Beatitudes
When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. He opened His mouth and began to teach them; saying, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
The beatitudes are definitely one of the most important teachings in Christian history. Here, in these attitudes that so contradict modern society and earthly thinking, Jesus says are to be blessed. The Greek word used here for blessed is makarios, which literally means to be happy or fortunate. These attitudes both show the authority of Jesus and the way to a life that resembles Christ and his beloved creation.
The beatitudes taught by Jesus constantly echoes themes spoken about in Isaiah and Psalms. These are not the only two books that we see theme likeness but overwhelmingly these two books start a point and that Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, then reiterates same point.
In the first beatitude Jesus says, “Blessed is the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This attitude is a great opener into Sermon on the Mount and sets the stage for the preceding beatitudes. This opening statement also brings people to the realization that they need to be completely empty to receive Christ. Max Lucado in the book “the applesauce of heaven says that Gods delight is received upon surrender, not awarded upon conquest. Max also says that the first step to joy, is a plea for help, an acknowledgment of moral destitution, an admission of inward paucity and spiritual bankruptcy.
The introduction attitude is imperative to us; the reader then is brought to a place of helplessness and emptiness. We are forced to recognize that we aren’t able to achieve heaven by our own works but by our heavenly Father. If one were to read all the other beatitudes and not the first one, than that person would indeed be lost when trying to understand what Jesus is trying to communicate.
Charles L. Allen, in the book Gods Psychiatry, puts it well when he said that the “poor in spirit have so emptied themselves of themselves that the pride of their accomplishments, the selfishness of their desires that the Spirit of God has come into their emptiness. I believe that Charles L. Allen puts it beautifully in that He says when were empty that God can come into our emptiness. If we are full of ourselves, than we will never be full of God, which is and should be the goal of all Christians.
Luke18: 9, Jesus tells the parable of the two men who prayed. In this parable one man was not able to recognize the true power of Gods love, where as the other man, truly humbled, recognized his sin and understood true humility. The importance of this beatitude is very simple; God is saying that only the humble will be able to even recognize that they need Christ. The prideful will always depend on their own understanding works and will never understand the saving works of Christ.
Another example of this attitude is shown in Isaiah 57:15, “For thus says the high and exalted one who lives forever, whose name is holy, I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite”. The scripture screams for a humble spirit that will recognize the true creator as lord. Truly the only way to the kingdom of heaven is to be truly poor of pride and truly dependent on God.
After one reads and grasps this first statement by Jesus then, at that point, there spirit and being is open, and able to allow the other attitudes to resonate with in them. Once one understands the great implications of being poor in spirit (which is totally giving up your selfishness and total dependence) then one is able to digest the next attitudes.
Blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted. The word in Greek is pentheo, which means to grieve, and Jesus says here that we need to mourn our sin so we can be comforted. Dan Baumann says that “mourn” is an intense emotion that is often expressed externally, when you weep and lament, and you’re shaken by something. Also that when you mourn your whole body gets involved in it. Dan then goes further in its interpretation by telling us that it was the strongest word the Greeks had to describe sorrow. That it was a word used to describe what people went through when they lost there loved ones.
When one mourns for their sin they don’t simply look at it with mere distaste or hatred, but along with that, there entire being is shaken to the core. When one mourns they are bottomed out, they are taken back. This emotion is necessary in the steps to being comforted, in that until one truly is overcome, or shaken, you cant ever feel comforted, because you don’t know you need comforted.
Attitude number three, “blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth”. At first glance meek can sound wimpy but its truly the opposite. Meek means to be humble, gentle and to have a good ways when dealing with people. Jesus is saying that the true Christian is not out of control or prideful but willing to understand that they are nothing without the saving grace of Christ. The reward for this is to inherit the earth.
Galatians 5:23 is where Paul tells of the fruit of the spirit, gentleness and self control are two of the fruits mentioned and reflects the teaching that Jesus taught at the sermon on the mount. God we pray in understanding that we are not you and that Jesus is our savior, we alone can do nothing “For nothing will be impossible with God (Luke1: 37)."
