Tuesday, January 10, 2012
The Beatitudes
Matthew 5:1-12
1 Now when Jesus saw
the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to
him, 2 and he began to teach them.
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.
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.
The word blessed
means happy or fortunate. Jesus makes
nine pronouncements of a blessed person. I’m wondering if any of His
characteristics of happiness would be found on a list we make. Who is it that
has the good life? The Beatitudes are Jesus’ answer to this question. Dallas Willard writes, “The Beatitudes are
among the literary and religious treasures of the human race. Along with the
Ten Commandments, the Twenty-Third Psalm, the Lord’s Prayer, and a few other
passages from the Bible, they are acknowledged by almost everyone to be among
the highest expressions of religious insight and moral inspiration. We can
savor them, affirm them, meditate on them, and engrave them on plaques to hang
on our walls. But a major question remains: How are we to live in response to
them?” That is our application question
for these twelve verses. I want to break the list down into three categories.
1) We are blessed
when we are empty (verses 3-6). We’re blessed when we realize we are poor in
spirit, when we mourn, when we’re gentle, when we hunger and thirst. All of these characteristics can drive me to
Jesus who fills and comforts and provides.
2) We are blessed
when we are filled (verses 7-9). How
fortunate we are to be filled with God and His mercy and His peace!
3) We are blessed
when we are persecuted (10-12). Jesus says we can count on being blessed when
we are persecuted for doing right. He also says we should be glad and rejoice
when we are persecuted. Why? What can justify the command to rejoice when we
are insulted or falsely accused? Because heavens reward is enlarged when we are
persecuted. When we are willing to suffer for living a godly life, we’re
embracing heaven’s reward more than earthly joy.
Here are some
questions that will help you reflect and apply this great teaching to your
life: What does it mean to be poor in spirit, to hunger and thirst for
righteousness, to be a peacemaker? What does it mean to you when you read the
words, “Yours is the kingdom of heaven?”
Are you experiencing any persecution because of your life in Jesus
Christ?
Lord, help me to seek
blessing in the places you pronounced blessing. Its difficult living in a
culture that believes blessing is found in totally different places. It’s my
resolve to follow you and your words. Thank you for making me a fortunate
person through emptiness and your filling and through persecutions. AMEN!
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