The Beatitudes

Matthew 5:1-12

Seeing the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and when He sat down, His disciples came to Him. And He opened His mouth and taught 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 meek, 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 are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

This section of scripture is the first part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, which goes on from chapter 5 through chapter 7. This particular section is what is called the “beatitudes.” Jesus is teaching the people how they must live, and how they have reward in heaven for living this way. All the beatitudes start with “Blessed” which can be translated “happy,” but in our language happy doesn't quite capture the true thought of being blessed. Happiness is terminal, lasting only for a while; and it comes and goes. Being blessed, however, is eternal. If we live in this way, as Jesus lived, we will be blessed in heaven with great reward.

The first part of Jesus teaching, which refers to our relationship with God, starts with:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.”

This does not mean poor as in poverty, as poverty is not good, but in reference to “spirit” means that we understand our situation before God. We understand that we have nothing to offer God, and outside of His grace and mercy, we would not live, and certainly would not have the gift of eternal life. Humility is the key to being “poor in spirit” because we should be humbled in knowing that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,” and that our sin has been washed away, and we have been put in right standing with God, not by any work of our own, but by the work of Christ on the cross, and the Holy Spirit in our lives. We should understand that these “beatitudes” are not attainable goals, as if we can motivate each other to achieve them, but they can only come from God, when we humble ourselves before him.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

If “poor in spirit” refers to our “spiritual poverty” before God, and our recognition of such, then the second beatitude refers to our mourning over sin. We may mourn and weep over our sin, and the sin of others, knowing that it separates us from God, but we are comforted through the Gospel, knowing that our sins have been forgiven. This is the only true comfort we have, knowing that our sins are forgiven and we will live for eternity in heaven. We look forward to that day, when our sins will be removed forever, and God “will wipe away every tear from our eyes. (Rev 21:4).”

The next section of Jesus' teaching is about how our behavior should be, and our outward actions in obedience, and towards others.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Meekness is normally misused in our culture to mean weak or passive. What it really means is gentle, a gentleness of love, good manners, self-discipline, and above all, quietly trusting and submitting ourselves to God. Many of the beatitudes are based on Old Testament texts, and this one is taken from Psalm 37:11: “But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.” The preceding verses describe what “meekness” looks like; it does not “fret,” it “trusts” in the Lord, it “delights” in the Lord, it “commits” to the Lord, it is “still and patient” before the Lord, and it refrains from “anger.” It is these qualities a person must have in order to “inherit the earth.”

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

If we are truly God's children, seeking to live like Jesus (right living, which is righteousness) then we will not be disappointed, we will be satisfied. If we are hungry for a certain type of food, like Mexican food, we go to a restaurant that serves it, and are satisfied by partaking of the food. The same goes for righteousness; if we truly desire to live rightly, as Jesus did, then we will go to the source of righteousness, which is Jesus Himself, and learn from Him, pray to Him, and rely on Him for righteousness, and we will be satisfied.

These next three beatitudes refer to the inner character of the Christian. He is merciful, pure in heart, and always anxious to make peace.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

We are to be merciful, because we have received mercy from God. Because God has showed us much mercy in saving us from our sin, we should likewise show mercy to others; both believers, for they too know the mercy of God, and unbelievers, because they need the mercy of God. When we are merciful to others, we display the mercy that God had on us through the cross, and thus proclaim the Gospel. If we are merciful, we will receive even more mercy, which we certainly need.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Another beatitude that is taken from the Old Testament, in Psalm 24:3-6, which asks, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully, he will receive blessings from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.” In the Old Testament, the greatest thing that could happen to a prophet was to see God, as Moses saw a glimmer of His back side, and Isaiah saw Him seated in Heaven. Seeing God was only obtainable by the most pure person, and most devoted servants. If we live in purity, casting off all the impurities of the world, we too will see God, because “without holiness, no one will see the Lord (Heb 12:14),” but “we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself, as He is pure. (1 John 3:2-3).”

