Introduction
• In the Beatitudes found in The Gospel of Matthew chapter 5, Jesus teaches us the qualities and the blessings of being a Kingdom citizen. You might expect that living a life marked by mercy, purity, and peace would win you applause. But Jesus says something that still shocks us today: when you live like this, expect pushback.
• I’m Brent, and this is episode 41 of The Bible Unplugged. We’re continuing the series, “Kingdom Culture: The Beatitudes of Jesus.” What we will learn is that when we reflect the qualities of godliness, others don’t always react well.
• Please take a minute to visit the show notes for this episode at PowerLoveandMiracles.com under the Podcast tab.
The Beatitudes: a Progression
• The Beatitudes begin with inner transformation, move to outer expression, and now end with worldly reaction.
• These final verses are not an afterthought. They are a warning—and a promise.
• Jesus concludes the Beatitudes with these words:
• “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
— Matthew 5:10–12 (WEB)
Persecuted for Righteousness
• Jesus tells us that there is a blessing awaiting those who have face active opposition because of their faith.
• The key phrase is “for righteousness sake.” This doesn’t mean you're blessed when people dislike you for being rude, loud, or self-righteous. It means you're blessed when you suffer because you pursue justice, mercy, and godliness.
• Jesus used the word righteousness previously as something we should crave and desire for ourselves. Living a life of righteousness means we pursue justice and faithfulness with God and with others. But others don’t always reciprocate
• What Jesus tells us here is that when you live out God’s justice, you may provoke the powers that benefit from injustice. And when that happens—you’re in good company.
Blessed when Insulted
• Jesus didn’t say that everyone will be persecuted. In the next Beatitude he shifts from “those who” to “you.” He makes this personal.
• In the next Beatitude Jesus describes three forms of rejection:
• Reproach, which refers to verbal insult and public shaming.
• Persecution, which harassment and may be violent.
• False accusation: lies spoken to discredit your character.
• This isn’t theoretical. This was the lived experience of Jesus, the apostles, and the prophets. And in many parts of the world, it still is.
• The word “falsely” enters the English language as “pseudo,” or something that doesn’t reflect reality. Jesus says that the accusations against us, if we are living the kingdom lifestyle, doesn’t match the reality of how we live.
• Jesus adds a kicker to this Beatitude. He says, “for my sake.” We are persecuted because we follow Jesus, not a personal preference or any kind of agenda. We are persecuted because we follow Jesus.
Rejoice
• Jesus finishes this Beatitude with a profound paradox. He says, “Rejoice!” The Greek word here means take delight. Not only that, but Jesus adds, “be exceedingly glad.” This literally means to jump for joy. Why?
• Because that’s how people treated the prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Elijah. They all suffered for telling God’s truth. You are not alone. You are in a long and honored legacy and tradition.
• Jesus finishes with, “your reward in heaven is great.” The blessings of living the kingdom lifestyle benefit us now, but we have so much more to look forward to when we all get to heaven. God sees us, God remembers, and God rewards us.
Old Testament Echoes
• This beatitude echoes:
• Psalm 37:12–13 – “The wicked plots against the righteous… but the Lord laughs at him, for He sees his day is coming.”
• Isaiah 51:7 – “Do not fear the reproach of men, nor be dismayed at their insults.”
• Jesus is not sugarcoating the cost. But he’s also not backing down from the promise either.
What Do We Learn From This?
• True righteousness attracts resistance and harassment. Not everyone wants the light of truth to shine on them6
• Following Jesus will cost us something, but it’s worth everything to us.
• We learn that insults and persecution that results from following God is a sign that we’re walking in the footsteps of Jesus.
• Our real reward, not the reward the world values, but our real reward is a God-given promise. We may lose status and even friends now, but we gain standing in heaven.
What Do We Do With This?
• Evaluate your loyalties. Are you seeking the approval of others. Do you live for applause and accolades? Real kingdom living means we look to God for blessing and approval.
• We can expect to be misunderstood. Watch for signs, whether subtle or overt, where your kingdom values clash with your culture. Where can you take a stand for God this week?
• Be courageous when you collide with cultural values that don’t live up to God’s standard. Speak the truth in love, even when it’s not popular.
• This week, spend time in prayer thanking God for the blessings you experience. Affirming how God has cared for you gives you the strength to continue living as a kingdom citizen.
The conclusion
• And yes, the music means my time’s up for this episode. But I’ll be back with more next time.
• I hope this has been helpful. If so, take a second to give this podcast a high rating and share it with someone who feels the weight of the world as they strive to live for God.
• In the next episode, we will conclude this series by examining the Beatitudes as a spiritual map. God has blessings in store for us as we follow the path of spiritual transformation and live out that transformation for our world to see.
• My prayer for you is that when you face resistance for doing what’ right, you will remember that you’re walking the same road Jesus walked… and he walks with yout.
• Have a blessed week.
The disclaimers
• Just to let you know
• All opinions are my own. If you agree, keep listening. If you don’t… keep listening, I might surprise you with something you didn’t know.
• All Bible quotations come from the World English Bible which is a public domain work.
• Our show theme song is “Awesome Call” by Kevin MacLeod and is available under a Creative Commons license.
• The content of this podcast is copyrighted 2025 by J. Brent Eaton
• This has been a Power Love and Miracles production.
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