Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you.
All Commentaries on Matthew 5:12 Go To Matthew 5
John Chrysostom
AD 407
Then see the prize again: Because your reward is great in heaven. But you, though you hear not of a kingdom given in each one of the blessings, be not discouraged. For although He give different names to the rewards, yet He brings all into His kingdom. Thus, both when He says, they that mourn shall be comforted; and, they that show mercy shall obtain mercy; and, the pure in heart shall see God; and, the peacemakers shall be called the children of God; nothing else but the Kingdom does He shadow out by all these sayings. For such as enjoy these, shall surely attain unto that. Think not therefore that this reward is for the poor in spirit only, but for those also who hunger after righteousness, for the meek, and for all the rest without exception.
Since on this account He has set His blessing on them all, that you might not look for anything sensible: for that man cannot be blessed, who is crowned with such things as come to an end with this present life, and hurry by quicker than a shadow.
8. But when He had said, your reward is great, he added also another consolation, saying, For so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Thus, since that first, the promise of the Kingdom, was yet to come, and all in expectation, He affords them comfort from this world; from their fellowship with those who before them had been ill-treated.
For think not, says He, that for something inconsistent in your sayings and enactments ye suffer these things: or, as being teachers of evil doctrines, you are to be persecuted by them; the plots and dangers proceed not of any wickedness in your sayings, but of the malice of those who hear you. Wherefore neither are they any blame to you who suffer wrong, but to them who do the wrong. And to the truth of these things all preceding time bears witness. For against the prophets they did not even bring any charge of transgressing the law, and of sentiments of impiety, that they stoned some, chased away others, encompassed others with innumerable afflictions. Wherefore let not this trouble you, for of the very same mind they do all that is done now. Do you see how He raised up their spirits, by placing them near to the company of Moses and Elias?
Thus also Paul writing to the Thessalonians, says, For you became followers of the Churches of God, which are in Judea; for you also have suffered the same things of your own fellow-countrymen, even as they have of the Jews: who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have driven us out; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men. 1 Thessalonians 2:14-15 Which same point here also Christ has established.
And whereas in the other beatitudes, He said, Blessed are the poor, and the merciful; here He has not put it generally, but addresses His speech unto themselves, saying, Blessed are you, when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and say every evil word: signifying that this is a special privilege of theirs; and that beyond all others, teachers have this for their own.
At the same time He here also covertly signifies His own dignity, and His equality in honor with Him who begot Him. For as they on the Father's account, says He, so shall you also for me suffer these things. But when He says, the prophets which were before you, He implies that they were also by this time become prophets.
Next, declaring that this above all profits them, and makes them glorious, He did not say, they will calumniate and persecute you, but I will prevent it. For not in their escaping evil report, but in their noble endurance thereof, and in refuting them by their actions, He will have their safety stand: this being a much greater thing than the other; even as to be struck and not hurt, is much greater than escaping the blow.
9. Now in this place He says, Your reward is great in heaven. But Luke reports Him to have spoken this, both earnestly, and with more entire consolation; for He not only, as you know, pronounces them blessed, who are evil spoken of for God's sake, but declares them likewise wretched, who are well spoken of by all men. For, Woe unto you, says He, when all men shall speak well of you. And yet the apostles were well spoken of, but not by all men. Wherefore He said not, Woe unto you, when men shall speak well of you, but, when all men shall do so: for it is not even possible that those who live in the practice of virtue should be well spoken of by all men.
And again He says, When they shall cast out your name as evil, rejoice ye, and leap for joy. Luke 6:22-23 For not only of the dangers they underwent, but of the calumny also, He appoints the recompence to be great. Wherefore He said not, When they shall persecute, and kill you, but, When they shall revile you, and say all manner of evil. For most assuredly, men's evil reports have a sharper bite than their very deeds. For whereas, in our dangers, there are many things that lighten the toil, as to be cheered by all, to have many to applaud, to crown, to proclaim our praise; here in our reproach even this consolation is destroyed. Because we seem not to have achieved anything great; and this galls the combatant more than all his dangers: at least many have gone on even to hang themselves, not bearing evil report. And why do you marvel at the others? Since that traitor, that shameless and accursed one, he who had ceased to blush for anything whatever, was wrought upon by this chiefly to hurry to the halter. And Job again, all adamant as he was, and firmer than a rock; when he had been robbed of all his possessions, and was suffering those incurable ills, and had become on a sudden childless, and when he saw his body pouring out worms like a fountain, and his wife attacking him, he repelled it all with ease; but when he saw his friends reproaching and trampling upon him, and entertaining an evil opinion of him, and saying that he suffered those things for some sins, and was paying the penalty of wickedness: then was there trouble, then commotion, even in that great and noble-hearted man.
And David also, letting pass all that he had suffered, sought of God a retribution for the calumny alone. For, Let him curse, says he, for the Lord has bidden him: that the Lord may see my humiliation, and requite me for this cursing of his on this day. 2 Samuel 16:11-12
And Paul too proclaims the triumph not of those only who incur danger, or are deprived of their goods, but of these also, thus saying, Call to remembrance the former days, in which after you were illuminated ye endured a great fight of afflictions; partly while you were made a gazing stock by reproaches, and afflictions. On this account then Christ has appointed the reward also to be great.
After this, lest any one should say, Here you give no redress, nor stoppest men's mouths; and do you assign a reward there? He has put before us the prophets, to show that neither in their case did God give redress. And if, where the rewards were at hand, He cheered them with things to come; much more now, when this hope has become clearer, and self-denial is increased.
And observe too, after how many commandments He has put this, for surely He did it not without reason, but to show that it is not possible for one unprovided, and unarmed with all those other virtues, to go forth unto these conflicts. Therefore, you see, in each instance, by the former precept making way for the following one, He has woven a sort of golden chain for us. Thus, first, he that is humble, will surely also mourn for his own sins: he that so mourns, will be both meek, and righteous, and merciful; he that is merciful, and righteous, and contrite will of course be also pure in heart: and such a one will be a peacemaker too: and he that has attained unto all these, will be moreover arrayed against dangers, and will not be troubled when evil is spoken of him, and he is enduring grievous trials innumerable.
