“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 children 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" Matthew 5:3-11
You have just read what are often called the “beatitudes,” which means that these verses display a beautiful (beatific) vision of the Kingdom of God. Believers have understood these verses in many different ways over in the 2,000 years since Jesus spoke them. Some think they are impossible standards which simply show how much we need Grace (sort of like God telling me that in order to get into heaven I have to golf like Tiger Woods or I go to hell, except, wait, Jesus died for me and forgave me of my inability to golf like that). Others think these are a list of the good guys who get into heaven and the bad guys are listed in Luke 6:24-26 and Matthew 24:13 ff. I’m certain I’ve believed and taught and questioned as many different understandings of the beatitudes as anyone.
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 children 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" Matthew 5:3-11
You have just read what are often called the “beatitudes,” which means that these verses display a beautiful (beatific) vision of the Kingdom of God. Believers have understood these verses in many different ways over in the 2,000 years since Jesus spoke them. Some think they are impossible standards which simply show how much we need Grace (sort of like God telling me that in order to get into heaven I have to golf like Tiger Woods or I go to hell, except, wait, Jesus died for me and forgave me of my inability to golf like that). Others think these are a list of the good guys who get into heaven and the bad guys are listed in Luke 6:24-26 and Matthew 24:13 ff. I’m certain I’ve believed and taught and questioned as many different understandings of the beatitudes as anyone.
But
I’ve finally settled on what rings true to me, an understanding of what Jesus
is saying that’s been around since Jesus spoke those words, but which way too
easily gets twisted into another list of “to do’s” in order to be a
“living right” Christian.
Jesus
is saying that no matter who you are, poor (Luke 6:20), spiritually bankrupt
(Matt 5:3), grieving, weak, a legalist, a “bleeding heart”, a perfectionist,
part of the crowd who is always appeasing, always beaten down, insulted,
(and I agree with those who say this is a representative, not
comprehensive list) . . . . . even those people who are not respected and
honored in society, even these people, even you, even anyone, anyone at all . .
. . . have God, Jesus, the Kingdom of God, the Blessings of God, the Good Life,
available to them!!!! To
you, even you, the least of the
least of the least, the Good Life of
God’s Kingdom is available.
Now,
the next big step is to actually believe that.
Are you willing to actually believe that you can have, can experience the
blessings of God, the Good Life offered by God, right now simply by allowing
Jesus to give you exactly what you need (inevitably not what you want) in order
to live a flourishing life? Are you rich and selfish?
Jesus, God, the Kingdom, and the Good Life are available to you!
Are you poor and miserable? Jesus,
God, the Kingdom, and the Good Life are available to you!
Are you a good person in the
eyes of your friends, family and
neighbors, but inside you know the wreckage of your heart?
Jesus, God, the Kingdom, and the Good Life are available to you!
What
about the woes of Luke 6 and Matthew 23, the bad guys who end up on the outside
and missing out on God’s Coming New World?
They miss out only if they, in their stubborn pride, refuse to trust,
refuse the offer of the Kingdom of God, refuse to release their pride and
actually listen. In the
end it is “only” our pride which slams shut the doors to the Kingdom.
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