I am a Jesus pusher!!! We must consider “severe persecution.” This is the only Beatitude that has more than one verse (Matthew 5:10-12). Jesus expands this Beatitude with two additional verses to address persecution. He begins with “Blessed are those who are persecuted” (Matthew 5:10). Remember that the verb is in the perfect tense that translates “have been persecuted.” He emphasizes this again in the next verse by saying, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you” (Matthew 5:11). This is further stressed in the following verse, “So they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:12). The restatement of the word three times presents to us the severity of His message.
In all three of these statements, the Greek word “dioko” is translated persecute. This word has the basic meaning of chasing, driving away, or pursuing. It is presents the picture of physical affliction or infliction of physical pain. This should not be a surprise to us since the third Beatitude speaks directly to our connection to the physical world. Our relationship with Jesus does not simply dwell in some mystical, unseen world. Because of His nature we embrace our physical existence in a new way. There are definite physical ramifications to being Kingdom people. But the joy of embracing Him overshadows persecution. He is our focus! I am a Jesus pusher!!!