Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 5:11

"Blessed are ye when [men] shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake." — Matthew 5:11 (ASV)

Blessed are you — Here, for the first time, the beatitude is uttered not as a general law, but as the portion of the listening disciples to whom the Teacher spoke. The words contain three forms of suffering, though not necessarily three successive grades:

1. Vague contempt, shown through gibes and nicknames.
2. Persecution in general.
3. Deliberate slanders, such as the accusations of foul orgies and Thyesteian banquets, which were spread against believers in Christ during the first two centuries.

Falsely — The word is absent from the best manuscripts and was probably added as a safeguard against the thought that a person might claim the reward of the persecuted, even if they were really guilty of the crimes laid against them.

For my sake — Here, again, there is a more emphatic personal directness. For the abstract “righteousness,” we have “for my sake.” He forewarns His disciples that they must expect persecution if they follow Him; His very name will be the signal and occasion for it (Acts 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:12).