Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
St. John Chrysostom, as though continuing the thought of the previous beatitude, affirms that while it is desirable to have peace within ourselves and with others, we must not seek peace at any cost. He writes: “So that you might not suppose that peace is always a praiseworthy matter, Christ added this commandment: blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake—that is, those persecuted for virtue, for defending others, for piety—for Christ always refers to complete love of wisdom when He speaks of righteousness. Again, so that you might not think that any kind of persecution makes people blessed, Christ conditions this beatitude on two points: first, that the suffering be endured for the Lord’s sake; and second, that the accusations be false.” Blessed Theophylact seems to complement this interpretation: “It is not only the martyrs who are persecuted, but many others… Thieves and murderers too are persecuted, but they are not blessed.”
The exalted reflection of St. Nilus of Sinai must be highlighted, in which he explains that all Christians who live a spiritual life—guarding themselves and wrestling with their thoughts—are those persecuted for righteousness’ sake. We must remember, he says, that we also have invisible enemies who persecute us because of our knowledge of God and good deeds.
Here we may also cite the beautiful and practical advice of St. John of Kronstadt on how to act when we must say something we know will offend others. When to speak, and when to remain silent? He writes: “Will people be offended by your righteous word? Will they dislike you and withhold sympathy? So what? To men you may be unpleasant, but to God you will be His mouth, the apple of His eye; moreover, even here on earth, all honest and upright people will respect you, while in heaven you will be praised by the Angels and all the Saints… How serene the conscience is, how satisfied the soul when one utters a word of truth to the world! And how it torments us when, out of shame or fear, we withhold it in moments when it is needed! Is this not the reason why lies increase and insolently raise their head—when they are allowed to speak freely and go unrebuked? However, reason demands that truth not be spoken at all times and to all people. First, we should not speak if the matter does not concern us and if there are others whose duty it is to speak the truth. Second, we should not speak when we foresee that our words will expose us to danger, and yet yield no benefit. In such cases, it is better to pray secretly to God that He Himself may enlighten the unjust and direct them toward the path of righteousness—or that He send powerful and competent individuals to rebuke iniquity. Even virtue requires moderation and discernment, for without discernment, virtue is either not virtue at all or loses much of its value.”
Verse 11 of Chapter 5 reads:
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and speak all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
St. John Chrysostom observes that this beatitude praises the inner strength of a person who remains faithful to Christ. This fortitude is acquired through a life focused on fulfilling the commandments of God. Chrysostom writes: “For one to endure slander is not even considered a great feat, although in reality it may wound the struggler more than actual physical dangers. Many have taken their own lives because they were unable to endure public shame… Even Job, that diamond of a man, firmer than any stone, when he lost his property, suffered unspeakable torment, and was suddenly bereaved of all his children, and when his body was covered with worms—all this he bore easily. But when he saw his friends reproaching and mocking him, accusing him of sins and claiming he suffered for his wickedness, even this brave and great struggler wavered and was disturbed.”
St. Isidore of Pelusium emphasizes that the words “for My sake” clearly identify the only path by which this beatitude is attained—that is, we are blessed only if we endure slander for Christ’s sake. For if people speak ill of us because of our own misdeeds, what blessing is there in that?
Saint John of Kronstadt speaks about a phenomenon that is even more prevalent today, for which the Lord calls Christians blessed when they endure it. Here are the words of the saint:
“Today Satan does not persecute with torture and punishment, but with unbelief, liberalism, and lack of discernment in matters of faith, with brazen denial of faith. With reproaches, mockery, blasphemy, and slander. Pious people today are called deceivers, backward, narrow-minded. The Christian faith is labeled obscurantism; Christian compassion is seen as weakness; almsgiving—as foolish waste; external prayer—as hypocrisy; and the joy of prayer—as idiocy, nearly madness… You would agree that for any believing person living among such people, this is extremely distressing, and blessed is he who does not live in such an environment. As for those who do, enduring such persecution and mockery, they must not remain silent but must be able to give a defense of their faith, their hope, and to shame impiety in the words of Scripture: ‘Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes’ (Proverbs 26:5).”
I believe that what Saint John of Kronstadt speaks of can clearly be observed in our own society today. Whenever, for any reason, the Orthodox Church comes into the focus of public attention or media coverage, there will always appear individuals who speak “evil words” with all their might—and this precisely because of Christ, for they cannot bear what the Church truly teaches.
