Christ the King Texts Series A

First Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

 11Thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. 12As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. 14I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. 16I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.

  20Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, 22I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.

  23I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.

Second Reading: Ephesians 1:15-23

 15I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason 16I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. 20God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. 22And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46

 [Jesus said to the disciples:] 31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family you did it to me.’ 41Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Matthew 25:31-48 Greek Study

Greek Study Matthew 25:31-46

v31 o υιος του ανθρωπου "the Son of Man" - the reference is to the mysterious messianic figure who is enthroned at the right hand of the Ancient of Days (Dan.7:13). The phrase can be understood simply as "man" and so also served to maintain the “messianic secret”.

εν τη δοξη του πατρος "in the glory of the Father", expressing a high Christology; he comes in a cloud of divine presence radiating the shekinah glory.

οι αγγελοι (ος) "the angels" - the heavenly messengers (possibly believers) messengers from earth, gathered with Christ on the final day.

v32 παντα τα εθνη (ος) "all the nations" - probably "all peoples", Jew and Gentile, likely includes dead and living since the day of judgment is also the day of resurrection. 

αφορισει (αφοριζω) pres. "will separate" - Palestinian sheep and goats look the same and since they graze together they are constantly being separated. The judgment here is not a trial but the enacting of a sentence for decisions already made.

v33 ευωνυμων adj. "left" - The sheep and goats are sorted into the good luck and bad luck positions, sheep are on his right (honor, power and authority) goats on the left, a bad- omen position.

v34 τοτε adv. "then" - temporal adverb; indicates a division, identified by a new paragraph. "At that time" is better. We are probably dealing here with what was originally a kingdom parable, with τοτε serving as a stitching device; so "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to the situation where a king says to those standing to his right ...."

ο Βασιλευς (ευς εως) "the king" - in the parable's original setting "the king" could have been any king but in Jesus' explanation "the king" represented God. In the present  context one suspect that Matthew sees Jesus/ Son of Man as the king. The "blessed of my father" leads to that conclusion. Jesus uses the title "Son of Man" because it is a mysterious messianic title where the Son of Man receives his right to rule from the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7). 

τοις dat. art. "to those [on his right]" - article serves as a nominalizer turning the  prepositional phrase εκ δεξιων into a substantive, dative of indirect object. 

οι ευλογημενοι (ευλογεω) perf. pas. part. "you who are blessed" participle serves as a  substantive. These blessed ones, standing to the right of the K/king, are blessed because they have been assigned to his right and thus gained their inheritance.

κληρονομησατε (κληρονομεω) aor. imp. "take your inheritance" - receive an inheritance. The inheritance is defined as the kingdom.

την ητοιμασμενην (ετοιμαζω) per. pas. part. "prepared" - the thing having been prepared. The participle serves as an adjective, , attributive, limiting "kingdom"; "the kingdom that has been prepared for you", Berkeley.

v35 γαρ "for" - cause/reason; explaining why those to the right are blessed by the Father.

μοι dat. pro. "[you gave] me" - [you gave something] to me. a dative of indirect object.  The provision of food, drink and clothing to the needy is work required of the righteous  in the Old Testament, and those who perform it "shall surely live", Ezk.18:6-9, cf. Job   22:6-7, Isa. 58:6-7.

φαγειν (εσθεω) aor. inf. "to eat" - infinitive is adverbial, expressing purpose; "you gave to me something in order that I might eat."

ξενος (ος) "a stranger/foreigner”, hospitality to the stranger is required of the righteous in the Old Testament, cf. Job.31:32.

v36 γυμνος adj. "I needed clothes" - naked.

ησθενησα (ασθενεω) aor. "I was sick" - the “caring” action may read "visit", or "care  for", both actions required of the righteous. Given the religious requirements pertaining  to disease, visiting someone who is sick is an act of above and beyond the call of duty.

ηλθατε (ερχομαι) aor. "[I was in prison and] you came [to visit me]" Ancient prisons provided a roof but nothing else. Food and other necessities were provided by family and friends so this is not just a visit to commiserate.

v37 οι δικαιοι (ος) "the righteous" - the "righteous" are the covenant compliant, those who  are judged right before God.

λεγοντες (λεγω) pres. part. saying. ποτε adv. "when"  πεινωντα (πειναω) pres. part.  [did we see you] hungry? - this (and other) participles serve to form a dependent  statement of perception expressing what they saw, "when did we see that you were  hungry ..... or thirsty?" The same construction is used for the participle "having sickness",  in v39.

v40 αποκριθεις (αποκρινομαι) aor. pas. part. "[The King will] reply" – a Semitic  construction.

