The Beatitudes

God’s will – for blessings, worth and hope

Matthew 5:3-10

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake – theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

1. Poor in spirit is in contrast with “I”, “me”, rights, deserve, “hero”, self and a host of other narcissistic ideas and words.  To be poor is to see one’s self as God sees them – flawed, a sinner, broken, dead, an enemy, and not pleasing to a holy God.
2. To mourn is to groan or have grief due to offending or failing God, man, or even self.  It is to loathe lying, stealing, cheating, gossip, coveting, greed, white lies, speeding, running late, smiling at dirty or colored jokes, using colored language, etc. It is to be troubled by sin – not just agree that one is a sinner – but to be sorry for sins and rebellion.
3. One who is meek is honest and open with life.  They might be a CEO or patriotic or wealthy, but they are also open with their failures and seek to address them.  Moses was a very powerful leader and greatly used by God whom God declared as meek as he was quick to admit and submit.
4. If truly grieved over sin, truly repentant and bowed in submission, there will be a great desire to NOT sin again and a strong drive to go down a different path of thinking and actions.  Thus, there will be a passion for truth.  There will be a hunger and thirst for a new way.
5. Merciful people forgive and give forgiveness to those undeserving.  Those who have been forgiven are glad to forgive those who have failed them whether asked to be forgiven or not.  They don’t keep a black book of wrongs but give them over to God.
6. To be pure in heart is to be cleared of sin which begins with salvation but is also an on-going desire to address sins. Jesus talked about being bathed but also needing one’s feet washed (John 13).  Because even true Christians still sin, even strong Christians, there is a need to take action to address sins else a contamination or decay begin.  The means of getting pure is found in I John 1:9 and is illustrated by David in Psalm 51.
7. It should be a Christian’s on-going mission to help others find peace. The first and most important issue is to help others find peace with God which is only by embracing the Prince of Peace, Jesus.  It continues with helping others reconcile with a spouse or a child or a parent. There is also the need and the desire for peace among churches or countries or businesses.
8. Persecution comes from those who take issue with the words, failures, or actions of another.  It is a clash of worldviews.  This is especially found between religions when the idea of God and sin are introduced into the mix. Jesus declared that His followers can expect persecution if they accurately represent and present Him (II Timothy 3:12).  If being like Jesus brings persecution, rejoice – be glad (Philippians 2:17-18)!

The harvest of a life marked by practicing the Beatitudes is a life with:  a heavenly vision, comfort on earth, a rich future, satisfaction now, mercy from God, insights and wisdom from God, being known as His (sons of), and a strong assurance of a Heavenly citizenship.  It is a life rich with blessings.