When I read Matthew 5:11-12 it immediately causes me to think of Jesus. When they revile you for His sake, and falsely accuse and mocked you, you are in good company. Jesus too was treated this way. To revile someone is to criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner. Our Savior was treated this way over and over.
In John 8:48 Jesus was accused of being a Samaritan. To us, that doesn’t mean much, but to a Jew, it was a term of contempt. The Jews hated the Samaritans. They felt they were superior to them because they were considered a “half-breed.” When the Jews were taken into captivity by the Assyrians, some of the Jews were still free and they married Gentiles or foreigners. In John 8:48 and 7:20 they accused Jesus of being demon-possessed. They charged Him of having a devil because He said they were not of God.
Joh 8:48 “Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?”
John 7:20 “The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee?”
In John 10:20 they not only said He had a devil, they considered Him mad, or rather insane. Mentally ill in our terminology.
John 10:20 “And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?”
In Matthew 27:39-42 they reviled Him and mocked Him while He was on the cross. They declared if He could save others then He should save Himself. They were so blind in their sins they could not see the Son of God for who He was.
Matthew 27:39 “And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, And saying, Thou that destroys the temple, and builds it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise, also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he is the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.”
Yes, we are in the best of company when we are persecuted, mocked, and falsely accused. Jesus, the Son of God, endured more than we could ever imagine. He endured death without retaliating. There is a certain peace that comes with enduring for the right cause, and being in the right company. In Matthew 5:12 we are told to rejoice and be exceedingly glad when this happens to us. We will be rewarded in Heaven. Nothing goes unnoticed with God. Every tear and every pain have been heard and seen by a loving Heavenly Father. Our reward will far exceed anything that we could ever experience here on earth and we will be blessed, or rather fully satisfied while still here. So, hang on and keep pushing forward for the cause of Christ. It will be worth it all!
Mat 5:11-12 “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
Excellent