Matthew 5:1-12
Bless You!
What if you could be content no matter how tough life got? What if you could know for certain that things would turn out ok? Jesus says you can, without a doubt. Today I have a sermon on a sermon, in fact the most famous sermon ever preached! Matthew 5-7 contains Jesus’ famous “Sermon on the Mount.” People crowded on the hillside to hear it. Jesus sat down before them, the typical pose of a rabbi about to teach. And Jesus shared what we now call, “The Beatitudes.”
The word “beatitude” means “blessed” in Latin. To be blessed is much more than being happy. It’s to be in a condition where you know you’re okay because God says you are, regardless of your feelings. You have a profound sense of God’s joy and peace. You might feel down, or flat, or up—it doesn’t matter—and still be blessed at the same time. Blessedness is much more than an emotion; it is a certainty that God will take care of you, that ultimately things will turn out well.
Jesus shares some blessings available now and some reserved for the life to come. For instance, his first and last beatitudes serve as bookends with an immediate blessing: “Theirs ‘is’ the kingdom of heaven.” It’s already unfolding! And then all the other beatitudes in the middle carry a future promise, that one “will’ be comforted, for instance. Some promises we have to wait for, until God brings in his new heaven and new earth. But others are ours right now, as we follow God.
Blessed are the spiritually humble, the sorrowful, the patient, those spiritually hungry for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for doing right. Let’s unpack each of these. First, Jesus says, blessed are the ...
1. POOR IN SPIRIT. These are people who are desperate for God. They recognize their great need for his Spirit and can’t get enough. This is the lady so broken over her sin that she washes Jesus’ feet with her tears (Luke 7:37-38). It’s the tax collector who beats his chest, praying, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13).
Jesus promises those who are poor in spirit already have the kingdom of heaven. If you know you are desperate for God, that you are spiritually bankrupt without him, you’re there. You have arrived. As Jesus would say, “The kingdom of God is at hand.” You are living in the kingdom as you are desperate for God to come through. Be blessed, as you recognize your utter dependence on the only one who can save you, who can give you strength and endurance and purpose and unconditional love. If you yearn for God above all else, you’ve got the kingdom of heaven. It’s yours! Next, Jesus tells us, blessed are ...
2. THOSE WHO MOURN, those who grieve the loss of someone or something. Jesus promises comfort. I know some of you live this out as you walk without your mate at your side anymore. You didn’t know how you would survive, but you did, one day at a time, with God’s help. I could reflect on so many here, but I remember _______ looking helplessly at his dear wife of 50 plus years in the ICU and turning to me and saying, “Pastor, this is tougher than being a fighter pilot in Vietnam!” Yes it is, but God will bring comfort.
Mourning also includes a deep sense of grief over our sin. As we grow closer to God, we begin to hate our sin as much as God hates it. When we mourn our sin, God comforts us and draws us ever closer to him. As David’s confession in Psalm 51:17 tells us, “God is near the brokenhearted.” Thirdly, Jesus promises blessings for ...
3. THE MEEK. He says, “They will inherit the earth.” Many people misunderstand the word “meek.” They think meek equals weak. But that’s not true. The Bible says Moses was meek (Numbers 12:3), and Jesus called himself meek (Matthew 11:29), so meek must not equal weak. Moses and Jesus are anything but weak. So, what does it mean? A meek person is gentle. My favorite definition is “power under control.” You see, it’s one thing to be powerful, to be strong; it’s another thing to keep that strength under control. A meek husband never uses his strength to intimidate or hurt his wife; he protects her. A meek person keeps his or her tongue under control and refuses to gossip about another. Meekness rejects the power struggles, the violence, the manipulation often present in this world. Sometimes we wonder if power-mongers are getting away with it, but Jesus says, “The meek shall inherit the earth.” Ultimately, those who keep their power under control for the good of others and the glory of God—they will inherit the earth. Jesus next talks about ...
4. THOSE WHO HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. These people crave for an end to oppression and evil and exploitation. John Wesley reflected the spirit of this beatitude when he declared, “There is no holiness without social holiness.” People who ache to see the world’s wrongs righted, who yearn for people to be treated fairly and honorably, they reflect the heart of God. And Jesus says simply, “They will be filled.” A Veteran shared with me once his agony in seeing a fellow service member discriminated against, and I told him he reflects the heart of God. Someday God will bring his righteousness fully on a new earth, and his people will experience life as it is meant to be. Jesus next turns to ...