In Dan Baumanns book he says that a gentle or meek person is one who is angry at the right time, in the right place, with the right people and knows how to quit at the right time. Dan gets this understanding from what Aristotle says about the word used in this beatitude, which is praus. Aristotle said that “praus” is that person who is not excessively angry, always flying off the handle, nor is he the one who doesn’t know how to be angry.
“Blessed, therefore, are those who are not easily turned towards the passionate movements of the soul, but who are steadied by reason. For the reasoning power restrains the desires like a rein and does not suffer the soul to be carried away to unruliness”. St. Gregory of Nyssa put it best in this passage; St. Gregory is saying that blessed is the man in control, and the man who is not easily turned to evil or passion, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed Attitude number four, “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied”. If we look at Romans 10 we see Paul here speaking about true righteous. He says, “Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to Gods righteousness. Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes”.
Martyn Lolyd-Jones is quoted in the book “Kingdom living, here and now” by John MacArthur Jr and says that beatitude follows logically from the previous one. See, it is a statement to which all the others lead. It is the logical conclusion to which they come. It is something for which we should all be profoundly thankful and grateful to God. If this verse is to you one of the most blessed statements of the whole of scripture, you can be quite sure you’re a Christian”.
Mr. Bogaski said in class that a consequence of salvation is righteousness, or that someone naturally wants to do well because of God in them. Someone who thirsts for righteous is one who has already examined and embraced the first three beatitudes. One seeks this not because they want it on their own but because at this point it is in their nature to do so. In this we are satisfied, for God will answer our cry and strengthen his people.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. As I have studied and thought about this attitude I have come to my opinion that mercy must first be received before someone can give it or show it to someone else. What I mean is that unless one comes to the point of receiving grace and mercy than that person is unable to understand it or give it freely.
In the book Salt For Society, W. Phillip Keller says “the person who is to make an impact for God in our hedonistic society must be different from it. Such people must have unusual and unique qualities of character, which distinguish them from their fellows. Theses attributes are not peculiarities, which we try to portray by rigid regimentation of our behavior. Rather they are the glad, irrepressible, spontaneous springing-up of the life of Christ with in us”.
Law does not bring righteousness, but by faith in Jesus Christ we will be righteous. This thought is screamed in Philippians 3:8-10, “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost al things. I consider the rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes from God AND IS BY FAITH”. Paul in this verse says it plainly enough for all to understand that all will sin, but faith in Christ will lead us to righteousness. By this teaching we will be filled and by this teaching we will be the light of the world.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy”(Matt 5:7). Our mercy from God will be determined by the mercy we show to others in need. Mercy is to show compassion or pity on someone. If we show compassion and pity on others than on our day of judgment God will show mercy on us.
In the book of Psalms, chapter 41 verse 1 The Psalmist says “How blessed is he who considers the helpless; the Lord will deliver him in a day of trouble”. This has the exact same meaning as Matthew 5:7 just with different wordage. God wants us to love one another to be compassionate, so that we may also receive the same compassion.
James 3:13, “because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment”! This is once again another example of our need to be loving and merciful, not just for the sake of others but also for our own sake. In that great day when we meet the Lord, may he look down on us with mercy.
Mercy is thus a work of Christ in us, and not a work of outward self still enslaved to the outward man. Keller also says that mercy is the extension of good will, help, forgiveness, compassion and kindness to one who may not seem to deserve it. Keller and I are in complete agreement on this and the last part of what he said is, in my opinion key to this attribute when he said to “one who may not deserve it”. Mercy is just that, compassion on the undeserving.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall be called sons of God (Matt 5:8). Charles L. Allen says in Gods Psychiatry “how we see God depends on the condition of our hearts. To some He is a cloudy mystery, to others He is awful punishment, but to the pure in heart He is a friend and a glorious certainty”.
In Psalm 24:3 we see scripture that echoes the same meaning as the sixth beatitude. “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood and has not sworn deceitfully”.
