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We end this series of studies on the heart of a Christian leader by looking at the eighth and final beatitude, "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:10).
To the very end, the Beatitudes sustain a striking contrast with the values the world calls desirable. We have seen that Jesus declares the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers "blessed" (that is, truly happy, to be congratulated or envied). Here, at the end of the list, he adds "those who are persecuted because of righteousness." At no point is the contrast in values stronger, and the teaching of Jesus more puzzling. Who, after all, would call people who are slapped, beaten, slandered and abused "truly happy"? Yet Jesus does.
We need to note that he is not calling all sufferers or persecuted people blessed, but those who are persecuted because of righteousness. People can suffer for foolishness, for naivety, for eccentricity - in fact, for a host of different reasons. Jesus is not talking about those who suffer for those reasons. He is talking about people who suffer on account of their consistent, transparent, unashamed "righteousness". That is to say, they are persecuted for living the way God intends people to live - with truthfulness, humility, purity and so on.
Jesus himself suffered on account of such a life. And because of that, he told his followers they were also sure to suffer (John 15:18). In fact, this final beatitude is in a sense a proof test of our attachment to Christ. Don Carson puts it this way: "This final beatitude becomes one of the most searching of all of them, and binds up the rest; for if the disciple of Jesus never experiences any persecution at all, it may fairly be asked where righteousness is being displayed in his life" (The Sermon on the Mount, p. 31).
Persecution of the sort we are talking about can take many different forms. In extreme cases it expresses itself in open hostility, physical torture, and even murder. But in other cases it can show itself in much more subtle ways. To quote Carson again, "A Christian in the West who practices righteousness may be ridiculed by his family, ostracized by his relatives. But even a Christian who comes from a secure and understanding home will face flak somewhere" (p. 31). He goes on to cite work situations where believers are either openly or secretly scoffed because of their work ethic and their honesty. In other cases, persecution may take the form of being by-passed for promotion, or an unfair allocation of difficult tasks. One way or another, a Christian's "righteousness" will get "under the skin" of unbelievers and bring about a negative reaction of some form. "The Christian lives in a sinful world," writes Carson, "therefore, if he exhibits genuine, transparent righteousness, he will be rejected by many. Genuine righteousness condemns people by implication; small wonder that people often lash out in retaliation. Christ's disciples by their righteous living thus divide men: men are either repelled or drawn to our precious Saviour" (p. 31).
Christian in leadership roles are liable to this kind of persecution no less than those who are not. The leader who refuses to take morally questionable shortcuts, who refuses to listen to gossip, and who treats everyone fairly and equally, is bound to suffer for their stand. It is inevitable. But such opposition is worth enduring all the same. For in the end, those who are persecuted for righteousness sake will inherit the kingdom of heaven. And that will make their suffering worthwhile.