Understanding the Beatitudes 8 of 8 by Rev. Teresa Stuefloten M.Div. 4/13/2025

Today we are concluding our series on the Beatitudes that were given by Christ Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount which is found in Matthew 5:1-12.

The 8th Beatitude is most often stated as, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake…” Reading from the Aramaic Bible, the language Jesus spoke, the 8th Beatitude reads as:

Beatitude 8 - Matthew 5:10-12

Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men reproach you and persecute you and speak falsely against you every kind of evil, falsely, for my sake. Then be glad and rejoice, for your reward is increased in heaven; for in this manner they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

As is the case with much of the Bible, the correct translation of the words is essential to the true meaning of the verse. The Oxford Dictionary defines justice as, "just behavior or treatment.” Synonyms are: fairness, equity, egalitarian, impartiality, objectivity, neutrality, lack of prejudice, open-mindedness, nonpartisanship, honor, uprightness, decency, integrity, honesty, ethics, morals, virtue, principle, and trustworthiness.

There are 3 broad types of justice in the Bible:

1. Distributive Justice: This focuses on the fair distribution of resources, opportunities, and burdens within society, often related to the concept of equality.

2. Retributive Justice: This deals with punishment for wrongdoing, ensuring accountability for actions that violate laws or moral codes.

3. Restorative Justice: This focuses on repairing relationships and restoring those who have been harmed, often involving reconciliation, forgiveness, and community healing. (Generative AI)

An article in Gospel in Life explains the evolution of justice as detailed in the Bible. I quote: “Biblical justice requires that every person be treated according to the same standards and with the same respect, regardless of class, race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, or of any other social category. Leviticus 19:15 says: “You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness (sedeqah) shall you judge your neighbor.” Deuteronomy 16:19 says: “You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous (sedeqah).”

This biblical idea was unique and revolutionary in world history… the book of Genesis… teaches that all human beings were “equally… created in the image of God” (Genesis 1:27). The Bible assumes it everywhere: “Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God” (Proverbs 14:31). “Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all” (Proverbs 22:2).

Jesus shocked the social sensibilities of the day by receiving and treating all classes of people with equal love and respect. Samaritans were seen by the Jews as racial inferiors, yet twice Jesus places Samaritans on the same spiritual level as the Jews (Luke 9:54; 17:16). Jesus touched off a riot when he declared that God loved Gentiles, such as the widow of Zarephath and Naaman the Syrian (Luke 4:25-27), as much as Jews. Jesus reached out to lepers who were social outcasts, touching them and defying the contemporary social prohibitions (Luke 5:12-16; 17:11-19).

He exhorted his disciples to not only be generous to the poor (Luke 11:41; 12:33; 19:8) but to welcome them into their homes and families (Luke 14:13). Hospitality in that time was an act of friendship and partnership, and it was shocking to treat the poor as equals in such a way. Through the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), Jesus defined “loving my neighbor” as giving practical, financial, and medical aid to someone of a different religion and race. Both doing justice and loving one’s neighbor means treating people of all races and religions and social classes as equal in dignity and worth.

The rest of the New Testament follows Jesus’ rule: “Believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism…. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, ‘Here’s a good seat for you,’ but say to the poor man, ‘You stand there’ or ‘Sit on the floor by my feet,’ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? …You have dishonored the poor” (James 2:1-4, 6).” End of quote (gospelinlife.com)

Christ Jesus set a new standard for justice, that all are treated equally, regardless of wealth, social status, ethnicity, or country of origin. We are to love not just those who are like us, but those who are different from us in some way. That can get tricky when we are judging from the ego, as we tend to do. And right now that can be challenging for us with people who have political views that are different from our own. We can see them as the enemy if we are judging from the ego.

An older woman in my exercise class has political views that are very different from my own, views that in my estimation support injustice. One day I felt an inner prompt to give this woman a hug. I came up and talked with her and asked her if she would like a hug. She was delighted, and with a big smile said, "Yes!” Since then, I have been giving her a hug, sometimes several hugs, every time I go to exercise class. She even holds her arms out when she sees me. Her husband passed close to the time my dear husband, Rev Mark passed. She has told me that her husband loved her so much and she misses hugging him. I have told her that we are fortunate that we both had husbands who truly loved us. We are connecting soul to soul, as two beings who are living a human life with all of its challenges. Yes, her political views are those I consider to be harmful to others, but we can still connect in love. Her political views are just part of the ego, they are not the truth of her at the soul level. When I can see her at the soul level, I am being a source of light in her life, and in my own.

Matthew 5:13-16 says: You are indeed the salt of the earth; but if the salt should lose its savor, with what could it be salted? It would not be worth anything but be thrown outside and to be trodden down by men. You are indeed the light of the world; a city that is built upon a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, so that it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men (and women) that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

If we are sincere in our spiritual path, then we are to live the principles of a just life, a righteous life, every day of our life. We are to be a light. There is not down time where we can act in opposition to the spiritual principles of a just life. My Dad, bless his soul, who was the church treasurer and sang in the church choir, used to joke that “That’s just for Sunday!” No, Dad, it’s for every day of your life, not just for Sunday, not just for going to church, not just when you feel like it, not just when it’s convenient, no, it’s for every moment of every day. Rev Christine likes the term right-use-ness for righteousness. I like that term, too. We are to use the gift of the vital life force we have been given to live a life in service to the highest, serving the Divine in others, and in ourself by right living, right thinking and right acting.