αμην λεγω υμιν "I tell you the truth" – This phrase serves to underline the following  statement and is often used by Jesus.

εφ οσον "whatever" - This construction appears three times in Matthew, but not in the other gospels or the LXX. 

των ελαχιστων sup. adj. "[one] of the least" – a superlative of little; serves as a substantive, the genitive being adjectival, partitive. In God's domain status is not important; this kind of act is what matters. So, the word identifies a degree of compassion beyond the norm, “love to the loveless shown...” 

τουτων gen. pro. "of these" 

των αδελφων (ος) gen. "brothers" - Jesus thus identifies himself fully with his disciples- a fellow child of God, but also a stranger within the gates. 

v41 τοις πηρασεεκ ευωνυμων dat. art. "to those [on his left]"

  απ (απο) + gen. "[depart] from [me]"

οι κατηραμενοι (καταραομαι) perf. pas. part. "you who are cursed" - cursed in that they are sent from the Father's presence into the το αιωνιον adj. "eternal" - (ever-burning) [fire]. This reference is often used to support the notion of eternal punishment, cf. v46, but the imagery used here is not necessarily describing eternal damnation, but of a fire that does not go out and so is ready to deal with the condemned.

το ητοιμασμενον (ετοιμαζω) perf. pas. part. "prepared"- having been prepared. The  participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting "eternal fire."

τω διαβολω (ος) dat. "for the devil" - deceiver, liar, slanderer. A dative of interest.

τοις αγγελοις (ος) "[his] angels" Satan's demons/gang

v42 ουκ εδωκατε (διδωμι) aor. "you gave [me] nothing [to drink]" 

v44 ου διηκονησαμεν (διακονεω) aor. "you did not provide a service " in the sense of serving one’s your need.

v45 αποκριθησεται (αποκρινομαι) fut. "he will replay" -.

v46 ουτοι pro. "they" απελευσονται (απερχομαι) fut. "will go away" (future)

κολασιν αιωνιον "eternal punishment" in the sense of suffering as a consequence of wrong behavior. This hell (the lake of unquenchable fire - Matt.15:3) is symbolic of a punishment that involves separation from God, better described as eternal nothingness. Banishment from the presence of the living God is a monstrous loss. The term appears only here in Matthew and probably derives from Daniel 12:2-3, LXX. "Eternal doom".

ζωην αιωνιον "eternal life" - Daniel 12:2; "and many of those who sleep in the dust of  the earth shall rise, some to life everlasting." cf. Matt.19:16, 29, referring to "the future  inheritance of eschatological blessing", or simply of entering the kingdom of heaven.

Count me In

Note to self and to you: Get over the sheep and goats thing. It only figures in the first three verses and then, abruptly, goes away never to be seen again. The whole separating talk is meant to recall that shepherds did that sort of thing knowing quite clearly which critter was which and knowing fully well what manner and form of animal husbandry they were going to mete out on each species. The sheep were the sheep and the goats the goats and a known progression of events was now to follow. Dinner was involved, as was cheese and warm clothes. 

Next, a King appears and that is the image for the rest of the parable. The King also has a Father — Trinitarian alert. The matters at hand are pretty clear. As Epiphanius the Latin would point out, once you are told where to stand in relation to the throne of a king, you pretty much know exactly of what esteem you are being held at court and how, or if, you are leaving the castle after the audience is over.

By the time this meeting with the king is happening, by the time the shepherd parts the critters from one another, it is already the time of reckoning. The idea that now the Lord will turn goats into sheep is a desperate wish of gentle hearts that pray that ultimately, everyone gets saved and that it is never too late, even after the judgement has started. I pray for those gentle hearts to be heard by the King. I truly do. But, that is not what the parable is saying. It is saying, in continuity with what came before, there will be an end, there will be a “too late,” there will be a reckoning.

There will be, says the parable, a lake of fire prepared for the devil and his minions. (25:42) Note who it is prepared for. One makes allegiance with that crowd by choosing to have that lake as a final destiny. Matthew is of the opinion that plenty of opportunity is being given to repent. In fact, now that Jesus is here, God’s plea not to enter the lake of fire has intensified ever so greatly. Other generations only had prophets. This generation has Jesus. Those former generations will scoff at those who do not hear Heaven’s plea now. (12:40ff) Heaven is hoping to save you from a horrible choice.

