Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Blessed are ye when men shall revile you - or abuse you to your face, in opposition to backbiting. (See Mark 15:32.)
And persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, [Tischendorf-on quite insufficient evidence, we think-omits this last word pseudomenoi (G5574): Tregelles, however, retains it. Even though it had not been expressed, it would of course have been implied.]
For my sake. Observe this. He had before said, "for righteousness' sake." Here He identifies Himself and His cause with that of righteousness, binding up the cause of righteousness in the world with the reception of Himself. Would Moses, or David, or Isaiah, or Paul have so expressed themselves? Never. Doubtless they suffered for righteousness' sake. But to have called this "their sake," would, as everyone feels, have been very unbecoming. Whereas He that speaks, being Righteousness incarnate (see Mark 1:24; Acts 3:14; Revelation 3:7), when He so speaks, speaks only like Himself.