What If Jesus Was Serious ?, by Skye Jethani

 Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness…”   Matthew 5:10

“When Jesus spoke about persecution, He made it clear that not all suffering His followers experience is persecution.  He said, ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness…’ and He went on to bless those who are persecuted, ‘on My account.’  It is when we suffer for doing what is right or for being identified with Jesus that we are blessed, but there are plenty of Christians who may claim persecution…are actually suffering due to their own foolishness or unrighteous behavior.  Some suffer for righteousness.  But frankly, some Christians suffer because they are insufferable.

“…A desire to be seen as a ‘genuine’ Christian, however, may cause us to claim persecution where none exists.  This temptation is compounded by two additional realities of our age.  First, the privileged position that the Christian faith and values once enjoyed in our culture is diminishing.  As this occurs—for example, removing Christian prayers or symbols from public spaces—the loss of privilege can be misinterpreted as persecution.

“Second, we live in a strange time when some want to claim the label of ‘victim’ in order to accumulate cultural and political power…there can be a twisted upside to being seen as a persecuted group today.  It may be used as leverage against cultural and political opponents, or to excuse one’s own unrighteous attitudes and behaviors…

“Persecution is never something sought by a Christian.  It is the by-product of seeking first the Kingdom of God rather than the privileges of the world.”

                                                    --  What If Jesus Was Serious ?, by Skye Jethani, pp. 40-41