Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 5:10

"Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness` sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." — Matthew 5:10 (ASV)

Persecuted for righteousness' sake — Here again, there is a profound significance in the order. The work of the peacemakers is not a light and easy one. Often, as in the past, when we labour for peace, others make themselves ready for battle (Psalms 120:7). Nevertheless, the blessing is sure to follow. Amid seeming failure or success, those who are persecuted—not for their opinions, but for right conduct, the true martyrs and confessors of righteousness—attain their reward in the end.

There is something suggestive in the fact that the last promise is the same as the first. We end as we began, with the kingdom of heaven. The path that has led us here shows that this kingdom includes all the intermediate blessings, of which at first it seemed to be only the prelude and beginning.