Matthew 5:12 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

Navigator

Matthew 5:12

Comments

Is the Lord saying we may actually enjoy persecution? But how can you enjoy physical persecution? How can you enjoy being utterly discredited before others? You do not so much enjoy the experience, but you turn your mind to the gain and the undeserved blessing which is yours in Christ, and that makes you glad; focus on that. Fix on your privileges, so undeserved, purchased for us by Christ.‘For great is your reward in heaven’: not necessarily greater than others, but great as a compensation for whatever hardships you suffer for Christ’s sake in this life. In eternity, it will seem like a short time that we were required to suffer for the Lord while we were on earth. You are in good company. You are suffering the same things that the prophets before you suffered. You think very highly of the prophets, and you know that their reward in heaven will be great. But as believers living in an unbelieving world during the gospel age, when the people of God are no longer separated out into their own nation but are rubbing shoulders with those who persecute them day by day, you too are counting the cost of being Christ’s disciples. He will not forget that. ‘For so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’ He singles out those who speak for the Lord. That reminds us of the context. This is still about witnessing for Christ, representing him, standing for him. They persecuted your forerunners, the great prophets who preached the glorious things of God and told of the kingdom of Christ and preached the way of salvation. Do not forget that the prophets were evangelists as well as foretellers. What was Jeremiah doing? There was God, about to judge that land. It was about to be sacked and brought under, and the people carried away into captivity. What was he doing? Was he saying to them, ‘If you repent God will save the land’? No, he was not. He was not saying, ‘As a people turn to God and he will deliver you’, because he knows that is not going to happen. He is saying to them, ‘Your doom as a nation is sure, but if any of you turn to him and repent, as individuals God will bless you and forgive you and eternally save you. As well as foretelling, they went after souls. What good did it do them? Jeremiah was put in a dungeon. No doubt some people at a personal level were saved and reconciled with God, but by and large, the prophets were set aside and persecuted.So here the Lord says that the person who is a true believer, who stands for the kingdom of God, will not have a comfortable time. There will be opposition, even if it is only intellectual opposition, family opposition – and that can be painful and hurtful – or discrimination against you in your department, in your work place. A Christian who is representing the Lord and his message and his character is in for trouble. If you have no trouble and no difficulty, God may be being gracious for you for a time and protecting you, but if that is the normal way with you, it suggests there is something the matter. You are not taking any stand; you are avoiding the offence of the gospel. You must not be offensive, but your message, however kind and charitably you put it will be offensive to people.

Application

Let us suppose that we are believers who do not spend much time to contemplating the eternal glory. We are Christians who say to ourselves, ‘Oh, it will be enough to be there. How wonderful that will be’, but we do not bother our minds very much or apply ourselves very much to the great Scripture passages which speak about it. We do not praise God for it and contemplate it. If we do not that then when we do suffer loss or persecution or insult and offence we will find it very hard to rejoice. That is not the time to start contemplating glory and heaven and things like that. You will never make a good job of it under those circumstances. Give some time to it today: all through your spiritual life, your earthly life. If you do that, then when you are in trouble you can cast your mind upon these great things that you rejoice in, and they will lift you up and carry you over the worst that anyone can do to you.

Questions

Why is witness to the gospel so offensive?

{

1. You challenge consciences – many are so offended that they unleash all kinds of hostility.

2. You interfere with their liberty – they like to pick up and put down sins as they please.

3. You provoke the integral hostility of human nature – on other subjects some will have an enjoyable discussion and others will always fight, but in the things of God, even the gentlest react.

4. You make all their opinions to be worthless – people do not like to part with opinions formed over time.

5. You render their lives futile – also you are probably hurting people they admire when you say there is no such thing as a good person.

6. They are afraid you will influence their friends also.

7. The devil is involved in this, though they are not aware of it – Satan is enraged at you, not only because he has lost you, but you are threatening his captives.

}

How do we go about witness?

{

1. Great care is called for in witness – not to avoid persecution, but to avoid spoiling further opportunity. We are to ‘live peaceably with all men.’

2. We must be gentle and sensitive. It is better to witness along the lines of sympathy and compassion, and then include sin in that context. We may go too far, too fast and deal with least palatable part of gospel first.

3. Never say too much at once. People think, if I do not say everything, I may never have another opportunity, but witness to some may be a long-term project.

4. Do it at an appropriate time. Preferably witness one by one, else they may gang up on you, or be embarrassed to interact with you in front of friends.

5. Make sure your witness is interesting, otherwise you give them reasons for not liking you.

6. We need to prepare for witness. If I had the opportunity, what would I say to this one, to that one? Amazingly, some very nervous people never prepare.

7. If possible prepare the ground. It can come as a great shock to people to discover you are a believer. Speak of your church, or of an answer to prayer you have had.

8. Be a helpful person, even to those who are treacherous to you.

9 But after all, you still expect trouble.

}

Outline

Purpose

Introduction

Matthew 5:12 Commentary and Bible Study