There will be an inheritance, an inheritance that is from the foundation of the world and therefore the intent of the creator for his creation, for those blessed by the King’s Father. What do these blessed ones have in common? They have Mercy. They seem to have lived a life of Mercy toward the least of the King’s brother’s and sisters. Blessed now are the merciful they will receive mercy from the Father. (5:7) They have given the cup of cold water to the stranger because they were on the side of Christ and they have certainly not lost their reward. (10:42) 

When Abraham is commissioned the job came with a purpose: Abraham will be a blessing and God will bless those who bless Abraham and curse those who curse him. (Gen 12:2b-3) These little ones, they are the children of Abraham through Jesus Christ grafted into the line. (Ro 9:8)

These children act like the Father. That is the preceding parable. Those truly owned by the house of Heaven are acting like the children of the house, or they better. The member of the house who buries treasure in the ground against the house’s ways has already received his judgement. Now it is time to judge the nations. How will they be treated? It is a question that keeps me awake at night. How will the prophets of peace and mercy found in other religions be treated? By what standard will they be judged?

The answer, the parable suggests, is mercy to God’s own. They have acted in accord with God’s heart. They have furthered the mission of the Son by showing hospitality to the Messiah’s little ones. Messiah was with them as they were on mission and hungry and destitute or persecuted and noted the mercy extended to those who carried him to far venues. Angels watched as Christ’s own were in mission and reported everything in the heavenly courts. (Matt 18:10) Surely, they who showed God’s own possession favor will not loose their reward. 

When Matthew writes Jesus’ genealogy, he includes a few names that are to remind us of the history of Israel. One of these is Rahab, survivor of the conquest of Jericho. She and her family are the only survivors because she showed mercy to the spies, Israel’s own, God’s own. (Josh 2; 6:17) 

This is what kings do. Those who are on the side of their mission will find their favor. When Joshua meets with the commander of God’s armies he finds out that even Israel is counted as merely an ally to God’s plans. The angel is not on Joshua’s side. He is there to do the work of God at that moment. He is not on Joshua’s side or Jericho’s side. He is the commander of the army of the Lord, he has now come, there will now be a reckoning for those who stand in the way of God’s plan. In Joshua 6, it just happens to be Jericho that stands in the way and it will be reckoned with.

St. Ignatius, the father of the Jesuits, writes this contemplation into his Spiritual Exercises that all Jesuits must undergo.

[I will] put before me a human king chosen by God our Lord, whom all Christian princes and men reverence and obey.

[I] look how this king speaks to all his people, saying: "It is my Will to conquer all the land of unbelievers. Therefore, whoever would like to come with me is to be content to eat as I, and also to drink and dress, as I: likewise he is to labor like me in the day and watch in the night, that so afterwards he may have part with me in the victory, as he has had it in the labors.”

This meditation is to be answered by the pilgrims with an urgent “Yes. Count me in.” (For Cursillo veterans, the call of the king is in the rector’s meditation on Saturday) If it is not your aim and purpose to serve the King of kings and thereby join the battle plans and foreign policy of Heaven, it is time to depart now. If it is your conviction that the mission and plan of Heaven are misguided and you will not stand for them then it is time to find your asbestos swimwear.

The thing about kings and their armies is that, plainly, the foot soldiers don’t get to define the mission, the scope, the tactics, or the timing. Very undemocratic, I admit. But, maybe, that is why we need to celebrate Christ the King — and Christ clearly is the King in this parable (25:34) — Sunday. 

Where is the good news in all this and in this liturgical festival? Well, Christian, frankly, you know the King. You know his house and his ways. Now, maybe you know what he thinks of your friends who are not part of his house. Maybe you can trust him with these? They are people of mercy, yes? 

Greek Text Study for Matthew 25:14-33

Greek Study Matthew 25:14-30

v14 οσπερ γαρ "Again it will be like" - This phrase is used to parallel the introduction of the preceding parable, we are dealing with a kingdom not a teaching parable. 

αποδημων (αποδημεω) pres. part. "going on a journey" – a word is used of moving away from one's own district.

δουλους (ος) "servants" – here "slaves" more is inappropriate.

παρεδωκεν (παραδιδωμι) aor. "give, deliver to” it is a stretched to translate as "entrusted".  This is not an opportunity but rather an obligation.

τα υπαρχοντα (υπαρχω) pres. part. "property" and idiom; "what belongs to someone".

v15 ταλαντα (ον) "talents (bags of money)" a unit of exchange which varied in value; the  word can be used of money, or a weight of between 26 and 36 kilos of copper, silver or gold. It does NOT refer to a skill or innate ability.

