New Christian Bible Study

Matthew 5:10

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10 Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Commentary on this verse  

By Brian David

An illustration from the Chronicles of Offa shows Jews being persecuted. The section on Offa is part of a book by 13th-century monk Matthew Paris which includes information on and illustrations of several early English kings.

"Righteousness" means those who live in a state of caring for others, who believe that it is important to serve and to love the neighbor. To "persecute" means to attack people based on their beliefs. An example of this would be when Jesus himself healed people on the Sabbath and was criticized by the Pharisees (Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11; Luke 14:1-6). Clearly He was doing what was loving and caring, but was persecuted by the Pharisees because it was not in accord with their beliefs.

And what is the reward for these people? A "kingdom" has reference to a church, and especially to the beliefs that define a church. The kingdom of heaven, then, describes the true ideas that define the Lord's church and guide the lives of angels. So those who seek to serve others, and stick to it even when they are told they are wrong, are actually the most right of all.



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