Disciples will be persecuted because they seek to follow Jesus’ teaching. With this statement, Jesus connects his teaching with righteousness, 1 asserting thereby that he is the one who has come to reveal God’s will. He also makes it clear that what happened to him will happen to them. He was meek and lowly in heart (Matthew 11:29), he showed mercy (Matthew 9:13, Matthew 9:27; Matthew 12:7; Matthew 20:30), and he sought to bring peace (Matthew 5:43–45; Matthew 26:52), and yet he was still ridiculed as a false prophet (Matthew 26:68). 2
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.