Jesus said to some, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of God.” [1]
He said to others, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations, but you have made it a den of robbers.’” [2]
The first audience consisted of common people sitting on a hillside while the second audience consisted of chief priests and the teachers of the law. The first audience gladly heard what Jesus had to say while the second audience “began looking for a way to kill Him, for they feared Him, because the whole crowd was amazed at His teaching.” [3]
The people who put what is right before fame and fortune are persecuted by the world but blessed by God. The people who are highly exalted by the world are rebuked by Jesus for creating a culture of crime.
Thankfully, one day those who have been hungry for, thirsty for, and persecuted for the sake of righteousness shall inherit the Kingdom of God. Jesus described the inheritors of His Kingdom with such words.
[1] Matthew 5:6,10
[2] Mark 11:17
[3] Mark 11:18
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