BLESSED TO SEE GOD.
Matthew 5:1-12.
The Sermon on the Mount is directed towards those who are already disciples of Jesus (Matthew 5:1). This is important. It counters both those religious hopefuls who find the Beatitudes impossible to keep, and those religious moralists who glibly announce, “I live by the Sermon on the Mount.”
In Adam we cannot attain the ideals of this code of life, but in Christ we can. In Adam it is as law to us, and only highlights our inability to keep the law. This teaching belongs to the Christian.
Sometimes the Sermon on the Mount has been the called the new Law. This is not necessarily helpful. We are not under law, but under grace.
Those who are joint-heirs with Christ do not strive to enter into the kingdom of heaven by good works, for they are already its citizens. On the contrary, they demonstrate their faith by their works (cf. James 2:18). The believer is saved by faith not by works, but is nevertheless saved unto good works (cf. Ephesians 2:8-10).
The poor in spirit, according to the text in front of us, are already in possession of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). They are already enabled to fulfil the obligations of the Sermon. The rewards throughout these verses are rewards of grace, not of merit.
All the Beatitudes belong to all of Christ's people, not just to an elite few. These words are for the church of Jesus Christ, built upon the rock. These words are for the redeemed, for those who are salt and light. We willingly accept the blessings, but must also embrace the responsibilities.
The followers of Jesus are the poor in spirit, who mourn for their sins. They are the meek, who hunger and thirst after righteousness. They are merciful, and of a pure heart; peaceful, yet persecuted.
It is they who possess the kingdom of heaven, and shall receive comfort. They are the true heirs of the earth, and shall be satisfied. They shall obtain mercy, and meet with God face to face. They shall be revealed as the true sons of God, and are possessors of heaven itself.
To be blessed is to be endowed with divine favour. It is to be proclaimed holy. Some people translate the corresponding Greek word in terms of happiness, but it is much more than that. The pursuit of happiness without holiness is futile. The Beatitudes relate what Christians are in Christ, and pronounces the blessings which belong solely to them.
The poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3)
The poverty spoken of here is not lack of bread or of rice. It refers rather to that humility of spirit which recognises our emptiness without Christ. Those who imagine themselves to have no need of Christ are sent away empty (Luke 1:53).
Self-righteousness prays within itself as if all its spiritual needs could be met through self-sufficiency. True poverty of spirit cries with the publican in Jesus' parable, “God be merciful to me, the sinner” (cf. Luke 18:11-13).
The spiritually poor have the gospel preached to them (cf. Luke 4:18). This preaching was one of the marks of Jesus' Messiah-ship. John the Baptist was reminded of this during his incarceration (cf. Luke 7:22).
The blessing attached to the first Beatitude is present possession of the kingdom of heaven. Paul reminds the saints at Ephesus that God the Father has “blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ.” The Apostle views us as already seated in heaven with Jesus (cf. Ephesians 1:3; Ephesians 2:6).
Those who mourn (Matthew 5:4)
Having discovered our sinfulness, we bemoan our sin. We confess our failings, and weep with godly sorrow (cf. 2 Corinthians 7:10). Whoever else we may have failed; we acknowledge that we have sinned against the LORD. Such contrition commends us to God (cf. Psalm 51:4; Psalm 51:17).
Christians are no longer under the dominion of sin. We have been washed. We have been sanctified (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:11). Yet still we have occasion to bemoan our failings (cf. 1 John 1:9). We need to have our daily sins washed away by Jesus (cf. John 13:10).
Those who mourn thus shall be comforted. It is a wonderful moment when we first discover that there is forgiveness with the LORD (cf. Psalm 130:4). We pray day by day in the Lord's Prayer, “Forgive us.” It brings a wave of relief when we know that God hears and answers our prayers.
Beyond this, there is the comfort that lies in the hereafter. For God will wipe away every tear from our eyes (cf. Revelation 7:17).
The meek (Matthew 5:5)
Meekness is a gentleness of spirit, not to be confused with weakness. Weakness lacks power, and is liable to give way under pressure. Meekness is humble and considerate, but also has the strength and determination that Jesus showed in going to the Cross on our behalf (blessed be His name).
Moses was described as meek (cf. Numbers 12:3). Yet Moses bore with the murmurings of the people of God throughout forty years in the wilderness, and showed strength where it was necessary. Meekness exercises self-control in the face of adversity.
Meekness is a fruit of the Spirit (cf. Galatians 5:23). It is a quality found in Jesus, and so also in His people. Thus it is that the meek shall inherit the earth (cf. Psalm 37:9-11).
