The Beatitudes
By Fr. James
Scripture reference
Matthew 5
The Beatitudes
1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying:
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed 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. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Blessed are the poor in spirit…
Many times when we think of this statement, we think of someone who has become depressed, abused, or downtrodden, yet in the actual reference we get the true meaning….Humility. Humble people inherit the kingdom of heaven. Many times in our lives we are beset with situations where we could become proud of what we are versus what someone else is. I call this the pride of ignorance. I think of the Pharisee and the Sinner at the wall praying to God for guidance when I think of this verse. The Pharisee prays and thanks God he is not like the sinner near him who commits all sorts of sins on a daily basis and how good he is for tithing ten percent of all he has. While the Pharisee prays that astounding prayer, we see the sinner, engrossed with feelings of shame, regret, and wishing nothing more than to be the man God wants him to be. He says, “Forgive me, a sinner.” Jesus stated that it was the sinner that was justified in the eyes of God that day because the “sinner” understood we are all sinners saved by grace and unless we want to inherit the condemnation of the Pharisee we should stop acting like the good Pharisee and become like the Good Shepherd. Jesus Christ was completely humble yet he had every right to be prideful if anyone did…HE WAS GOD. Yet, he did not say “Aren’t I stupendous? I am God and all you miserable offenders are to be squashed under my thumb of dominant superiority.” On the contrary, Christ exemplified the grace and humility that he requires of each of us in order that we may be true Christians and not modern Pharisees.
Blessed are those who mourn…
The word blessed in this verse means for those who are in deep mourning and sorrow that God will give you a happiness that is “produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace.” Jesus knows what sorrow is for he grieved for the people who rejected him when he wept over Jerusalem. He cried that they should’ve heard his words and repented of their transgressions and understood him to be the messiah, but since they did not change their hearts and minds and followed after the status quo instead of their savior, they would endure hardship until the Second Coming in glory of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus wants to give you life amidst the sorrow that tends to overcome you. He wants to bless you with solace in your storm and keep you close to His chest. Let Him do that and you will be blessed.
Blessed are the meek…
Meekness is not cowardice or shyness, it is that state of being mild, patient, and long-suffering. In our lives we come across people or situations that tend to make us not want to embrace this traits and sometimes understandably so, but in God’s viewpoint if we are quick to pass judgment, quick to become angry, quick to seek vengeance or vindication for ourselves, we are committing grievous sins that can separate us from the serenity that is found in Christ. Meekness is something that is horribly lacking in the world and church today. We constantly strive for our own agendas, feelings, or recognition. We seek for a place of pride in our lives because we feel we cannot be a true person unless we can “stand up for ourselves” even to the point of meanness. This is not a trait God is ever pleased with and, in fact, condemns. Turning the other cheek and loving those who hurt and ridicule you were not metaphors, they were meant to be taken literally. Remember, the true account of reality resides in the eternal realm where God dwells. Our limited and finite understanding of time and existence fades in comparison to what God knows to be true. “Vengeance is mine saith the Lord, I will repay.” It is God that will repay the unkindness, the cruelty, the gossip, the backbiting, lies, innuendo, etc that we suffer as a result of doing God’s work and it is to Him ultimately that we are to look for, for guidance and justification.
Blessed are those who hunger/thirst for righteousness…
In this verse he tells us that those who actively seek to be more like God and follow in “right living” and not riotous living will be filled with the knowledge of God Himself. If we strive after the things of this world and the things that are of a great temptation or desire for us, we are actually going down a path that leads us far from the God who wants nothing more than to make himself known in our hearts and lives. He asks us to seek His will for our lives and then follow that path regardless of who or what comes into and out of our lives. We all are to seek that and follow that without trying to put our own 2 cents into the mix and thereby create something that isn’t truly Gods inerrant will for our lives. If we do that, we inherently speak into our lives discontent, pride, controversy and malcontent. It is in following God’s will for our lives that we finally come to a place of rest in the knowledge that God wants to give us of Himself.
Blessed are the merciful…
How many times have we heard ourselves or someone else say, “I’m going to get them back for what they did to me” or better yet, “I’m going to make them pay for that…” Well, that is the polar opposite of the way God wants us to interact with those who wound us. We are to forgive as God forgives. We don’t necessarily put ourselves in the place to be hurt again but we absolutely must forgive them of whatever they have done to us. What if Christ didn’t forgive those persecuted and executed him? Keep in mind; we are all represented there at the cross crucifying our Lord due to our sins and misdeeds. Now, if he hadn’t forgave us and instead held it against humanity for the crime that was committed against Him, we would all be part of a writhing mass upon the fires of hell. There is a distinct difference between mercy and vengeance. He chose mercy and forgiveness, he commands us also to show mercy and forgiveness. Even if they haven’t repented of the act if we hold on to the hurt and poison that life can sometimes pour upon our hearts we become bitter, resentful, hollow, divisive and completely unfruitful for the kingdom of God.
