Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:10

How can I put this into familiar language?  Let me try.  “People whose motives and acts are approved by God suffer persecution.  They are in the kingdom of heaven.”   Or something like that.

Once again, Jesus’ teaching seems strange to the usual way of looking at things in our cultures.   We might wonder how it would be possible to even think that it is just fine to be persecuted because we are righteous?  If I am not mistaken, that is the point that Jesus is making.

So, friend, how can we make sure that our culture respects us?  By doing evil, I suppose, or at least not doing what pleases God.

I do not see Christians suffering very much around here because they are being molded by God.  Our culture likes it when the followers of Jesus act like the world.

What has gone wrong?  Has our culture become friendly to the things of God?  Or have we become lured into thinking that the ways of our culture are better than the ways of God?

I recall the words of Jesus, “If salt has lost its saltiness, what good is it?”  My paraphrase.

Lord Jesus, give us the grace to take your word seriously.  Spoken to Christians like the unregistered churches in China, Jesus’ teaching make sense.  Does it make any sense to us?  If not, why?  Something to think about, that is for sure.