Contagious Characteristics: BeatitudesSample

The eighth and final beatitude may strike us as negative. Up to this point, Jesus has talked about humility, mercy, purity, and peacemaking. Now, He switches things up by saying what many understand as "Blessed are those who are treated wrong for doing right." Sounds oxymoronic, right?

In today's world, you would think happiness belongs to those treated right for doing right, and persecution belongs to those who do wrong; however, that is not the case in God's kingdom. In the original greek language, the word persecution means to eagerly chase or pursue someone or something, like a hunter would pursue or chase an animal. It means to be harassed or oppressed. It presents the thought, "I'm not stopping until I get what I want." Even Jesus Himself endured this type of persecution.

Jesus was the most perfect and sinless human to walk this earth, yet He still suffered. So imagine, if Jesus wasn't exempt from it, what chance do we have? This idea is a challenging thing to grasp. We would all prefer to live a happy, comfortable, suffering-free life. But again, if Jesus wasn't exempt from it, what chance do we have? In scripture, we learn about many other believers who endured persecution and trials for doing the right thing. Are you familiar with the story of Job? Job was a righteous and god-fearing man, and because He loved God, God allowed satan to persecute him (Job 1:8-12). Like Job, Satan's plans may be to destroy and kill us (John 10:10), but God allows it to make us better (James 1:2-4), to strengthen our faith (1 Peter 5:10), and to help us know Him in a more meaningful way (Psalm 119:71).

Jesus promised that believers would go through many trials. Still, another promise is that we do not need to worry because Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33). As we continue to demonstrate the characteristics of God in our lives, such as humility, mercy, purity, and peacemaking, the more we will endure persecution. The more we endure persecution, the closer we are to being like Jesus and with Jesus, which is our goal.

Reflection Questions:

1. How has persecution/suffering helped you to know and love God better?
2. What have you learned from this study, and how will you put it into practice?