The Joshua Victor Theory

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. Tonight we come to the final two beatitudes. Both deal with persecution. The 8 th Beatitude, “ Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” returns to the blessing given in the first beatitude: “ Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The blessing is already a present reality, though hidden from earthly eyes. The 9 th and last Beatitude expands on the 8 th , and brings them all to a close: “ Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” It’s not hard to see how these last Beatitudes relate to Christ, as our Passion reading from Luke 23 narrates the multiple sham trials that Jesus underwent before Pilate a...

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Each of the readings today share a strong theme. The difficulty of holding firm to God’s Word and to Christ’s cross in the face of persecution, difficulty, and opposition. Moses provides a positive example of holding firm in faith against trying circumstances. It says in Hebrews 11, “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.” Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Anyone who leads you to believe that being a Christian, a believer in God, is an easy life, free from trouble has plainly misled you, as the readings today show. Being a follower of Christ, and holding to God’s Word in the Bible—not j...