MISUNDERSTANDING AS PERSECUTION

Misunderstanding as Persecution 

Susan Barnes

"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness for their is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:10

Generally, we think of persecution as being physical abuse or torture, yet persecution comes in other ways. Mary, Jesus' mother, endured a lot of persecution that has gone unnoticed. Mary was found to be pregnant before she was married. 

The penalty for this behaviour under Jewish law was stoning (Deuteronomy 22:23-24). How could Mary explain that she was a virgin, yet pregnant? While the possibility of being stoned was unlikely because of the Roman occupation, it wasn’t entirely out of the question (see John 8:3-5). 

More pressing though, was that Mary was in danger of being publicly disgraced. God saved her from this when he sent Joseph an angel to tell him to marry her. Nevertheless, it’s likely that Mary had to endure snide remarks, being avoided by friends, and overlooked for social invitations.

Years later when she and Joseph returned to Nazareth, people had not forgotten. Many knew of Mary’s marriage and Jesus’ birth, less than nine months later. The taunts of the crowd in calling Jesus, "Mary's son," also suggests that the people there had not forgotten (Mark 6:3).

Yet, Mary had committed herself to God. Her words to the angel had been, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said"(Luke 1:38). She endured much misunderstanding because she chose to be obedient.

If we want God's blessing in our lives, we need to press on in times of persecution, even when it comes to us in terms of misunderstanding.

Susan, an Australian pastor's wife, regularly writes devotional thoughts on Bible passages, book reviews and inspirational articles. Contact