5. THE MERCIFUL, stating they shall in turn be shown mercy. Is this not what we pray in the Lord’s Prayer? “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” This is the only part of Jesus’ model prayer where Jesus expounds to his disciples. He says, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15).
If you want to be merciful, you have to treat people better than they deserve. A person cuts you off in traffic? Pull back and let them in and wish them well. (I’m still working on this.) A person talks bad about you? Imagine that maybe they are hurting somehow, perhaps insecure, and that’s why they put others down. The old saying is true: “Hurting people hurt people.” If you have trouble forgiving someone, contemplate for a while how much God has forgiven you! If you want mercy, you have to give mercy. Next Jesus talks about ...
6. THE PURE IN HEART, promising “they will see God.” The Bible says no one can see God and live, so this is a future promise; they ‘will’ see God. To be pure in heart means you are sold out to God. He is your Master; you’re the slave; he is the potter; you’re the clay; end of discussion.
Now the rabbis of Jesus’ time were working on a set of laws to keep one pure, things like not touching a dead body, eating the right foods, and so forth. But Jesus came along and said, “It’s not what’s on the outside of a person that counts; it’s what’s in their heart, in their innermost being.” A pure heart leads to outward purity, but acts of outward purity don’t always indicate a pure heart. People can fake it, as did many in Jesus’ day. Even today you see a lot of people who act very religiously but they don’t really seem to love God or love people. What’s that about? Something is wrong with their purity of heart. Next are...
7. THE PEACEMAKERS, who will be called children of God. Peacemaking certainly includes helping people to reconcile, but it’s even more than that. It includes the Jewish concept of “shalom” or wholeness and wellbeing. Peacemakers do everything they can to promote the wellbeing of others, to help others to become the best person they can possibly be. Since God wants the same thing, he will certainly add these peacemakers to his family, to become his own children.
Can you imagine how radical the concept of “peacemaking” must have sounded to Jesus’ listeners who were living under cruel Roman domination? So many ached for rebellion, for uprising against their captors. But Jesus repeatedly pointed them to a greater kingdom not of this world where ultimate peace would be obtained. Until we arrive there, we can seek God’s help to bring a little more peace into this world each day. Jesus closes out with a hefty section about ...
8. THOSE PERSECUTED BECAUSE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. Notice he’s not talking about those persecuted because of their own sinful actions. Sometimes we do stupid stuff to cause our persecution. He’s talking here about those persecuted for trying to follow God. He even talks directly, switching from third to second person, stating in verses 11-12, “Blessed are YOU when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Maybe Jesus ends on this downer of a beatitude because he knows that, when you try to do things God’s way, sometimes the world beats you down. It’s like he’s saying, “If you hunger and thirst for righteousness, if you offer mercy instead of revenge, if you keep pure hearts and make peace, expect someone to give you a hard time. The world’s not going to like it, because they didn’t all like me or the prophets.” You try to follow God, you try to do the right thing, and sometimes it doesn’t go well. So, what do you do? Do you have a pity party? Or do you remind yourself you’re in good company, that they put your Lord on the cross? And you remember that Jesus says, “Yours is the kingdom of heaven” ... because ... “great is your reward in heaven.” God will take care of you in the end.
Remember last week when I talked about how the best kind of leaders don’t ask their followers to do anything they’re not themselves prepared to do? So it is here with the Beatitudes. Jesus is our great example. Who is meek? Jesus is. Who mourns over sinners? Jesus does. Who shows mercy? Jesus. Who has the purest of hearts? Jesus. Who is the ultimate peacemaker, the Prince of Peace? Jesus. Who is persecuted? Jesus. Follow him! And be blessed. Let us pray...
Lord Jesus, thank you for your Sermon on the Mount. Thank you that you had some of your disciples write down the words for us today, so we can listen in along with that first crowd, and be challenged by it just as they were. Help us to be sold out to God. We can’t do these things without his help. You know we want to, but you also know how often we fail. We need the help of the Holy Spirit, and we are so grateful for the second chances you give. This week help us to bless others as you bless us. In your holy name we pray, amen.