εκαστω dat. adj. "each" – a dative of indirect interest, he gave gold to each one.

kατα + acc. "according to [his]"

δυναμιν (ις εως) "ability" (literally power) this CAN mean a skill or innate ability.

v16 ο λαβων pres. part. "the man who had received" 

πορευθεις (πορευομαι) aor. part. "went [at once]" - attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "worked". 

ευθεως, "immediately", so 15 & 16 translated: “Then, the servant who had received the five talents, immediately went and ηργασατο (εργαζομαι) aor. "put the money to work" which had been entrusted to him.

v17 ωσαυτως adv. "so also" – likewise 

ο "the one 

αλλα pro. "[two] more" - [two] others.

v18 δε ο λαβων (λαμβανω) aor. part. "but the man who had received" το εν "the  one

απελθων (απερχομαι) aor. part. "went off" 

αργυριον "money" – lit. silver, can also mean money in general. The normal way to hide money from thieves was to bury it, silver could be buried without damage.

απελθων (απερχομαι) aor. part. "went off" and dug a hole.

v19 μετα + acc. "After [much time]" – a temporal use of the preposition, the settling of accounts after a long interim. The ‘between times” is once again at the heart of this story….like last week’s about the in between times of his announced and actual coming, the question is asked again, “what will you do with your time as you wait?”  No weight is given to the delay nor any indication of what a "long time" might be.

μετ (μετα) + gen. "[settled accounts] with" - technical use  meaning " make reckoning."

v20 ο .... λαβων (λαμβανω) aor. part. "the man who had received [the five talents]"

λεγων (λεγω) pres. part. "he said" μοι dat. pro. "[you entrusted] me"

  αλλα adj. "[five] others [idiom = additional].

v21 αυτω dat. pro. "[His master replied]" - indirect object.

ευ adv. "well done".

επι + acc. "with [few things]" 

καταστησω (καθιστημι) fut. "I will put [you] in charge" i.e. greater responsibilities in the household. 

πολλων adj. "many {things}" the “greater responsibilities” awarded to the two faithful servants are not necessarily the same.

του κυριου (ος) gen. "[your] master's" 

χαραν (α) "happiness" - second of the two rewards is the delight of the master, cf. Jn.15:11. "joy" here may mean a "feast", so " happiness of the heavenly banquet".

v22-23 Repeat of above.

v24 προσελθων (προσερχομαι) aor. part. "then ...... came" - having come. temporal.

ο ειληφως (λαμβανω) perf. part. "the man who had received" note tense change  from aorist to perfect, expressing the fact that he is the man who has received a talent of  which he has made no use.

σκληρος adj. "hard, severe” - saying the master harvests where he has not sown, the  servant is saying the master is a shrewd exploiter. 

θεριζων (θεριζω) pres. part. "reaping” the imagery is of a farmer sowing a crop without actually scattering seed and harvesting without actually winnowing indicates a man with an eye for business who picks up profits in all sorts of places and probably should be elected president, oh wait, never mind…

v25 φοβηθεις (φοβεομαι) aor. pas. part. "I was afraid"  fear  freezes the servant in inaction.

  απελθων (απερχομαι) aor. part. "and went out" i.e. "I went away and hid."

ο σον adj. "that which belongs to you".

v26 οκνηρε adj. "lazy" (μορονισ in the previous parable, means essentially the same)

v27 εδει βαλειν (βαλλω) aor. inf. ""[you] should have put" deposited.

τα αργυρια (ον) "money" 

τοις τραπεζιταις (ης ου) dat. "with bankers" - 

v28 τω εξοντι (εξω) pres. part. "to the one who has [ten bags]" 

v29 τω ... εχοντι (εχω) dat. pres. part. "[everyone] who has" - a substantive, dative of  indirect advantage, the present tense being durative expresses ongoing action.

περισσευθησεται fut. pas. "he will have abundance"  i.e. more than enough"

v30 τον αχρειον adj. "useless [servant]" 

εξωτερον adj. "outside" - the household.

των οδοντων (ους οδος) gen. "[weeping and gnashing/grinding] of teeth" describing a situation of doom; pain, and anger. The phrase is used often in Matthew (8:12, 13:42, 50, 22:13, 24:51) and may reflect a popular proverb of the day expressing grief. 

Greek for Matthew 5-1-10

Greek Study Matthew 5:1-10

v1 ιδων (ειδον) "seeing [the crowds]" - a causal clause; "Jesus went up the mountain because he saw the crowds.