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

We are not called to just be peaceful persons, but to work hard for peace. It is important to notice that Jesus said peaceMAKER and not peaceKEEPER. A peacekeeper will sacrifice, change, or compromise in order to KEEP peace, however, a peacemaker will stand for God's truth and what is right, and work hard for true peace. Being both peaceful and striving for peace in our lives and this world is a characteristic of a child of God.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Being persecuted for righteousness sake, is different from being persecuted for being a Christian, which Jesus addresses next, in that it is suffering trials for doing what is right. This may be that you don't go to a party where you know there are going to be activities that a Christian should not be a part of, such as drinking, drug use, sex, or other sinful acts. You may be pressured by your friends to partake in these things, or to act in a certain way, or even to speak in an unwholesome way (which can be both your word choice as well as gossip). However, when you stand firm in your faith, and hunger and thirst after righteousness, you will seek to live rightly, as Jesus did, and not as the world lives. When you are made fun of for pressured, but stand firm, you are blessed because you have sought righteousness, knowing that the worldly things are passing away, and your reward is in heaven, and the pleasure that God provides in Himself, is fully satisfying, beyond those things your friends might pressure you into doing.

This is where Jesus speaks about persecution for being a Christian, for [His] account. We can rejoice in this, and endure it because we know that our reward is in heaven. We live in the hope that is in Christ, which is eternal life. This is the same hope that the prophets of old trusted in, such as Moses, David, Jeremiah, and Isaiah. The prophets in the Old Testament never got to see Jesus, the Messiah, as the Apostles did, but still lived fully set on the hope that He would come. We are much like them in this respect. We have not seen Jesus, but still live with our hope fully set on Him, knowing that He has come, and the He will come again and rescue us from this world. As Peter said in 1 Peter 1:8-12 “Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully…the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.” The prophets of the Old Testament looked forward to the coming Messiah, the Apostles saw His coming, and we live in the knowledge that He came, was sacrificed on the cross for our sin, resurrected, conquering sin once and for all, ascended into heaven, and will return to bring all His children home with Him to live for eternity. This is the hope we have. This is why we can endure persecution with joy. And this is why we live as Jesus lived, because blessed are those who live as He did, for the kingdom of God is theirs.