Hungering and thirsting after righteousness (Matthew 5:6)
The righteousness of God is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the end of the law, the one to whom the law points and who fulfils the law within Himself (cf. Romans 10:4; Matthew 5:17). We are made right with God (which is righteousness) through His blood sacrifice upon the Cross.
Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness have already discovered this - it is to believers that Jesus is speaking. The panting soul still yearns after God (cf. Psalm 42:1). Having begun in faith, we must continue in faith.
The disciples are warned that their righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees (cf. Matthew 5:20). Christian morality is more than keeping a set of rules and regulations. The Christian character is shaped by our relationship with Jesus, our continual supping with Him in word and sacrament, prayer and devotion.
Those who have had a hearty meal today still need to eat tomorrow. Whoever drinks of the well of living water continues drinking from the fountain of life which wells up within them (cf. John 4:14). It is only in heaven that their thirst is fully satisfied.
God's people hunger and thirst after righteousness in the world around us, too. They are described as merciful. Having found peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, they are His peacemakers.
Mercy (Matthew 5:7)
Christians are merciful because they have been created anew in the image of Christ. Because we have received mercy, we will also be merciful. We are the merciful.
It is in the nature of mercy that it is free. And because it is free, we will pass it on.
The same formula is applied in the Lord's Prayer (cf. Matthew 6:12; Matthew 6:14-15). First, we obtained forgiveness. We did not merit it. Having received forgiveness, we then become compassionate towards others. If not, then how can we say we have received mercy?
We are merciful and forgiving. How often shall I forgive a brother who has sinned against me? If I am still counting after the 490th time, something is wrong (cf. Matthew 18:21-22).
Mercy is also demonstrated in our attitude to the afflictions of others. The mark of the Good Samaritan was that he was merciful (cf. Luke 10:37).
The blessing of mercy will also come full circle back around to the merciful.
The pure in heart (Matthew 5:8)
The kind of purity that the LORD requires is not just the outward or ceremonial. It is inward, heart purity. We purify ourselves outwardly only when we are pure inwardly (cf. 1 John 3:3).
Our approach to God must be in purity (cf. Psalm 24:3-4; Psalm 51:6; Hebrews 10:22).
God's blessing is extended to the pure (cf. Psalm 73:1; Psalm 119:1).
The pure in heart shall see God. We see Him now with the eye of faith. But in the hereafter we see Him face to face (cf. 1 John 3:2).
Peacemakers (Matthew 5:9)
We have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Romans 5:1). We have been reconciled, and are called to a ministry of reconciliation (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:18). This is not just for Apostles, or Ministers, but for all of God's people..
Jesus has broken down the middle wall of partition between Jew and Gentile. He has received into His fellowship those who were strangers and aliens to the covenant of God. The LORD has made peace with us through the blood of His only begotten Son.
Peacemakers will seek to bring peace between themselves and estranged brethren. They will be humble and honest with those whom they have offended. They will be forgiving towards those who have offended them.
It is also in the nature of the peacemaker to broker peace between others who are in the midst of strife. This calls for diplomacy and tact. There is a narrow line between well-meaning well-doing and being a busybody!
Sometimes peace-making seems a thankless task. Yet if we are the sons of the God of peace, it is worth the effort.
Persecution (Matthew 5:10-12)
If we will receive the blessing of Christ, we must also embrace persecution. This is the emphasis at the end of the Beatitudes. Jesus teaches elsewhere that what we give up for His cause and the gospel's is recompensed a hundredfold – but not without persecutions – thereafter it issues in eternal life (Mark 10:29-30).
If we must suffer, however, let it be for righteousness sake rather than on account of our sins (cf. 1 Peter 3:14; 1 Peter 3:17; 1 Peter 4:14-16). Let our sufferings be for His sake (Matthew 5:11). After all, Jesus has borne away our sins by His suffering.
Jesus warns us that if He has been persecuted, we will be persecuted also (cf. John 15:20). The world still rages against Christ, and in His absence will strike out against those in whom He dwells. This is cause for rejoicing, says Jesus – for by this token we are proved to be who we say we are: the children of the prophets (and Apostles and martyrs) who were persecuted before us (Matthew 5:11).
Jesus reminds us again that we already possess the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:10), and He promises a reward in the hereafter (Matthew 5:12).
Conclusion
The qualities outlined in the Beatitudes are not a rite of entry into the Christian church. Yet they mark out the Christian as surely as love, joy, peace, and the other fruits of the Spirit outlined by Paul (cf. Galatians 5:22-23). If we lack these graces in our lives we must seriously examine our own hearts, and see whether we are truly building our lives on the rock of our salvation, which is the Lord Jesus Christ.
