejoice that they are happier than themselves; so that instead of having a damp to their own happiness, it will add to it.
And he goes on and on to explain these rewards of heaven. Heaven is not a reward that we earn. This is not “your reward of heaven is great,” but rather, “your reward is great in heaven.” The reward is in heaven awaiting we who are persecuted, whatever the various ways might be. And for that we can rejoice.
Back in the persecution of Lyons, the guards lined the roadways with the bodies of those who were martyred. They would not allow them to be buried and when questioned why, their answer was simple. “So they may have no hope in the resurrection. . . It is this hope that gives them such courage.” After six days in the streets, the guards burned their bodies and threw their ashes into the Rhone River, saying, “Now let’s see if they’ll rise again.” Though it hasn’t happened yet, they will rise again. And great is their reward in heaven.
The Verification of Persecution
The Verification of Persecution
Finally, we come to the last aspect of persecution that we need to focus on if we are wanting to suffer willingly and cheerfully. So far we have seen that there is a variety of ways to be persecuted and it is at the Lord’s discretion, there is a valid reason for being persecuted and it is only when it happens on account of Christ, there is value that comes with persecution though it is not in this world, but the next. Lastly though, we see there is verification of persecution.
Jesus said that persecution is par for the course. The people’s ancestors persecuted the prophets and so they will persecute the disciple. In other words, if a disciple is being persecuted on account of the Son of Man, it only verifies that they are indeed God’s child. This is what God’s children should expect.
Jesus said in
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
Paul wrote to Timothy,
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
The exact opposite is true as well. If we are not suffering for the name of Jesus, but instead everyone is speaking well of us, then it shows we are not actually God’s children.
“Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.
Many a preacher and many a congregant just want to be liked. They want to be popular. They want the accolades. And so they seek to please everyone they can. They want the applause. Jesus said, this is a sad state to be in. It shows a love for the world rather than a love for the Father and Son.
James understood this deep sorrow and warned against it.
You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Do you want to know if you’re a disciple or not? Ask yourself who’s friendship do you covet: God’s or the World’s.
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Conclusion
Conclusion
As we finish with the Beatitudes this morning, I want to close with one more example from the Lyons’ persecution. A fifteen year old girl—just a few months older than Gabriella and Coleena are now—by the name of Blandina had been a slave, and because of Pothinus’s mission work, she had received Jesus and was now in the midst of the persecution. She was taken to the arena in which she and others were given the chance to deny Christ and hail caesar. Most, including Blandina refused. Many died that day, but not this young lady. While in prison, the jailers “pierced her body with daggers and crushed her limbs upon the rack, (T&T, 22).”
They mocked her and tried to get her time and again to deny Jesus. All the torture would stop if she just cursed Christ. Once again, she was taken into the arena and this time she was hung on a wooden post so that the wild beasts would eat her alive. She was heard praying, “O Father, strengthen us as we suffer for the glory of Christ.” She reminded the other Christians to remain strong. After that day, only two people were left. Two young adults. A 15 year old young man name Ponticus, and 15 year old Blandina.
The next day, the two were brought back to the arena and once again were hung as food for the animals. Blandina encouraged Ponticus to stand firm. He did to his death. Only Blandina remained. The beasts would not touch her. So she was taken down, placed on a red-hot grate to burn, but she did not die. She was finally enclosed in a net and thrown to a bull who finally took her life. But listen to how she was described. “She looked as if she were invited to a wedding feast, not thrown to the beasts.”
That is what it means to be blessed—a deep down joy and excitement—for being persecuted on account of the Son of Man, for your reward in heaven is great.