A great missionary of the Church, Fr. Daniil Sysoev, once gave an example from the early 1990s in Russia. At first, the Russian Orthodox Church had the support even of liberal circles and the media, because they viewed it as an opponent of the communist regime—which was popular at that time. However, once they understood what the Gospel message truly is and what the Church proclaims, they turned against the Church with full force and launched a campaign of opposition.
I do not refer here to cases when people speak or write about real problems that may exist within the Church as a human institution, but rather to the conscious struggle against Christ and His teaching. And this does not have to happen at the media level. Surely, each of you has had the experience that when you try to speak with someone about the faith, when you attempt to explain the essence of life in the Church, your conversation partner will immediately turn to the topic of “corrupt priests,” SUVs, and Mercedes-Benz cars—without the slightest desire to hear the true essence of our faith and life in the Church.
We continue now with verse 12, which reads:
“Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
St. John Chrysostom draws attention to the Lord’s words “the prophets before you,” emphasizing that the apostles themselves already bore the prophetic ministry, that they themselves were prophets. He also addresses a hidden desire that often appears in our spiritual life—that of avoiding all suffering if at all possible. St. John Chrysostom says:
“Wishing to show that suffering is especially beneficial for them and serves their glory, Jesus did not say: ‘they will persecute you, and I will prevent it.’ The Lord does not desire to preserve them from hearing anything bad about themselves, but rather that they endure such words bravely, that they justify themselves by their actions, for this is far better than the former. To not lose heart in the face of suffering is much more important than not to suffer at all.”
St. Chromatius of Aquileia likewise underscores something that might seem strange to some Orthodox Christians when he writes the following:
“How glorious it is to suffer persecution for that which promises a reward in heaven, as the Lord says! And thus we, devoted to the faith, thinking of the reward of the promised glory, must be ready to endure all sufferings in order to receive the glory of the prophets and apostles.”
Many Christians today believe it is not proper to contemplate the glory that awaits the faithful, that we should focus only on eternal torments and hell—even though both the Lord and the Holy Fathers encourage us to think about the reward that awaits. Our nature is such that the mention of a reward can strengthen and inspire us to keep striving, especially in moments of despair or despondency. According to the counsel of St. Gregory the Theologian, in such moments we should also reflect upon the glory that awaits us in the Kingdom of Heaven if we remain faithful to Christ until the end.
Verse 13:
You are the salt of the earth: but if the salt loses its savor, with what shall it be salted? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
According to St. John Chrysostom, the Lord spoke these words to prevent the disciples from becoming troubled or disheartened, from thinking: “How can we possibly fulfill these commandments?” since they were lofty and more demanding than those of the Old Testament. By saying you are the salt of the earth, Christ reveals the necessity of such commandments, for the entire human race had become darkened and corrupted by sin. St. John adds the following:
“He who is meek, gentle, merciful, and righteous does good not only for himself but also seeks to pour these fountains of goodness upon others. Likewise, one who is pure in heart, a peacemaker, and persecuted for truth, lives for the good of all. Thus, says Christ, do not think My words ‘you are the salt of the earth’ are of little significance. This applies to you: if God has made you spiritual salt, then support and strengthen the members who are decaying—that is, those who are lazy and negligent. Delivering them from negligence, as from decay, unite them to the rest of the body of the Church.”
St. Cyril of Alexandria explains that the salt Christ speaks of can also be understood as the virtue of discernment that fills the apostolic word. When sown into our souls, it implants within us the word of wisdom, which for its flavor and delight can be likened to salt. For just as bread or fish cannot be eaten without salt, so without apostolic understanding and teaching, every soul is senseless, sick, and displeasing to God.
That is, salt is a symbol of grace that preserves our souls. St. Justin Popovich adds to St. Cyril’s thought with the following words:
“Every evangelical virtue is salt—a salt that preserves the human soul from rotting in various sins and vices. Sinful thoughts, impure emotions, shameful desires, evil intentions—all these are invisible spiritual worms that gnaw at and devour the human soul, mind, and will, thereby causing decay of the soul, decay of the intellect, decay of the will.”
Adapted and presented for contemporary readers based on Patristic commentaries by: Stanoje Stanković