Blessed are the pure in heart…
These are the folks who actively try to keep themselves from the worldliness that surrounds us daily. Carousing, partying, orgies, debauchery, pornography, etc all attack us at the very core of who we are. After a time, they change us and make us more like themselves. They corrupt our hearts to follow the ways of the world and it sinful paths. They call to us to continue to commit these sins that can separate us from the God who loves us. The pure do not allow themselves to be a part of anyone or place that practices such things. If a person allows themselves to partake in such things its as the old adage says, “Garbage in, garbage out.” Christ even said the core of the sin within our lives derives itself from the heart of mankind and if that heart is corrupted the only thing that heart can pump out is negativity, hurtfulness, and utter catastrophe even though they may think its actually a good thing or a good person committing the sin. Funny how the heart sometimes can tell us good is bad and vice versa.
Blessed are the peacemakers…
Peace…it seems unattainable in the world, our families and even within our hearts. It is a result of forsaking the Prince of Peace that we cannot come to permanent peace within our existence. Jesus made peace with God for us. We were enemies of the cross yet it was the cross that gave us justification. Jesus’ own sacrifice of Himself gave us eternal life even when we didn’t know him or his benefits. The key to world peace is to know the living God through His Son Jesus Christ. The key to peace in our families is to put Christ in the very center of it. We should pray together, read scripture together, encourage each other, and build each other up in the life that God wants for us. If we allow sins that are known in our families to fester and boil up we do no one any service and instead of showing love we actually show callousness to what God intends for us. Families are a gift from God and we should give that gift back to God in sacrificial love so that he can mould us into the people that he wants to make. Again, peace is another concept that is unknowable unless you sacrifice your “rights” of vengeance or payback to God and allow Him to first change your heart and mind then to either to change that other person or judge them accordingly. Either way, it is up to us to allow God to use us in that way. Sometimes, simply saying “I’m sorry” is the best way to preserve the peace and then live a godly example of the Christian life to that person so that they can have a glimpse of what it means to be a true Christian.
Blessed are the persecuted…
“I have rights you know?!” I tend to think back to the early Christians who were dipped in pitch, impaled and then lit on fire to light Nero’s pathways at night simply for the fact that they were Christians…the little children wrapped in bloodied sheepskins who were thrown to the beasts in the coliseum to be torn into chunks and digested…the faithful martyrs who were put onto spits and roasted slowly over fires until they literally cooked to death within the iron cages in which they were strapped to. What “rights” did they have? Did God abandon them? No way. He was right there beside them and told them plainly that they would be persecuted, jailed and even killed for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus said the servant is no greater than the master and we need to understand that simply because we live in a time when “rights” are a byword for the age that we must ultimately understand that we are not promised the life of riley as a Christian. We will be mocked. We will be persecuted, and there is a time very close in which we shall be imprisoned and killed for the confession of faith in Jesus Christ. Even now, there are tens of thousands of our brothers and sisters dying every year for the simple fact that they are a Christian and the government which they’re under simply don’t like them. In Nigeria, just recently, there were 10 Christians killed in the name of Allah with many more wounded and maimed. Sudan is a poster-child for persecution of Christians. A whole war was crafted for the extermination of our brethren there. Ever heard of Darfur?
This sermon is to be a wake up call for the churches of today. If we do not start living by the words that Christ spoke upon the mount, we shall become like the world and fade like the grass in the summer. The time to play church is over. The time to play Christian is over. The time to serve yourself and the idols you’ve fashioned for yourself is over. You are either on the Lord’s side, or you are on the enemy’s. There is no middle ground.
So, today, as I close this sermon, do you mirror the qualities contained within the Beatitudes or do you follow the world’s pattern of doing things and follow that status quo? Do you have the heart God wishes for you or have you crafted the heart the world has said you should have? If you find yourself lacking, its ok, we all lack in one way or another, but the way to make amends and to try to come into alignment with the heart of God, is to repent of your sins, seek His will by reading His Word, pray earnestly for others, and trust in the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ and His shed blood to prevail against the assault that the world is even now attacking us all with. These are summed up in, “Love the Lord thy God, Love they neighbor as thyself.” Do these two things, seek His face, seek His will, seek His glory and not your own, and you will inherit all Christ has promised from the little sermon called the “beatitudes.” Amen.
