Matthew shared how Jesus was “baptized” and “tempted” by the “devil”, and he shared how “angels” ministered to Him afterward. Jesus heard that John the Baptist was thrown into prison, and He left His hometown to dwell in “Capernaum” where He began His ministry. Jesus began to preach saying, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”, and He called Peter, Andrew, James and John to be His followers. As Matthew continued to share how Jesus' fame spread throughout Galilee many other people were gathered unto Him. Matthew then wrote, “And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him, and he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, and in chapter five and verse eleven of his book, Matthew shared how Jesus said, “blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you” where we read:
Blessed
are you, when men shall
revile you, and persecute you,
and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
The verse reads, “Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you ...” Matthew began with the word, “blessed” which means “oh how happy, supremely fortunate and well off” “are you” which means “Jesus' disciples” “when men” or “at the time and moment that people whether male or female” “shall revile you” which means “will reproach, upbraid, taunt and chide the disciples of Jesus”, “and persecute you” or “the disciples who are pressed on, mistreated, put to flight and made to run and flee”. Jesus called people “blessed” who are “reproached, upbraided and mistreated”.
The verse continues, “and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. ” Matthew added the words, “and shall say” which means “and will utter, declared and proclaim” “all manner“ or “each, every, the whole and everyone of the ways” “of evil” which means “pertaining to toils, annoyances, perils, disease and blindness” “against you falsely” or “down from, through out, according to and toward the disciples through lying, deceiving and deliberate falsehoods”, “for my sake” which refers to “on behalf of Jesus' cause, sake and account”. Jesus referred to times when people wickedly “lie and make false proclamations” against His disciples because they live for His “cause”.
When we consider Matthew's words in this verse, we see how disciples of Jesus who are “reproached and mistreated” are “blessed”. “Persecution” and “reviling” often occurs against believers in Jesus, and many have died for their “faith” in Him. God desires a relationship with every person through Jesus Christ, and though “persecution, reviling and lying” come against His disciples, all who put their faith and trust in Him shall be “eternally blessed” for His “cause”.
Next time Jesus tells His disciples, “rejoice, and be exceeding glad”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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