The Beatitudes

Matthew 5:3 - 5:12 are called 'The Beatitudes'.  They are part of The Sermon on the Mount, which is Matthew 5 - 7.  The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus's first major public speech.  

The Beatitudes have left an impression on me and I felt like writing about them a bit. If you don't already, I hope you can appreciate them too.  

Matthew 5:1 - 5:12 reads:

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ²and he began to teach them.

He said:

 ³“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
 ⁴Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
 ⁵Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
 ⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
 ⁷Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
 ⁸Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
 ⁹Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

What does it mean to be blessed?  A person might say, "I'm not feeling very blessed while I'm poor in spirit or while I'm mourning."  In greek, the word is 'makarios', meaning 'fortunate' or 'well-off'.  It does not mean 'lucky'.  A person might be blessed spiritually while the world without falls apart around them.

The poor in spirit would be those so let down by the world that their only confidence lies in God.  "To be poor in spirit is not to lack courage, but to acknowledge spiritual bankruptcy.  It confesses one's unworthyness before God and utter dependence on Him."¹ 

The "kingdom of heaven" is essentially the church, but not limited to it.  It was initiated by Jesus but is not yet complete.  Note the tense of 5:3.  The kingdom of heaven currently belongs to the poor in spirit; 'for theirs is the kingdom of heaven'.

5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

What does it mean to mourn?  The Holy Spirit through Paul says in 2 Cor 7:10, "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death."  We see Jesus's promise fulfilled in Paul's second letter to the Corinthians.  They are rebuked harshly in the first letter, have Godly sorrow (i.e, mourning), and repent.  Paul then comforts them in his second letter.

5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Meek does not mean weak or cowardly.  When facing spiritual adversity, we need to leave our material fears and ego's out of it, and act as God's representatives.  We need courage to be truthful and maintain what God has put forth in the bible.  At the same time, we need to be humble and maintain God's image. 

A meek or humble person does not think they need the best of everything to sate their material greed.  They do not think they are entitled.  They therefore get the best of this world through their contentedness.

5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

I wonder sometimes if the need for righteousness is misplaced with addictions and obsessions.  A person might hunger and thirst for Godly knowledge, but are not religious.  Maybe they cant place what they are hungering and thirsting for.  The hunger and thirst is temporarily sated with drugs or alcohol.  But the need comes back along with negative social, physical, and spiritual consequences.  It might be similar to a strict diet of candy bars.  A person would eventually end up malnourished, overweight, and maybe diabetic.

So what does it mean to "hunger and thirst for righteousness"?  "Looked at in it's widest context, this hungering and thirsting refers to a panting of the renewed heart after God (Ps 42:1), a yearning for a closer walk with Him, and a longing for more perfect conformity to the image of His Son".²

Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled.  As Jesus says a little later in the sermon (Matt 7:7-8), “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."  If we hunger for righteousness and seek a closer walk with God, we will find it.

5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Being merciful means withholding punishment, but it's more than that.  It's forgiving.  The antonym of merciful might be vindictive.  It's also means compassionate, empathetic, and sympathetic. 

If we're merciful, we'll be shown mercy.  That mercy probably won't come from the world, but from the kingdom.  Being merciful (especially forgiving) is important.  Right after The Lords Prayer  Jesus says (Matt 6:14-15), "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."  Being merciful leads way to the next verse.

5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

What does it mean to be pure in heart?  One who is pure in heart does not harbor resentment, greed, or lust in their heart.  They are not deceitful.

God reveals himself to the pure in heart through his creation, word, and providence.  In the afterlife, they will see God too.  As Paul says (1 Cor 13:12), "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."

5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

A peacemaker is one who goes into the nations which previously had enmity against God and tries to bring peace to them.  "The nations" in this case would be all those who are non-christian.  The peacemakers are His ambassadors and image bearers who carry out The Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20).

In the Old Testament, the angels are called "Sons of God". The blood of Jesus cleanses us, our sins are remembered no more, and we are called Children of God (see Hebrews 8:9-8:12, Romans 8:14-16).

The peacemakers will encounter trials in the world; friendship with the world is enmity against God (James 4:4).  This leads into 5:10-5:12.

5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

What does it mean to be persecuted because of righteousness?  A lot of times people in the world don't like to hear that they are living in enmity against God.  It's hard to hear, and probably the reason a lot of people claim atheism.  It's easier to just deny that God exists, and continue to live our sinful debauched nature.  Rather than make friends with this world, we need to be honest and and ambassadors of Christ (2nd Cor 5:20).  Sometimes the world won't be in agreement with God's Word and will cause us strife with the world and therefor persecution in it.  

Jesus promises the same reward to those who are persecuted as to those who are poor in spirit: the kingdom of heaven.

5:11-12 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

This builds upon the last verse.   If we get insulted, lose our job, or end up in jail due to our faith in Christ, we can rejoice.  The prophets were persecuted as well.  Our reward in heaven will be great.  Perhaps we can meet the prophets.

References 

 1. "The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke", by D. A. Carson, Walter W. Wessel, Walter L. Liefeld.  Jan 1, 1984

2. "The Beatitudes", Aurthur W. Pink, 2005 (re-published by Faithlife)