"The Arrival of Jesus: Two Radically Different Responses"

Have you ever heard the cynical phrase, "No good deed goes unpunished"? This seems like a relevant comment as we read the final Beatitude in Matthew 5:10. Why would someone who demonstrates the qualities of verses 3-9 be persecuted in verse 10? The simple response is that the sinful flesh does not like the righteousness of God. When individuals, or rulers of this world, believe the righteousness of God is a threat to their own ambitions, they will persecute believers. Yet, there is another response to these beatitudes, the response of faith as people discover God anew (verse 16). Genuinely living out our faith will elicit both of these responses from others. Is this positive response worth the risk of persecution?