Introduction: Bitter Ice Cream
We have come to the end of our cycle of reflections on the Beatitudes. During this time, we have step by step analyzed the “Constitution of God’s Kingdom.” We have seen how God transforms the heart of a person, making him poor in spirit, mourning over sin, meek, hungering for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, and a peacemaker.
It would seem that such a person should become an ideal citizen whom everyone loves and values. But the eighth and final beatitude sounds like a sharp dissonance: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:10).
If the first seven beatitudes described how God changes us, the eighth shows how the surrounding world reacts to these changes. And Jesus warns: the reaction will be not so much applause as persecution.
Theologian R.C. Sproul, in his book “Surprised by Suffering,” describes a case with his six-year-old daughter. She was to have surgery to remove her tonsils. The parents, wanting to prepare the child, read her cheerful books about the hospital and promised her favorite ice cream after the surgery. The girl went to the clinic as if to a holiday.
But when she woke up after the anesthesia—all in blood, with agonizing pain in her throat—Sproul will never forget her look. It read not just physical suffering, but a sense of deep betrayal. It seemed her eyes were saying, “How could you? You promised it would be great!”. At that moment, ice cream was the last thing she was thinking about.
Often we behave in a similar way toward God. We were promised “bliss,” and we expected only “ice cream”—peace, joy, and blessings. And when sorrows and injustice come into our lives, we look to Heaven with hidden reproach: “Lord, how could You?”. But God did not deceive us. We were deceived by teachers who took their ideas not from Scripture.
Jesus does not mislead us. He honestly says: following Me costs a lot. Let’s look at suffering not as children, but as adults.
A Surprise in the Age of Comfort
Why are persecution and difficulties a surprise for many 21st-century Christians? The reason is the incredible progress in the quality of life over the last hundred years.
Modern medicine has learned to defeat most diseases and, most importantly, has learned to effectively manage pain. We live in relative safety, with full shop shelves and confidence in tomorrow. We have become used to comfort and have begun to perceive it as something taken for granted. We have a false sense of invulnerability.
But biblical reality is different. Jesus says that persecution is an expected fruit of righteousness. “For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5:12).
If we open the 11th chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, we will see a long list of heroes of faith. These were people of whom “the world was not worthy,” but what was their earthly lot? They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they wandered in mountains and caves, suffering want and affliction. Closeness to God did not guarantee them a “comfort zone”; on the contrary, it made them targets for darkness.
Great Men and Moments of Despair
It sometimes seems to us that the heroes of the Bible were iron titans who went to the stake with a smile. But Scripture has preserved for us their living voices in moments of deepest crisis.
Job, having lost everything, cursed the day of his birth and asked why he did not die in the womb. Moses, exhausted under the burden of leading a murmuring people, prayed to God: “kill me at once… that I may not see my wretchedness” (Num. 11:15). The Prophet Elijah, after a great victory on Mount Carmel, fled from Jezebel’s threats into the desert, sat under a broom tree and asked for death: “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life” (1 Kings 19:4). Jeremiah, seeing the fall of Jerusalem and having no fruit in his preaching, cried out in despair: “Cursed be the day on which I was born!” (Jer. 20:14).
All these people were righteous. And their suffering was part of their ministry. They felt pain, fear, and loneliness just like we do. But God did not let them perish in this despair. He carried out His plan through these persecutions.
Suffering as the Will of God
Here we come to a very difficult thought. What if suffering is not just an annoying hindrance or an attack of the devil, but also the will of God? The Apostle Peter directly writes:
“Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good” (1 Pet. 4:19).
God could have destroyed all of Moses’ enemies with one blow. He could have struck Jezebel with lightning instantly. He could have made Job’s life cloudless until the end of his days. But He did not do it. This means there was a meaning in these trials, known only to Him.
When we suffer, we often ask: “Where was God when I was in so much pain?”. Theologian John Stott answered this question this way: “God was in the same place He was when His own Son was dying.”
Our Heavenly Father is not a sadist. But He is a wise Physician and a loving Parent. He knows that spiritual maturity does not come through carefreeness. We grow only when our trust passes through fire. As physical exercise strengthens muscles through pain, so trials form in us the character of Christ.
Why Are We Persecuted?
It is important to distinguish the reasons for suffering. Peter warns: “But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer… Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed” (1 Pet. 4:15–16).
Jesus does not promise bliss to those who are persecuted for a quarrelsome character, a lack of tact, or foolish actions. If people do not want to communicate with us because we are proud or intrusive—this is not “the reproach of Christ,” it is the consequence of our own foolishness.
Bliss is promised for “righteousness’ sake” and “on my account” (on account of Christ). The world hates Christians not for their kindness or honesty (the world even likes these qualities), but for their otherness. For the fact that we have a different citizenship. For the fact that we, by our way of life, our values, and the very fact of our faith, expose the darkness of this world. Darkness cannot stand light and will always try to extinguish it.
If there are no problems in your life because of your faith, it is a reason to think: is your light visible? A lamp under a bed bothers no one, but it also doesn’t shine.
A Reward Greater Than Ice Cream
Jesus ends His introduction to the sermon with a call: “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.”
For a child, the reward is ice cream here and now. For an adult, the reward is the achievement of the goal for which it was worth working and enduring. Our reward is not just “comfort in heaven,” but the Lord Himself. Our reward is eternal presence in His presence, where there will be no more tears, no death, no sin.
Jesus went to “prepare a place for us.” And the path to this place lies through Calvary. We value our salvation precisely because it cost Christ incredibly much. Our loyalty to God also acquires true value when it costs us something too.
The most valuable words in human history were heard by the thief on the cross. He suffered justly for his deeds. But next to him hung the One who “has done nothing wrong.” And when the thief recognized Jesus as King in the midst of His extreme humiliation, the Lord replied: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Conclusion
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. The Christian life is not a life without difficulties; it is a life with the right perspective on them. We must grow up. We need to learn to trust the Heavenly Father even when the “procedure” is painful.
If today you are going through trials, if loyalty to Christ brings you problems—rejoice. You are in good company. You are walking the path of the prophets, the apostles, and the Savior Himself.
The most terrible thing is not to die in persecution. The most terrible thing is to die in sin and never see God. But for citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom, death is swallowed up in victory. Ahead of us awaits glory, compared to which any earthly suffering is only a light, momentary affliction.
We need to grow up and live the Christian life in a mature way.