In this attitude we see two things that fall directly in line with what Jesus says in Matt 5:8. First is that we must pure in our heart, that is to say to be cleansed and continually coming to the lord for restoration. Second, that to be near God, and to see God, one must be pure in heart. How amazing is that, Jesus and the Psalmist spell it out for us how to see God. If one wants to see God, all they have to do is come to the lord for cleansing and be purified so that we may be able to see our Father.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. I would like to go back to St. Gregory of Nyssa, who said “by this, therefore, one can see how greatly He loves man, that He bestows the precious reward not on pains and sweat, but, so to speak, on the enjoyment of happiness. Peace is indeed the greatest of the joy-giving things; and this He wishes each of us to have in such measure as to keep it now only for himself, but to be able to dispense from the overflow of his abundance also to others. Now a peacemaker is a man who gives peace to another; but one cannot give another what one does not possess oneself. Hence the Lord wants you first to be yourself filled with the blessings of peace, and then to communicate it to those who have need for it”.
Once again the theme of not being able to give what one does not have is uttered and this time it’s about peace. Peace brings happiness to us and to others and it’s a gift of which St. Gregory says we are to first posses before we can give it to others.
Final attitude. “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. To be persecuted is a blessed thing and when persecuted God will bless us and receive us in his kingdom.
In Isaiah 52:13 a servant who is “marred” will be lifted up high and exalted. This man is not the norm for being praised but God is saying the sufferer will be no longer a sufferer in the kingdom of heaven. God will take us and with arms wide open hug us and lift us up.
2Timothy 3:12 says “indeed, all who desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”. God is saying that we WILL be persecuted but to not despair for there will be a day of no more suffering. Its that day that the persecuted will be lifted up.
Theses attitudes are the backbone of our life lived through Christ Jesus. As one learns to embrace their faith, that person will learn to show these attitudes as a consequence of Christ working in their lives. Its not simply an action lived out, but a reaction of a life changed by the love of Christ.
Works Cited
Ancient Christian Writers, St. Gregory of Nyssa
Gods Psychiatry, Charles L. Allen
The Apple Sauce of Heaven, Max Lucado
Kingdom Living Here and Now, John MacArthur Jr.
Salt for Society, W. Phillip Keller
The beatitudes are definitely one of the most important teachings in Christian history. Here, in these attitudes that so contradict modern society and earthly thinking, Jesus says are to be blessed. The Greek word used here for blessed is makarios, which literally means to be happy or fortunate. These attitudes both show the authority of Jesus and the way to a life that resembles Christ and his beloved creation.
The beatitudes taught by Jesus constantly echoes themes spoken about in Isaiah and Psalms. These are not the only two books that we see theme likeness but overwhelmingly these two books start a point and that Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, then reiterates same point.
In the first beatitude Jesus says, “Blessed is the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This attitude is a great opener into Sermon on the Mount and sets the stage for the preceding beatitudes. This opening statement also brings people to the realization that they need to be completely empty to receive Christ. Max Lucado in the book “the applesauce of heaven says that Gods delight is received upon surrender, not awarded upon conquest. Max also says that the first step to joy, is a plea for help, an acknowledgment of moral destitution, an admission of inward paucity and spiritual bankruptcy.
The introduction attitude is imperative to us; the reader then is brought to a place of helplessness and emptiness. We are forced to recognize that we aren’t able to achieve heaven by our own works but by our heavenly Father. If one were to read all the other beatitudes and not the first one, than that person would indeed be lost when trying to understand what Jesus is trying to communicate.
Charles L. Allen, in the book Gods Psychiatry, puts it well when he said that the “poor in spirit have so emptied themselves of themselves that the pride of their accomplishments, the selfishness of their desires that the Spirit of God has come into their emptiness. I believe that Charles L. Allen puts it beautifully in that He says when were empty that God can come into our emptiness. If we are full of ourselves, than we will never be full of God, which is and should be the goal of all Christians.
Luke18: 9, Jesus tells the parable of the two men who prayed. In this parable one man was not able to recognize the true power of Gods love, where as the other man, truly humbled, recognized his sin and understood true humility. The importance of this beatitude is very simple; God is saying that only the humble will be able to even recognize that they need Christ. The prideful will always depend on their own understanding works and will never understand the saving works of Christ.
