At the end of the Beatitudes, there is a final blessing. It is distinct from the others by a shift of phrasing. “Blessed or those…” becomes “Blessed are you…”
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11,12)
Here Jesus is personally addressing his followers who will experience persecution. His eyes may have shifted from the general crowd to look at those close to Him. He tells them of the reward awaiting us who experience persecution.
But I am not here to discuss this persecution. There is something else to observe.
Because of Me
Some say that Jesus never claimed to be God and that is generally true. Yes, Jesus said, “I and the Father are One.” It is good evidence, but perhaps Jesus was speaking in the same way as when he said “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;” (John 17:22) Is this oneness actually one of identity? Does Jesus being one with God make Him God? The evidence leans to “yes,” but it is in-conclusive.
But the above words in Matthew tell a convincing story. “When people insult you and persecute you…because of Me … for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and all the others were prophets of God. They were persecuted for being prophets of God. Here Jesus is saying that being persecuted because of Him is the same as being persecuted because you are a prophet of God.
Jesus is not making the direct statement that He is God—He is just speaking as if He were. In the above passage, read it and replace the word “Me” with “God.” See how much sense it makes. Replace the word “Me” with “Don Curtis” and it falls apart as nonsense. If you were speaking this truth before a group, would you say “because of Me” or “because of God?” The remarkable thing is that Jesus’ identity as God is so intrinsic with who He is—we read the words above and the Holy Spirit leads us to accept them as truth and not the words of a misguided or deluded charlatan.
Jesus’ identity as God is implicit with who He is.
Over the next few days I will be highlighting other places where Jesus speaks as if His identity was God. They are quite remarkable.