το ορος "a mountainside" - the definite article may indicate a particular mountain.

καθισαντος (καθιζω) aor. part. "sat down" participle is adverbial, temporal; "when he sat down his disciples came to him." A teacher sits down to teach.

οι μαθηται "the disciples" - the beatitudes are for the disciples, but are the disciples "poor in spirit", etc.? Some scholars take the view that the beatitudes are statements of grace directed to the disciples, but the Greek is not that specific.

v2 ανοιξας το στομα aor. part. “opening [the mouth] attendant circumstance participle expressing action "he opened his mouth...

εδιδασκεν (διδασκω) imperf. "to teach" the imperfect used here to make the point that the sermon on the mount is a summary of Jesus' teachings.

v3 μακαριοι adj. "blessed" - not the best translation, "fortunate" or "well off", possibly "happy". Jesus is telling his disciples they are fortunate to possess these qualities of life, because in possessing them they inherit God's kingdom.

οι πτωχοι adj. "the poor ones" - those in total poverty, possessing nothing and with no means to earn a living other than by receiving alms.

τω πνευματι (α ατος) dat. "in spirit" - dative is local. To be poor in spirit is to be totally destitute spiritually and recognize the need for a total dependence on God. 

αυτων εστιν "theirs is" – in the sense of consequence (not reward).

των ουρανων (ος) gen. "[the kingdom] of heaven" - the eschatological reign of God.

v4 οι πενθουντες (πενθεω) part. "the mourning ones - likely mourning is over sin.

παρακληθησονται (παρακαλεω) fut. pas. "will be comforted" - a divine passive.

v5 οι πραεις (πραυς) adj. "the gentle ones”. a substantive. "Gentle" in the sense of not demanding of God, so "submissive to the will of God".

κληρονομησουσιν την γην "[for they] will inherit the earth" - lit. receive by lot, the consequence of covenant inclusion through submission to the divine will.

v6 οι πεινωντες (πειναω) pres. part. "the hungering ones"

την δικαιοσυνην (η) "righteousness" - Jesus is not speaking of  social justice nor those who desire it, but the personal vindication of being set-right before God. 

χορτασθησονται (χορταζω) fut. pas. "will be satisfied ".

v7 οι ελεημονες (ων ονος) "the merciful ones" – the reciprocal nature of mercy is stressed in Scripture e.g. The Lord's Prayer, "forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us." This beatitude is not saying that those who show mercy will have mercy but rather they who show mercy will know mercy.

v8 τη καρδια (α) dat. "[the pure] in heart" - dative of locality, the purity of heart referred to here may be the righteousness not moral or sexual purity.

οψονται (οραω) fut. "will see [God]" – i.e.  find themselves in God's presence.

v9 οι ειρηνοποιοι (ος) "the ones who make peace" – a hapax legomenon., Jesus is not thinking of conflict-resolution but referring to those who are no longer at war with God.

θεου (ος) gen. "[sons] of God" - genitive is relational; so “members of God's family”.

v10 οι δεδιωγμενοι (διωκω) perf. pas. part. "the persecuted ones" - perfect tense indicates persecution that began in the past and continues into the present. The meaning of the word is usually in the NT, "to put to flight" or "drive away", also carries a positive sense, "to follow with intensity in order to catch up with, to run after, chase after, pursue. press forward, press on, follow without hostile intent". The trouble is v10 and 11 indicate the sense is "blessed are you when people persecute you because of your standing with God." But Jesus is actually warning his disciples that a servant is not greater than the master; i.e. if they persecute the master they will most certainly persecute his servants!

v11 εστε "are you" - The change from the third to the second person is important. This application of the final beatitude guides us in the application of the others.

ονειδισωσιν (ονειδιζω) aor. subj. "people insult (reproach, upbraid) you ψευδομενοι (ψευδομαι) part. "falsely" - the act of being publically attacked alone does  not carry any implied blessing, but if in telling the truth you are maligned falsely,  when the 8^th commandment is ignored, God blesses the truth teller.  

ενεκεν + gen. "because of [me]" – causal – probably because of their testimony of Christ, or more likely their identification with Christ. This is a foreshadowing of the Passion and the denial and abandonment by the disciples.

v12 αγαλλιασθε (αγαλλιαω) imp. "be glad" -  i.e. exceeding glad.

ο μισθος "reward" - the reward is divine approval. "payment/wage" is another possible translation but seems too little.

ουτως adv. "in the same way" – an idiom, a persecuted believer is in good company.