The Beatitudes

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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 (Matthew 5:1 - 12 New Revised Standard Version).”

            In the midst of physically healing people, Jesus stops to speak to the crowds which could be considered ‘spiritually’ healing people. Jesus gives the people nine instances in which they will be blessed. These situations are what one would not normally consider these as blessed events. Poverty, mourning, persecution and insults are never considered blessings. And in many societies mercy, meekness, purity, peacefulness, and pushing for righteousness are not valued but rather scorned as being weak or foolish. Yet, Jesus promises counterintuitive blessing to those who find themselves in these instances.

           I have heard and read these verses since I was a young child, but never understood them. Enlightenment started a few years ago with the meaning of the verse “Blessed are the poor in spirit…” but I could not relate it to the rest of the passage. Then a few months ago, I seemed to encounter resistance when working with a few people who seemed to be unable or unwilling to grasp the bigger people that God had in store for them and our community. This kept happening, too,  which frustrated me. As I shared in prayer with God my frustration over this a few months ago, these verses came to mind. Then when I was at a church service for All Saints’ Day, the service linked the death of the Iraqi Christians to the Beatitudes especially verse ten “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This moved me greatly; I had finally caught a glimpse of the depth of meaning in these verses.

         To Jesus’ original audience, he was telling them the following:

1.      Those who are so poor that they can only rely on God for their needs are the ones that receive his favor and entrance into the Kingdom. Those who, though not poor in reality, know that in spite of all that they have they really are fully dependant on God for everything share in this blessing. Those who think they have to do anything do not share in this blessing.

2.      Those who, like the Old Testament Prophet Jeremiah (see Jeremiah and Lamentations), mourn and are deeply distressed over the state of Israel’s sin which has caused it to be dominated by the Romans can take comfort in the fact that the new Kingdom of Heaven has now arrived. They do not have to wait any longer for their salvation.

3.      Those who are gentle, mild and meek [but not servile], and do not have malice or retaliation in their hearts will inherit the New Heavens and the New Earth. They will be the ones to inherit something great and not those who are prideful, vengeful and belligerent or unkind. They may have to wait till the Second Coming but they will win out on top in spite of how things look now and in spite of what the Romans, Jews and common sense tell them.

4.      Those who cannot seem to get enough of God’s word in their hearts as well as hunger for God to act in justice that they are constantly begging God for him to act so have hope that God will respond. He might respond now, as in answering one’s call for salvation, or maybe later but definitely at the renewal of all things. Their work would not be in vain.

5.      Those who show compassion, forgiveness and mercy to others, including their enemies will be given this same treatment by God at the coming of the renewal of all things. This is in spite of what the Romans, Jews and common sense tell them.

6.      Those have a single-minded devotion to God will be rewarded by seeing God. This does not have to mean they will see him in heaven, but it could also mean that they will see him in a similar fashion as to Moses. They will times of sweet communion that others who are not wholeheartedly devoted to Jesus will never see.

7.      Unlike what the Romans believed and taught, as well as what common sense taught, the Children of God are really those who promote as well as work for peace.

8.      Finally, the strangest concept of them all is that persecution for God is a blessing! Not only are we to rejoice over it but leap over it. This does not mean one should have a martyr complex but to see the good that can only come from persecution on behalf of Christ instead of the easy life.  And those who die for Christ’s sake will receive an even great blessing.

The reason why I never could understand the beatitudes is simple. I rarely see Christians modeling them before me. And that is because most Christians either do not view them as possible for us to do, now, here on earth. I do not hear sermons preaching the joy of being meek and mild. Nor do I hear conversations in which the Christians around me obsess over “how can I become more meek?”  I have heard some sermons and conversations about the importance of reconciliation especially in South Africa in response to reconciliation. But that would be an exception to the case. In general, the culture around me on many levels is like that of the first century Palestine – meekness, peace, mourning over sin, poverty, hunger and devotion to God, compassion, mercy and fighting for justice are all viewed as weaknesses, defects, and ‘sins’. Yet, when we view the beatitudes as descriptors of kingdom living we see how truly radical Jesus’ message was to them as well as to us. The key is to remember that we can only do and become all this through God’s power and Holy Spirit working in us to renew the Image of God in each member of the Kingdom. As we learn to reject the  value systems of the culture around us and instead rely more and more on God to mold us and cooperate with his working within us, we then become the truly blessed who bless others and through whom God can use to draw others into His Kingdom. [btw, this is a summary of my 26 page paper on the subject.]