Blessed Are the Persecuted in a World Obsessed with Approval
Nobody wants to be disliked. We spend so much of our lives trying to fit in, to be accepted, to avoid standing out in the wrong way. Social media is built on this impulse—the pursuit of likes, followers, and affirmation. Our culture thrives on approval.
Jesus says something shocking: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10). That’s the same promise He gave to the poor in spirit at the start. The kingdom belongs to them.
Persecution doesn’t feel like blessing. It feels like loss. When you’re mocked for your faith, excluded for your convictions, or mistreated for doing what is right, it feels like rejection. But Jesus calls it blessing because persecution puts us in His company. Just a few verses later He says, “Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
This Beatitude matters deeply in a world obsessed with approval. Following Jesus means we can’t always fit in. If my highest goal is to be liked, I won’t last long as His disciple. At some point, righteousness will cost me something. And that cost will expose what I love more—His approval or the world’s.
This is not a call to go looking for fights or playing the victim every time someone disagrees with us. Jesus isn’t blessing arrogance or belligerence. He is blessing those who faithfully live out His righteousness and pay the price for it.
Think about what this looks like today. It might mean standing alone at work when integrity costs you influence. It might mean speaking up in love when silence would be easier. It might mean being misunderstood by family or friends because you refuse to compromise your convictions. Sometimes persecution looks dramatic, but often it’s quiet—a steady stream of small losses, each one reminding us that our citizenship is in heaven.
And here’s the promise: “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” That’s not just future tense. That’s present. When we are willing to suffer for righteousness, we show that we already belong to a different kingdom. The world’s approval comes and goes, but God’s acceptance is unshakable.
This Beatitude calls us to courage. To stop chasing the world’s applause. To endure rejection without bitterness. To live so faithfully that when persecution comes, it’s not because we were obnoxious, but because we were like Jesus.
Blessed are the persecuted—not because rejection feels good, but because it shows we belong to the King who was rejected for us.