Matthew 5:3-12 The Beattitudes
The Beatitudes
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed 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. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Reflection: Yesterday we said that the Beatitudes will describe what life in the kingdom could be like, if God were reigning in our hearts and lives. The Beatitudes seem like paradoxes or counter intuitive to logic. This reflects the upside down nature of the kingdom. Phrases like: less is more, and the proud are humbled, and the humble inherit the earth. It is important that these beatitudes represent character formation and Christ-likeness, as we see these traits exemplified in our Lord Jesus when he walked on this earth.
As we see each of the character traits laid out we see that they presently bring blessedness, or it is often translated "happiness". This is deeper than the fleeting happiness of wealth or fame, but a lasting joy that comes from within and is from God. Notice too that each trait brings present blessedness, but also a future promise. We also see that each of these attributes go against our inherent sinful nature. These are character traits God builds in us as we respond to the grace He has given us and turn from self-reliance to Christ.
Our natural state is to react to things, get offended, and hunger and thirst to get our needs met. It is only as we allow God to change our hearts, that we begin to respond in the way that He would have us respond. Most importantly as we live in God's reign and in the power of the Spirit we can look forward to the future benefits of God's kingdom. We will be comforted, we will be shown mercy, we will inherit the heavens and earth. And some of these benefits we will not see on this side of the earth. The martyrs did not realize their reward in heaven until after they died in complete faithfulness.
But yet we do see that as we do these things, God promises true happiness now. How is your happiness meter these days? If we have no joy or happiness in our lives, then we may want to look at these character traits and ask God to show us where we need some molding and shaping. The bottom line is God wants us to be blessed, and as we are blessed we can pour into other lives these same blessings.
God help us to emulate these characteristics in our lives. We confess where we fall short and that we need your help. Help us to surrender to the work you are doing in our lives so we might experience the blessedness that Jesus came to bring us both here on earth and as we await our citizenship in heaven. Amen.
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed 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. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Reflection: Yesterday we said that the Beatitudes will describe what life in the kingdom could be like, if God were reigning in our hearts and lives. The Beatitudes seem like paradoxes or counter intuitive to logic. This reflects the upside down nature of the kingdom. Phrases like: less is more, and the proud are humbled, and the humble inherit the earth. It is important that these beatitudes represent character formation and Christ-likeness, as we see these traits exemplified in our Lord Jesus when he walked on this earth.
As we see each of the character traits laid out we see that they presently bring blessedness, or it is often translated "happiness". This is deeper than the fleeting happiness of wealth or fame, but a lasting joy that comes from within and is from God. Notice too that each trait brings present blessedness, but also a future promise. We also see that each of these attributes go against our inherent sinful nature. These are character traits God builds in us as we respond to the grace He has given us and turn from self-reliance to Christ.
Our natural state is to react to things, get offended, and hunger and thirst to get our needs met. It is only as we allow God to change our hearts, that we begin to respond in the way that He would have us respond. Most importantly as we live in God's reign and in the power of the Spirit we can look forward to the future benefits of God's kingdom. We will be comforted, we will be shown mercy, we will inherit the heavens and earth. And some of these benefits we will not see on this side of the earth. The martyrs did not realize their reward in heaven until after they died in complete faithfulness.
But yet we do see that as we do these things, God promises true happiness now. How is your happiness meter these days? If we have no joy or happiness in our lives, then we may want to look at these character traits and ask God to show us where we need some molding and shaping. The bottom line is God wants us to be blessed, and as we are blessed we can pour into other lives these same blessings.
God help us to emulate these characteristics in our lives. We confess where we fall short and that we need your help. Help us to surrender to the work you are doing in our lives so we might experience the blessedness that Jesus came to bring us both here on earth and as we await our citizenship in heaven. Amen.
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