Another example of this attitude is shown in Isaiah 57:15, “For thus says the high and exalted one who lives forever, whose name is holy, I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite”. The scripture screams for a humble spirit that will recognize the true creator as lord. Truly the only way to the kingdom of heaven is to be truly poor of pride and truly dependent on God.
After one reads and grasps this first statement by Jesus then, at that point, there spirit and being is open, and able to allow the other attitudes to resonate with in them. Once one understands the great implications of being poor in spirit (which is totally giving up your selfishness and total dependence) then one is able to digest the next attitudes.
Blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted. The word in Greek is pentheo, which means to grieve, and Jesus says here that we need to mourn our sin so we can be comforted. Dan Baumann says that “mourn” is an intense emotion that is often expressed externally, when you weep and lament, and you’re shaken by something. Also that when you mourn your whole body gets involved in it. Dan then goes further in its interpretation by telling us that it was the strongest word the Greeks had to describe sorrow. That it was a word used to describe what people went through when they lost there loved ones.
When one mourns for their sin they don’t simply look at it with mere distaste or hatred, but along with that, there entire being is shaken to the core. When one mourns they are bottomed out, they are taken back. This emotion is necessary in the steps to being comforted, in that until one truly is overcome, or shaken, you cant ever feel comforted, because you don’t know you need comforted.
Attitude number three, “blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth”. At first glance meek can sound wimpy but its truly the opposite. Meek means to be humble, gentle and to have a good ways when dealing with people. Jesus is saying that the true Christian is not out of control or prideful but willing to understand that they are nothing without the saving grace of Christ. The reward for this is to inherit the earth.
Galatians 5:23 is where Paul tells of the fruit of the spirit, gentleness and self control are two of the fruits mentioned and reflects the teaching that Jesus taught at the sermon on the mount. God we pray in understanding that we are not you and that Jesus is our savior, we alone can do nothing “For nothing will be impossible with God (Luke1: 37)."
In Dan Baumanns book he says that a gentle or meek person is one who is angry at the right time, in the right place, with the right people and knows how to quit at the right time. Dan gets this understanding from what Aristotle says about the word used in this beatitude, which is praus. Aristotle said that “praus” is that person who is not excessively angry, always flying off the handle, nor is he the one who doesn’t know how to be angry.
“Blessed, therefore, are those who are not easily turned towards the passionate movements of the soul, but who are steadied by reason. For the reasoning power restrains the desires like a rein and does not suffer the soul to be carried away to unruliness”. St. Gregory of Nyssa put it best in this passage; St. Gregory is saying that blessed is the man in control, and the man who is not easily turned to evil or passion, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed Attitude number four, “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied”. If we look at Romans 10 we see Paul here speaking about true righteous. He says, “Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to Gods righteousness. Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes”.
Martyn Lolyd-Jones is quoted in the book “Kingdom living, here and now” by John MacArthur Jr and says that beatitude follows logically from the previous one. See, it is a statement to which all the others lead. It is the logical conclusion to which they come. It is something for which we should all be profoundly thankful and grateful to God. If this verse is to you one of the most blessed statements of the whole of scripture, you can be quite sure you’re a Christian”.
Mr. Bogaski said in class that a consequence of salvation is righteousness, or that someone naturally wants to do well because of God in them. Someone who thirsts for righteous is one who has already examined and embraced the first three beatitudes. One seeks this not because they want it on their own but because at this point it is in their nature to do so. In this we are satisfied, for God will answer our cry and strengthen his people.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. As I have studied and thought about this attitude I have come to my opinion that mercy must first be received before someone can give it or show it to someone else. What I mean is that unless one comes to the point of receiving grace and mercy than that person is unable to understand it or give it freely.
In the book Salt For Society, W. Phillip Keller says “the person who is to make an impact for God in our hedonistic society must be different from it. Such people must have unusual and unique qualities of character, which distinguish them from their fellows. Theses attributes are not peculiarities, which we try to portray by rigid regimentation of our behavior. Rather they are the glad, irrepressible, spontaneous springing-up of the life of Christ with in us”.
