Blessed Are You…

“(11) Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. (12)  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12

There are events and circumstances in life that cause great sorrow and disquiet. Some acute events, mishandled, turn into chronic pain. Holidays and anniversaries amplify this feeling of loss. It is hard to go through the motions.

I try to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, remembering God is working HIS character and nature into me. As I go through painful trials, I recall the following scripture:

“(24) But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.” John 2:24-25 

Jesus did not entrust himself to any other human, because He knew what was in their hearts.

We, humans, are surprised when those who are closest to us betray us. We think we know someone well if we have known them for years, or decades. But if we heed John’s words above, we realize that it is likely that we will experience betrayal at the hands of someone we trust.

Messiah’s human relationship with mankind is complex. Walking among us, we recognize His family, His tribesmen, His disciples, and His creation. Yet the Holy Spirit of God inspired the prophet, Zechariah, to write one of the most winsome portrayals of the pain of Messiah; in it, He called them His friends.

And one will say to him, ‘What are these wounds between your arms?’ Then he will answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.” Zechariah 13:6

That one small verse says so much.

What if Jesus decided not to volunteer to be born to die for our salvation?

What if, having volunteered, He backed out because He knows the end from the beginning, and people are obstinate, cruel, and selfish?

What if He decided, since He has never sinned, that He didn’t need to experience pain on a human level, because pain was created to warn us that something is wrong, to divert us from a sinful path, or to cause us to cry out to Him to cure a deficiency in us?

What if He just said, “no, I changed my mind, they are not my friends”?

What if He saw the future of humanity was going to be so dark and ugly for so many more centuries and decided to end the world?

These are not small questions.

We have read the book and know how it ends. But what about all that happens in between?

Jesus said the student (that’s you and me) is not greater than his Master (that’s Jesus). If He had to suffer, then we should expect that we will suffer.

If we are doing it right, we should expect resistance.

If we are doing it right, we should not take offense when others revile us.

If we are doing it right, we should consider ourselves blessed to walk in our Master’s footsteps – to suffer in some small measure as He has.

In fact, He calls us blessed if we do so.

Jesus clearly told us what we would suffer before the end of this world:

"Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  (22)  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.  (23)  When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.  (24)  "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.  (25)  It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!  (26)  Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.  (27)  "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.  (28)  And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:21-28 

Through the lens of Jesus’s words, I came to see that there is nothing that man can say about me or do to me that God does not see. For the trauma of loss and betrayal, someday He will bring justice. He gathers and saves every tear I have shed. Not one tear goes unnoticed. Not one moment of loneliness escapes His tender watchfulness over me.

If we are to imitate our Master, we must learn to walk in forgiveness; it is vital to our salvation and our peace of mind. To forgive a brother for his sins does not mean we can, or should, trust him again, but it takes our “hands off his neck” so that God can deal with him. It leaves us free to keep walking on the “path of Righteousness for His name’s sake”, without taking a vengeful detour that could damage our souls.

It is tempting to decide that in the future, we will not love, help, trust, or share with another soul. It is so hard to believe in others when we have been betrayed.

But the human heart was made for God, and God is love. Therefore, our faith and love are inextricably bound together, and no matter how painful it is sometimes, the only way to truly love with Christ’s love is to risk betrayal and pain. 

So, I’ll end the way I began…

“(11) Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. (12) Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12

Selah

Pastora Cate Covert