#8 Top 40 New Testament Passages: The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-16)
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:1-16)
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, is quoted to have said that if one were to seriously strive to live out Jesus' teachings on the Sermon n the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:29), and reflect the character of love given in 1st Corinthians 13:1-13, one would be practicing true Christianity. He certainly had these two passages in his top 40. What do you think best describe true Christianity.
The name Christian means "little Christ." It was first used as a name for the followers of Jesus the Christ in Syrian Antioch. (Acts 11:26) As followers of Jesus we are to reflect his character, wisdom. love and mission in all we think, do or say. Christ must become our all in all. (Ephesians 1:23)
When Jesus gave his famous sermon, he was with a great crowd who had come to hear him and to be healed of disease and liberated from spiritual bondage. (Matthew 4:23-25) So he went up a mountain and sat down to teach those disciples who followed him.
This teaching from a mountain is reminiscent of Moses going up Sinai to receive the covenant Law from God. Moses returned with the law written on stone tablets by the very finger of God. (Exodus 31:8) The Law begins with a prologue or summary statement, which is popularly known as The Ten Commandments. (Exodus 20:1-17)
As Jesus begins teaching the new covenant to his followers, he also begins with a prologue with reflects the nature of the whole. This opening to the Sermon on the Mount is often referred to as The Beatitudes. Just as Moses pronounced blessing for covenant obedience, Jesus is pronouncing blessing upon those who join the new covenant. (Deuteronomy 28:1-14) In the Latin translation each pronouncement of blessing begins with beati, which means happy, rich, or blessed.
Entire books have been written on the Beatitudes. I will not attempt to interpret each statement. I only wish to point out that these opening verses impart to disciples of Jesus ministering words of God's spiritual and corporeal blessings in life. The blessings of being restored to God through Christ means the inheritance of heavenly glory, mediated through the spiritual presence of God in Christ. It means the overturning for fortunes. The poor become rich, the hunger and thirsty satisfied. Those who seek worldly wealth, fame, power and influence may gain such things, but their temporary benefit ends with death, and often sooner. Christ is offering eternal blessings that thieves cannot steal, or rust or moth destroy. (Matthew 6:19-21) Those who pursue the Kingdom of God (and of heaven) and live rightly as God has ordained, will find all their earthly needs provided from the able hand of God. (Matthew 6:33)
The Beatitudes become a vision for life in the new era under the Lordship of Christ. And it is a vision for who we are as Christians. We are the happy ones, satisfied by the good things of God. We are the merciful, because we ourselves are recipients of God's mercy. We are the peacemakers, because we carry the peace of God won for us through Christ's sacrifice. We are the generous and gracious because God has satisfied our hearts deepest need.
As Jesus told his disciples that last night of his life on earth in the upper room, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives." (John 14:27) There are some things this world cannot satisfy. Wealth may bring a sense of comfort and security, but it is fleeting. Jesus warns us in the parable of the rich fool, not to invest in worldly wealth to the exclusion of your pursuit of the Kingdom of God.
And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:15-21)
Riches that last are divine in nature, filling our hearts with spiritual treasures. These satisfy in ways nothing on earth can. That is why Jesus says the Kingdom of God is like finding hidden treasure buried in a field. Once you realize its value to you, you will go and sell everything you own in order to posses that treasure!
That's all well and good, but when earthly need shouts louder than the still small voice of God, we may lose heart and wonder if we are fooling ourselves. To blindly trust God to provide, without any effort or provision of our own, are we simply acting like the proverbial ostrich with its head buried in the sand? I don't think Jesus is commending a foolhardy approach to life. I don't think he would expect us to do nothing to provide for our physical needs. I think he is trying to get us to stop making the pursuit of wealth and earthly comforts the end all to meet all goal in life. We are spiritually destitute without God. And only God can fill the void in our souls. Once we realize and fully embrace this truth, we are free to be salt and light for the world.
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