Matthew 5:11 - Exposition

As Matthew 5:10 spoke of the blessedness of those who had suffered persecution and had endured it, so this verse speaks of the blessedness of those who are suffering from it at the moment, whether it be in act or word. Whilst Christ still keeps up the form of the Beatitudes, he speaks now in the second person, this and the following terse thus forming the transition to his directly addressing those immediately before him. His present audience was not yet among οἱδεδιωγμένοι , but might already be enduring something of the reproach and suffering now referred to. Revile ( ὀνειδίσωσιν ); Revised Version, reproach ; as also the Authorized Version in Luke 6:22 . "Revile" in itself implies moral error in the person that reviles. Not so ὀνειδίζειν . Our Lord purposely uses a word which includes, not only mere abuse, but also stern, and occasionally loving, rebuke. Falsely, for my sake . The comma in both the Authorized (Scrivener) and the Revised Versions after "falsely" is opposed to that interpretation (Meyer) which-closely connects ψευδόμενοι with both καθ ὑμῶν and ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ . ψευδόμενοι is really a modal definition of εἴπωσιν (Sevin, Weiss), and ἔνεκεν ἐμοῦ goes with the whole sentence "when men," etc. for my sake. In Luke 6:10 he had said ἕνεκεν δικαιοσύνης ; here he directly speaks of himself. In Luke 6:1-49 . the phrase is transitional, "for the Son of man's sake." In Matthew 4:19 he had claimed to be tile Source of power for service; here he claims to be the Object of devotion. His "Messianic consciousness" (Meyer) is, at even this early stage of his ministry, fully developed (cf. also Matthew 4:17 , Matthew 4:22 ). It is possible that Hebrews 11:26 ( vide Rendall, in loc. ) and 1 Peter 4:14 refer to this expression.