Will you qualify for a great reward?

When reading Jesus’ words above, the first question must be – to whom was he speaking? Matthew specifically tells us that he was speaking to his disciples – his followers. But Matthew records that many others were also listening to these words.

The next thing to notice is that he stated that his disciples wee blessed when they were being rubbished “falsely”. If you have truthful problems with followers of Jesus, they cannot regard themselves as being “blessed”. No way.

And the third thing, at this stage, is to note that these people who are being denigrated (and worse) are blessed only if that denigration – that rubbishing – is “because of me”. It seems that many Christians escape denigration and rubbishing by others because no-one knows they are Christians. Are those among the “blessed”? Maybe not. All of the blessing of the Lord Jesus Christ come to folk through believing in him. Do folk really believe in him when they don’t say so? And don’t live so? 

And what’s this that he said about his blessed and persecuted people being like the persecuted prophets. What were these prophets like? Maybe this is a good description: “prophets were people who not only said what God wanted to be said but also felt what God was feeling”. They were changed inside and no longer thought about their "me" above all.

 

How absolutely wonderful that Jesus called his followers “the salt of the earth”. But he saw, in advance, a very real possibility. The salt might lose its taste –its saltiness. If that happens his (purported?) followers would be, in his words, only good “to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” Worthless and useless.

 

Another amazing statement about those "blessed" followers (as Jesus called them) to whom he was speaking. This is so far-reaching that it is rather difficult to believe. “You are the light of the world." But he said, on another occasion, “I am the light of the world”. So, it seems that those disciples of Jesus who would follow him as they should, would become – would actually be - “the light of the world.” Maybe not individually? Maybe collectively? Maybe both?

Maybe that’s why there are today about 2 billion people in the world who call themselves followers of Jesus. It's because the light of the world is still in the world. Yes, some of his followers have lost their saltiness and some have put their light under their beds. 

But the others are the blessed and persecuted and rubbished and their reward is great in the heavens.