Law does not bring righteousness, but by faith in Jesus Christ we will be righteous. This thought is screamed in Philippians 3:8-10, “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost al things. I consider the rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes from God AND IS BY FAITH”. Paul in this verse says it plainly enough for all to understand that all will sin, but faith in Christ will lead us to righteousness. By this teaching we will be filled and by this teaching we will be the light of the world.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy”(Matt 5:7). Our mercy from God will be determined by the mercy we show to others in need. Mercy is to show compassion or pity on someone. If we show compassion and pity on others than on our day of judgment God will show mercy on us.
In the book of Psalms, chapter 41 verse 1 The Psalmist says “How blessed is he who considers the helpless; the Lord will deliver him in a day of trouble”. This has the exact same meaning as Matthew 5:7 just with different wordage. God wants us to love one another to be compassionate, so that we may also receive the same compassion.
James 3:13, “because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment”! This is once again another example of our need to be loving and merciful, not just for the sake of others but also for our own sake. In that great day when we meet the Lord, may he look down on us with mercy.
Mercy is thus a work of Christ in us, and not a work of outward self still enslaved to the outward man. Keller also says that mercy is the extension of good will, help, forgiveness, compassion and kindness to one who may not seem to deserve it. Keller and I are in complete agreement on this and the last part of what he said is, in my opinion key to this attribute when he said to “one who may not deserve it”. Mercy is just that, compassion on the undeserving.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall be called sons of God (Matt 5:8). Charles L. Allen says in Gods Psychiatry “how we see God depends on the condition of our hearts. To some He is a cloudy mystery, to others He is awful punishment, but to the pure in heart He is a friend and a glorious certainty”.
In Psalm 24:3 we see scripture that echoes the same meaning as the sixth beatitude. “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood and has not sworn deceitfully”.
In this attitude we see two things that fall directly in line with what Jesus says in Matt 5:8. First is that we must pure in our heart, that is to say to be cleansed and continually coming to the lord for restoration. Second, that to be near God, and to see God, one must be pure in heart. How amazing is that, Jesus and the Psalmist spell it out for us how to see God. If one wants to see God, all they have to do is come to the lord for cleansing and be purified so that we may be able to see our Father.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. I would like to go back to St. Gregory of Nyssa, who said “by this, therefore, one can see how greatly He loves man, that He bestows the precious reward not on pains and sweat, but, so to speak, on the enjoyment of happiness. Peace is indeed the greatest of the joy-giving things; and this He wishes each of us to have in such measure as to keep it now only for himself, but to be able to dispense from the overflow of his abundance also to others. Now a peacemaker is a man who gives peace to another; but one cannot give another what one does not possess oneself. Hence the Lord wants you first to be yourself filled with the blessings of peace, and then to communicate it to those who have need for it”.
Once again the theme of not being able to give what one does not have is uttered and this time it’s about peace. Peace brings happiness to us and to others and it’s a gift of which St. Gregory says we are to first posses before we can give it to others.
Final attitude. “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. To be persecuted is a blessed thing and when persecuted God will bless us and receive us in his kingdom.
In Isaiah 52:13 a servant who is “marred” will be lifted up high and exalted. This man is not the norm for being praised but God is saying the sufferer will be no longer a sufferer in the kingdom of heaven. God will take us and with arms wide open hug us and lift us up.
2Timothy 3:12 says “indeed, all who desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”. God is saying that we WILL be persecuted but to not despair for there will be a day of no more suffering. Its that day that the persecuted will be lifted up.
Theses attitudes are the backbone of our life lived through Christ Jesus. As one learns to embrace their faith, that person will learn to show these attitudes as a consequence of Christ working in their lives. Its not simply an action lived out, but a reaction of a life changed by the love of Christ.
Works Cited
Ancient Christian Writers, St. Gregory of Nyssa
Gods Psychiatry, Charles L. Allen
The Apple Sauce of Heaven, Max Lucado
Kingdom Living Here and Now, John MacArthur Jr.
Salt for Society, W. Phillip Keller
