Blessed are the Persecuted, Part 2

Blessed are the Persecuted, Part 2

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”[1]

This is the last of the Beatitudes in Matthew. It is similar to the Beatitude preceding it (“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake…”[2]) and nearly identical to the fourth of the Blessings and Woes in Luke (“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man…”[3]). Since I considered these sayings last week I will look at this saying a little differently. In particular, Jesus closes this saying with, “…for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

In general, a prophet was one who was believed to speak on behalf of God. They spoke out fearlessly for the oppressed and against corruption, speaking truth to power, and often paid dearly for their convictions. Many were imprisoned, tortured, and/or killed by those in power in an attempt to silence them. I suspect many prophets were not recognized as such until after their death when someone remembered, “…didn’t so-and-so warn us about this?” Many biblical prophets were not appreciated while they were alive, at least according to the surviving accounts we have of them.

Today, prophets are typically considered those who can see into and predict the future, but that was not the case in biblical times. Then, prophets weighed in on current events and attempted to help people see where the road they were on would likely lead them. Today, we often use the term prophet in derisive ways, poking fun at those who seem to be passionate, but fringe thinkers. We largely ignore those predicting the end of the world on a certain date or those claiming we will burn in hell for whatever abominable behavior we may engage in. Indeed, Jesus warned us about false prophets, saying “…many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.”[4]

I grew up in Topeka, Kansas, where one small church’s entire mission (the Westboro Baptist Church) was seemingly to prophesy about the evils of homosexuality. They made posters warning that homosexuals would burn in hell. They prophesied on sidewalks outside of churches known to be welcoming to LGBTQ+ folks, including my current church. They prophesied at funerals and other events where those they believed were following a path to certain destruction were gathered. They were (and remain) annoying with their offensive posters and chants, but they were always careful not to violate the laws protecting their first amendment rights to speak their minds. Were they prophets? Yes, at least in the sense of expressing their sincerely held beliefs about biblical teachings. Were they false prophets? I would also say, “Yes,” because their conclusions about God and God’s nature are vastly different from mine.

This church’s “prophets” were certainly reviled, persecuted, and had all kinds of evil uttered against them by many of us. No doubt, they used this particular Beatitude as supportive and reassuring words from Jesus about their activities. And that is one of the confounding aspects of Jesus’ teachings in particular, and many Bible teachings in general – they can be understood in ways that support both sides of most contentious issues. Do I believe the Westboro Baptist Church’s views on LGBTQ+ issues are misguided and wrong? Yes, I do. Do I believe their members are any less children of God than I am? No, I do not. God gives everyone the free will to be passionately immature and wrong.

Like current and past prophets, people are reviled and persecuted because they are zealous about some ideal and avidly express their feelings and understanding so others might benefit from their enlightened vision (at least that’s what they believe). The persecution comes because others hold equally zealous but opposing ideals that are threatened by theirs. It is the expression of or the acting upon our beliefs that leads to the persecution. It is also what makes us fervent Christians. For the members of the Westboro Baptist Church, persecution was expected and even celebrated.

In my (zealous) opinion, we need fearless prophets and regular voices today who will prophesy about a loving and accepting God with the same passion and persistence as those who prophesy about a punishing, exclusive, and retributive God. Will the former be persecuted, reviled, and have evil spoken against them? According to Jesus, probably so. But until those who hold to the inclusiveness of the good news of the life and teachings of Jesus with the same fervor as those who believe the good news excludes certain others, we will find both prophets of doom and prophets of peace persecuted and reviled with equal passion.

This is the 21^stin a series titled Blessedness and Woe.Life Notes are my explorations into mysteries that interest me. They are invitations for readers to explore more deeply into life’s mysteries. Engage with me or explore contemplative spiritual direction at ghildenbrand@outlook.com.

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[1] Matthew 5:11-12

[2] Matthew 5:10

[3] Luke 6:22

[4] Matthew 24:11