The Beatitudes – Matthew 5:3-12

Every good sermon has an ear-catching introduction.  Jesus definitely catches the ears of his listeners by telling them how blessed they are.  This was almost certainly outlandish for them to hear.  The people were still operating under the assumption that the Sinai Covenant with God was still in effect.  In that covenant, God had promised that if Israel was faithful to His commands, He would bless them with favor, prosperity, and victory (Deuteronomy 28:1-14).  But the prophet Jeremiah had made it clear 600 years before that the old covenant had been broken beyond repair (Jeremiah 11).  It was ended when the people of Judah lost their land and were taken into exile in Babylon – a fate that God said would happen if they were unfaithful to His covenant. 

The people of Jesus’s time still believed that if they lived faithfully, God would bless them with favor, prosperity, and victory…  but it was not so.  Many were trying to live faithfully, but the old covenant that promised these things was over.  The Romans made sure that their subjects were neither favored, nor prosperous, nor victorious.  For a people who believed that they were poor and oppressed because they weren’t good enough for God anymore, hearing that He still loved them and wanted to bless them was a shot in the arm to their encouragement.

Jesus gets very specific about who is blessed…

He says that if you’re poor in spirit, then you’re blessed.  The people thought that the wealthy were blessed by God and the poor were cursed; even though most of the wealthy were evil people and many of the poor were trying to live righteously.  To be poor in spirit is to depend on the Lord for your daily provision, not on your own abilities or resources.  Even someone who has wealth can live poor in spirit when we realize that God is the source and master of our wealth, not ourselves.  Jesus says that if you live dependent on God, then you will be a part of the Kingdom of Heaven. 

He says if you are grieving, then you’re blessed.  This might seem the most counter-intuitive of the beatitudes.  No one feels very blessed when they’re mourning the loss of someone or something precious.  But only in those moments of extreme vulnerability can we experience the supernatural comfort that comes from God’s presence.  Paul says in II Corinthians 1 that when we have experienced God’s comfort, we should be willing to comfort others in their time of need.  Indeed, we are blessed so we can bless others.

He says if you are meek, then you’re blessed.  We must mark the difference between meekness and weakness.  Jesus was meek, but He certainly wasn’t weak.  Meekness is marked by humility and gentleness toward people.  It does not put itself first, but seeks the best for others.  It’s been said that, “Meekness is great strength under great control.”  Jesus never acted out of fear of people, but out of love for them and a desire for their betterment.  These meek ones, Jesus says, will inherit the earth.  Indeed, Jesus promises that those who overcome will rule and reign with Him (Revelation 3:21).

He says that if your deep desire is for righteousness, then you’re blessed.  Jesus uses hunger and thirst as symbol of innate desire.  When we are hungry, nothing will satisfy us except food in our mouths.  When we thirst, nothing will satisfy us except a long, cool drink.  And yet, when our souls are empty, we fill them with the useless fluff of the world instead of the satisfying and nutritious Word of God.  Jesus says we’ll be truly satisfied if the desire of our hearts is not for worldly things, but for what is true and right.

He says that if you are merciful, then you’re blessed.  To be merciful is to be forgiving.  It’s been said that it’s easy to be forgiving until you have something to forgive.  Our sin grieves the heart of God, and yet He meets us with forgiveness every time we confess our sins to Him.  Indeed, we are more indebted to Him than we can ever realize.  Romans 14:23 says, “everything that is not from faith is sin.”  And Isaiah 64:6 says that even our righteous deeds are like “filthy rags.”  C.S. Lewis wrote what is perhaps the most profound thought on Godly mercy:  “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”  Only when we have shown mercy can we receive mercy from God.  Jesus promises this in numerous places, so we should always be ready to forgive.

He says that if we are pure in heart, then we’re blessed.  The pure in heart truly want the best for others.  In our age when everybody seems to want to pull a scam or has an agenda, the pure in heart seem naïve.  But this was the way that Jesus lived.  Even when confronting His enemies, He only ever wanted the best for them.  Confronting the Pharisees and others was a part of showing them the truth of God’s heart, not to make a mockery of them.  Even from the cross, Jesus interceded for His enemies and wanted the best for them: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” (Luke 23:34).  Jesus promises that those who live this way will “see God.”  It’s unclear exactly in what sense He means this, but it seems that those who put others first will experience God’s presence and care in their lives in a more visible way.

He says that if you prioritize peace with others, then you’re blessed.  Even today, the world of the Middle East is a culture driven by honor and shame.  In order to get ahead, one often has to pull another down.  Animosity between people is easy to cultivate in such an environment.  Even small and accidental offenses can become generational feuds.  So Jesus says that His followers should be humble enough to pursue peace with their neighbor.  Be the one who helps.  Be the one who accepts responsibility.  Be the one who cherishes relationships above personal pride.  Jesus says that those who pursue peace will be called God’s children.  In the Old Testament era, the “Sons of God” were spiritual beings who ruled under the Lord.  In the New Testament era, Jesus’s followers are known as the Children of God.  Indeed, we have a  place in our Father’s business for all of eternity.

Finally, He says that if you are persecuted, then you’re blessed.  Persecution certainly doesn’t feel like a blessing.  Jesus was persecuted, and says that if we follow Him then we’ll be persecuted too.  Persecution is the reward for those who live most faithfully to Christ.  And often that persecution comes from within the Body of Christ.  Carnal believers don’t understand the life of devoted faith.  It makes them uncomfortable and brings conviction to their worldly hearts.  So they do all they can to marginalize the faithful.  We must not make the mistake of Jesus’s audience and assume that obedience to God will bring prosperity.  It will most certainly bring hardship instead.  But if we endure through the struggles of this life, Jesus again promises that we’ll be with Him forever in the Kingdom of Heaven.  We can turn our backs on the comforts of the present when we have that kind of promise for the future.