In his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes what it takes to be happy. He states: “Happy are those” who (1) are conscious of their spiritual need, (2) mourn, (3) are mild-tempered, (4) hunger and thirst for righteousness, (5) are merciful, (6) are pure in heart, (7) are peaceable, (8) are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, and (9) are reproached and persecuted for his sake.​—Matthew 5:3-11.a

Are Jesus’ Statements Accurate?

The truthfulness of some of Jesus’ statements needs little explanation. Who will deny that a mild-tempered, merciful, and peaceable person motivated by a pure heart will be happier than the angry, belligerent, merciless person will be?

We might wonder, however, how people who hunger and thirst for righteousness or who mourn could be called happy. Such individuals have a realistic view of world conditions. They ‘sigh and groan over all the detestable things that are being done’ in our day. (Ezekiel 9:4) That in itself does not make them happy. However, when they learn of God’s purpose to bring righteous conditions to the earth and justice to the downtrodden, their joy knows no bounds.​—Isaiah 11:4.

Love for righteousness also causes individuals to mourn over their own frequent failures to do what is right. They are thus conscious of their spiritual need. Such people are willing to look to God for guidance because they realize that he alone can help people to overcome their weaknesses.​—Proverbs 16:3, 9; 20:24.

People who mourn, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, and who are conscious of their spiritual need are aware of the importance of having a good relationship with the Creator. A good relationship with humans contributes to happiness, but even more so does a good relationship with God. Yes, serious-minded lovers of what is right, who are willing to accept divine guidance, can truly be called happy.

However, you may find it hard to believe that someone who is persecuted and reproached could be happy. Yet, it must be true, since Jesus himself said so. Hence, how should his words be understood?

Persecuted but Happy​—How Can That Be?

Note that Jesus did not say that reproach and persecution in themselves lead to happiness. He stipulated: “Happy are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, . . . when people reproach you and persecute you . . . for my sake.” (Matthew 5:10, 11) So happiness results only if a person suffers reproach because of being a follower of Christ and because of patterning his life after the righteous principles that Jesus taught.

This is illustrated by what happened to the early Christians. Members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high court, “summoned the apostles, flogged them, and ordered them to stop speaking upon the basis of Jesus’ name, and let them go.” How did the apostles react? “These, therefore, went their way from before the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy to be dishonored in behalf of his name. And every day in the temple and from house to house they continued without letup teaching and declaring the good news about the Christ, Jesus.”​—Acts 5:40-42; 13:50-52.

The apostle Peter shed additional light on the connection between reproach and happiness. He wrote: “If you are being reproached for the name of Christ, you are happy, because the spirit of glory, even the spirit of God, is resting upon you.” (1 Peter 4:14) Yes, suffering as a Christian for doing what is right, even though such suffering is unpleasant, brings the happiness that comes from knowing that one receives God’s holy spirit.