Rev. Dr. Emmet Fox, in his book, “The Sermon on the Mount, The Key to Success in Life, says that the persecutors are actually our own consciousness. We are inclined to act according to the desires and whims of the ego in living our human life. It is our higher true consciousness that persecutes us in terms of right thought and right behavior. How often have you done something you know is not in your highest good and said to yourself, “Just this little bit won’t hurt.” We do it all the time. We are trying to eat healthier for the benefit of our body temple, but we eat the thing we know we should not “Just this once.” We are trying to cut back on alcohol, but we had a bad day and we take a couple of drinks, “Just this once.” We are trying to get to bed earlier to have more energy in the morning, but we stay up late to watch something on television, “Just this once.” We know we should be meditating every day for our highest spiritual growth, but it’s been a busy day and we skip our meditation, “Just this once.” And just this once becomes more and more frequent until we have no commitment to ourself, to the agreement we made with ourself. Our conscience will be our persecutor. We know what is right, and our higher consciousness, our higher true Self, will persecute us with feelings of guilt and unease until we listen.

Luke 12:48 says, “For to whomever more is given, of him more will be required, (of her more will be required); and to whom much is entrusted, more will be required of his hand, (more will be required of her hand).” When we have been given spiritual treasures, spiritual realization, spiritual growth, we are expected to use the realization we have been given. In seeking spiritual growth we have made an agreement with God, with Spirit. We have asked for our life to be blessed, and perhaps we have also asked for the lives of others to be blessed. We have asked to know spiritual Truth. We have asked to know our oneness with God, Spirit, our Source. Because we know about and have experienced the power of prayer and meditation, we are expected to follow through daily with our practice.

Matthew 5:43-46 says: “You have heard that it is said, Be kind to your friend, and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemy, bless anyone who curses you, do good to anyone who hates you, and pray for those who carry you away by force and persecute you., so that you may become sons of your Father who is in heaven, who causes his sun to shine upon the good and the bad, and who pours down his rain upon the just and the unjust. For if you love only those who love you, what reward will you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same thing? Therefore, become perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. …“

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a prominent example of a person who worked for justice at great personal sacrifice. He utilized nonviolent resistance to achieve equal rights for Black Americans. Blessed are you when men reproach you and persecute you and speak falsely against you every kind of evil, falsely, for my sake, certainly applies to him. He was arrested a total of 29 times. Most of his arrests were for civil disobedience, but some were clear harassment, such as being arrested for driving 30 mph in a 25 mph zone. He was criticized and hated by white supremacists. He stayed true to this Christian faith and the principle of nonviolent resistance. He gave his life to the civil rights movement. Rev Dr Martin Luther King, Jr was shot and killed April 4,1968, while standing on the balcony outside his 2nd story room at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. His commitment to justice for Black Americans earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

In our country right now we see much injustice. People are losing their jobs with false accusation of poor job performance. The poor are losing food and medical assistance as funds are denied. People with legal status are being deported with false accusations of gang affiliation and sent to a horrendous prison in another country. College students who are here legally to study are being deported for expressing support for victims of war. Tariffs are being levied against countries who have been our friends, our allies, and the tariffs will affect the poor the most. Social Security staff is being cut and offices closed, affecting the elderly and disabled the most. And all of this is being done by the wealthy, for the wealthy, with disregard for the poor.

What can we do to bring about justice? Many are speaking out. Hands Off rallies are happening all over our country. I have friend who attended a rally on the east coast. I know a minister and her husband who attended a rally in the central part of the country. Another friend attended a rally in a western city near me. And I am thinking of attending a rally in the future, connecting with others who believe in justice for all. Many are also speaking out on social media. We can donate to organizations that assist the poor, the needy, and the immigrants. And we can volunteer our time to assist others. And we can lift it all up in consciousness, seeing the vision of justice coming forth.

Though I am not Catholic, I am proud of the current Pope of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, for speaking out about the injustice of the treatment of immigrants in the U.S. He is using his position of influence to speak out in support of those without power who are being persecuted.

It is not easy to live a righteous and just life. There are many temptations in our modern life to live a life of indulgence. The media certainly supports this view of life. To choose to live a spiritual life with the focus on our spiritual practice will tend to draw criticism from those who choose to live a life centered on the material. Those who live from the material do not understand the joy that comes from the focus on the spiritual. They feel that those who choose a spiritual focus are missing out on the joys of the material, the joy of the new car, the new house, the new clothes. They don’t understand that these are temporary joys that fade and even turn to sorrow when they are lost or damaged. Living in the soul is ever new joy that cannot be taken away. We are blessed to know the joys of the spiritual life.

It is important to stay grounded in our spiritual practice in this time of upheaval. Our world is moving to a higher order that we cannot yet see. We do not know what is emerging. Meantime, those who are attached to the old ways will fight to hold on to power, temporal earthly power. But there is a greater power, and that is the power of the Divine, the power of Love. Kindness, compassion and caring are it’s hallmarks. It is the only true and lasting power.

We can never go wrong by being kind, compassionate and caring. Give others the benefit of the doubt in these challenging times. Assume the highest intent. Practice seeing the Divine in everyone, regardless of who they are and what they do. See beyond the behavior of the ego to the soul of each one. Do not give in to the temptation to respond with anger and hate. As Christ Jesus said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Respond to anger with love.

Christ Jesus teaches us in the Sermon on the Mount that we are blessed when we make our spiritual quest the center of our life. We are blessed to be humble, tender, meek, just, merciful, pure in heart, and righteous, because we will see God everywhere and live in Divine Bliss of the Soul. We will be blessed to live Heaven on Earth as we experience the ever new joy of the soul in daily meditation. And when we leave the physical body behind, we will go into even greater joy! We are ever blessed!

Today is Palm Sunday, celebrating Christ Jesus’ triumphant entry into the city of Jerusalem, riding a donkey, with the people laying down palm branches and shouting, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!” And I say to you, “Blessed are you who come in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!”