Matthew 5:11-12

Matthew 5:11-12

[11] Blessed  when  men shall revile  and  persecute  you, and  shall say  all manner  of evil  against  falsely,  for my sake.  [12] Rejoice,  and  be exceeding glad:  for  great  reward  in  heaven:  for  so  persecuted they  the prophets  which  were before 

What does Matthew 5:11-12 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

These two verses expand and clarify the last beatitude ( Matthew 5:10; cf. Matthew 6:12; cf. Matthew 6:14-15) and provide a transition to what follows.
Matthew 5:11 broadens the persecution to include insult and slander. It also identifies Jesus with righteousness.
"This confirms that the righteousness of life that is in view is in imitation of Jesus. Simultaneously, it so identifies the disciple of Jesus with the practice of Jesus" righteousness that there is no place for professed allegiance to Jesus that is not full of righteousness." [1]
The prophets experienced persecution because they followed God faithfully. Now Jesus said His disciples would suffer similar persecution because they followed Him (cf. Daniel 9:24-27). His hearers could not help concluding that He was putting Himself on a par with God. They also realized that they themselves would be the objects of persecution.
This persecution should cause the disciples to rejoice rather than despair (cf. James 1:2-4). Their reward for faithfully enduring would be great when the kingdom began. This fact also shows the greatness of Jesus. These are the first claims to messiahship that Jesus made that Matthew recorded in his Gospel.
The phrase "in heaven" ( Matthew 5:12) probably means throughout eternity. Kingdom reward ( Matthew 5:10) would continue forever. Some believe it means that God prepares the reward in heaven now for future manifestation. [2] This promise should be an incentive for Christ"s disciples to view their opposition by the ungodly as temporary and to realize that their reward for persevering faithfully will be eternal (cf. 1 Peter 1:3-9).
"Unlike many modern Christians, Matthew is not coy about the "reward" that awaits those who are faithful to their calling." [3]
"One of the curious features of Jesus" great speeches is that they contain sayings that seemingly are without relevance for the characters in the story to whom they are addressed. Time and again, Jesus touches on matters that are alien to the immediate situation of the crowds or the disciples. This peculiar phenomenon-that Jesus speaks past his stipulated audience at places in his speeches-compels one to ask whether Jesus is not to be construed as addressing some person(s) other than simply the crowds or the disciples in the story....
"If in his great speeches Jesus periodically speaks past his story-audience of crowds or disciples, whom in addition to the latter is he addressing in these instances? From a literary-critical standpoint, he is addressing the implied reader(s)." [4]