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The eighth and final installment of this special eight part series, A New Look at the Beatitudes, using The New Testament: An Expanded Translation, by Kenneth Wuest.
“Spiritually prosperous are those who have been persecuted on account of righteousness, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
–Matthew 5:10
Those who embody this beatitude get the same reward as those who manifest the first beatitude. The nature of righteousness has already been considered, so we need only look at what is mean by persecution. The Greek word is dioko, which means to pursue, to “hound,” someone, to put pressure on them. From its root word deilos, it means to attempt instilling fear in someone in order to make them timid. Oddly, it is itself the root word of diakonos–minister or deacon. Persecution, then, is inverted service: oppression.
The blessedness lies not in being maltreated but in the purpose for the maltreatment: the pursuit of righteousness. It is also important to realize that the persecution does not ultimately come from any individuals but from the forces of ignorance in the cosmos and in us. If we deal with the latter, the former will be defused.
Jesus continues this subject, saying: “Spiritually prosperous are you whenever they shall revile you and persecute you and say every pernicious thing against you, speaking deliberate falsehoods on account of me.” (Matthew 5:11) Those who hate the teacher hate the students as well. I know this by personal experience. Often hypocrites pretend to respect the teacher while being openly contemptuous of the disciples. This was very much the case around Anandamayi Ma. “I revere Ma, but have no use for those that live around her,” was a common statement made by Indians and non-Indians alike.
Anyhow, what is in store for those who would become righteous?
- Oneidizo–being slandered, railed at, chided, taunted, reproached, reviled, and upbraided. All this, and more you can be sure. Mockery and defamation are hard gifts to accept but they are showered us those that seek the kingdom. “Oh! I’ve heard of you…,” and the recitation begins.
- Dioko–already covered, but no less bitter in the receiving.
- Eiposi pan poniron rema kath’ umon–all manner of evil-speaking directed against you. The sky–and hell–is the limit.
How should we react? With sweet but wan acquiescence and pardon? Not a bit of it! “Be rejoicing and exult exceedingly, because your reward is great in heaven. For in this manner they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:12) There it is, as plain as need be. Ignore the braying and the barking and the howling and rejoice in your spirit. Saint Luke uses the words chairo and agalliao. Chairo means to be cheerful in the sense of being calmly happy and content. It implies a kind of impersonal satisfaction. It does meant to rejoice and be happy, but in a very peaceful way. Agalliao, on the other hand means to jump for joy and exult, to rejoice greatly. We should rejoice both outwardly and in the peace of our inner being.
That which usually produces resentment, anger, or pain should be the cause of our great rejoicing. Why? “Because your reward is great in heaven”–not a mythological heaven little better than earth, but the true heaven, the boundless expanse of the Spirit. When we have our sights set on infinity, why would we do anything but rejoice, whatever comes.
We should note that our reward is because of righteousness, not because of the maltreatment and slander of the wicked and the foolish–they do the same to those who are not blessed.
In good company
“For in this manner they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Jesus really honors us by putting us in the company of the prophets, and the persecutors likewise honor us by holding the same opinion of us.
Do we know of a single holy person that was not persecuted and slandered–and worse? Many have been tortured and killed for the sake of righteousness. But so what: “Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul.” (Matthew 10:28)
All those who go against the current of the world are reacted to in a negative, even a hateful and destructive way, and this is one of the signs that they are going in the right direction. Let us be going!
Previous posts in this series:
• What Did Jesus Really Say in the Sermon on the Mount?
• The Kingdom of Heaven According to Jesus
• What Jesus Really Means by Meekness
• When Craving is a Good Thing
• Mercy and the Law of Karma
• Clean to the Core of Our Being
• The Spiritual Process of Making Peace
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