	Matthew 5:1-12 Seeing the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and when He sat down, His disciples came to Him. And He opened His mouth and taught 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 meek, 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 are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” This section of scripture is the first part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, which goes on from chapter 5 through chapter 7. This particular section is what is called the “beatitudes.” Jesus is teaching the people how they must live, and how they have reward in heaven for living this way. All the beatitudes start with “Blessed” which can be translated “happy,” but in our language happy doesn't quite capture the true thought of being blessed. Happiness is terminal, lasting only for a while; and it comes and goes. Being blessed, however, is eternal. If we live in this way, as Jesus lived, we will be blessed in heaven with great reward. The first part of Jesus teaching, which refers to our relationship with God, starts with: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.” This does not mean poor as in poverty, as poverty is not good, but in reference to “spirit” means that we understand our situation before God. We understand that we have nothing to offer God, and outside of His grace and mercy, we would not live, and certainly would not have the gift of eternal life. Humility is the key to being “poor in spirit” because we should be humbled in knowing that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,” and that our sin has been washed away, and we have been put in right standing with God, not by any work of our own, but by the work of Christ on the cross, and the Holy Spirit in our lives. We should understand that these “beatitudes” are not attainable goals, as if we can motivate each other to achieve them, but they can only come from God, when we humble ourselves before him. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” If “poor in spirit” refers to our “spiritual poverty” before God, and our recognition of such, then the second beatitude refers to our mourning over sin. We may mourn and weep over our sin, and the sin of others, knowing that it separates us from God, but we are comforted through the Gospel, knowing that our sins have been forgiven. This is the only true comfort we have, knowing that our sins are forgiven and we will live for eternity in heaven. We look forward to that day, when our sins will be removed forever, and God “will wipe away every tear from our eyes. (Rev 21:4).” The next section of Jesus' teaching is about how our behavior should be, and our outward actions in obedience, and towards others. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Meekness is normally misused in our culture to mean weak or passive. What it really means is gentle, a gentleness of love, good manners, self-discipline, and above all, quietly trusting and submitting ourselves to God. Many of the beatitudes are based on Old Testament texts, and this one is taken from Psalm 37:11: “But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.” The preceding verses describe what “meekness” looks like; it does not “fret,” it “trusts” in the Lord, it “delights” in the Lord, it “commits” to the Lord, it is “still and patient” before the Lord, and it refrains from “anger.” It is these qualities a person must have in order to “inherit the earth.” “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” If we are truly God's children, seeking to live like Jesus (right living, which is righteousness) then we will not be disappointed, we will be satisfied. If we are hungry for a certain type of food, like Mexican food, we go to a restaurant that serves it, and are satisfied by partaking of the food. The same goes for righteousness; if we truly desire to live rightly, as Jesus did, then we will go to the source of righteousness, which is Jesus Himself, and learn from Him, pray to Him, and rely on Him for righteousness, and we will be satisfied. These next three beatitudes refer to the inner character of the Christian. He is merciful, pure in heart, and always anxious to make peace. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” We are to be merciful, because we have received mercy from God. Because God has showed us much mercy in saving us from our sin, we should likewise show mercy to others; both believers, for they too know the mercy of God, and unbelievers, because they need the mercy of God. When we are merciful to others, we display the mercy that God had on us through the cross, and thus proclaim the Gospel. If we are merciful, we will receive even more mercy, which we certainly need. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Another beatitude that is taken from the Old Testament, in Psalm 24:3-6, which asks, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully, he will receive blessings from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.” In the Old Testament, the greatest thing that could happen to a prophet was to see God, as Moses saw a glimmer of His back side, and Isaiah saw Him seated in Heaven. Seeing God was only obtainable by the most pure person, and most devoted servants. If we live in purity, casting off all the impurities of the world, we too will see God, because “without holiness, no one will see the Lord (Heb 12:14),” but “we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself, as He is pure. (1 John 3:2-3).” “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” We are not called to just be peaceful persons, but to work hard for peace. It is important to notice that Jesus said peaceMAKER and not peaceKEEPER. A peacekeeper will sacrifice, change, or compromise in order to KEEP peace, however, a peacemaker will stand for God's truth and what is right, and work hard for true peace. Being both peaceful and striving for peace in our lives and this world is a characteristic of a child of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Being persecuted for righteousness sake, is different from being persecuted for being a Christian, which Jesus addresses next, in that it is suffering trials for doing what is right. This may be that you don't go to a party where you know there are going to be activities that a Christian should not be a part of, such as drinking, drug use, sex, or other sinful acts. You may be pressured by your friends to partake in these things, or to act in a certain way, or even to speak in an unwholesome way (which can be both your word choice as well as gossip). However, when you stand firm in your faith, and hunger and thirst after righteousness, you will seek to live rightly, as Jesus did, and not as the world lives. When you are made fun of for pressured, but stand firm, you are blessed because you have sought righteousness, knowing that the worldly things are passing away, and your reward is in heaven, and the pleasure that God provides in Himself, is fully satisfying, beyond those things your friends might pressure you into doing. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” This is where Jesus speaks about persecution for being a Christian, for [His] account. We can rejoice in this, and endure it because we know that our reward is in heaven. We live in the hope that is in Christ, which is eternal life. This is the same hope that the prophets of old trusted in, such as Moses, David, Jeremiah, and Isaiah. The prophets in the Old Testament never got to see Jesus, the Messiah, as the Apostles did, but still lived fully set on the hope that He would come. We are much like them in this respect. We have not seen Jesus, but still live with our hope fully set on Him, knowing that He has come, and the He will come again and rescue us from this world. As Peter said in 1 Peter 1:8-12 “Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully…the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.” The prophets of the Old Testament looked forward to the coming Messiah, the Apostles saw His coming, and we live in the knowledge that He came, was sacrificed on the cross for our sin, resurrected, conquering sin once and for all, ascended into heaven, and will return to bring all His children home with Him to live for eternity. This is the hope we have. This is why we can endure persecution with joy. And this is why we live as Jesus lived, because blessed are those who live as He did, for the kingdom of God is theirs.