Written this week by Alan LindbergBackground: After His baptism and His forty days and temptation in the desert, Jesus had begun to preach. He called His disciples and began teaching about God’s kingdom in the synagogues around Galilee. He had also begun healing the sick and possessed. News about Him spread throughout the entire region including Syria, the Decapolis (ten Greek speaking cities in the region), Jerusalem, Judea, and the areas east of the Jordan River. Large crowds began to follow Him because of His teaching and the miracles He performed.
5:1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
Jesus had been teaching throughout the region, recognizing that the people had a need to hear the word of God. As we see elsewhere He used the scripture to describe God’s kingdom and His relationship to mankind. Here now that there is a crowd of those seeking to learn, and finding a venue to teach them (a mountain or hill from which He can be seen and heard); He takes an opportunity to provide them and us with a sermon. It is commonly known as “The Sermon on the Mount” which, as recorded in Matthew Chapters 5-7, is His most continuous teaching recorded in the Bible. Shouldn’t we, knowing the nature of the people in the world, take the time to teach them about God’s kingdom as our Lord did then? At COV many are involved in Discipleship and Life Groups teaching and learning about God’s love.
Verses three through eleven also are called out in Scripture as “The Beatitudes” (from Latin beatus, meaning "blessed" or "happy"). When we feel blessed we feel pleased or happy. Jesus describes a series of conditions (poor in spirit, mournful, meek) which to the world do not seem to be desirable. As we know from 1 Corinthians 3:19: For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. The Lord takes those seemingly poor conditions and turns them into beneficial ones, providing a promise of blessing derived from each of them.
2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The “poor in spirit” are those who realize that it is they who need God. Those who live in the world and who revel in what it can offer them do not have an attitude which brings them humbly seeking God. Those who realize their sin and separation from God are humble about the lack of relationship that it represents. In this case Jesus does not provide a promise of the future in this case, but declares that the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Those who mourn for the lack of relationship with God can have that relationship if they seek Him out. They will receive comfort in that relationship both on Earth and in Heaven. They will know the love of their eternal Father forever. Revelation 21:4 says
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
This calls to mind Psalm 37:11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. The meek are those who submit to God. Compared to Him we are insignificant, yet He loves us so much. We should come to God with a meek attitude. This position is quite opposed to the world’s view that we should take all matters into our own hands and not trust our future to the Lord’s keeping. Who knows what is best for us better than the One who made us? This attitude produces a reward of blessing from God.
6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied
Hunger and thirst are fundamental to life and strong drivers in our lives. Without satisfying our hunger and thirst we die. In the same way we need to hunger and thirst for righteousness. Righteousness is a fundamental character trait of God. We often consider right and wrong and the difference between them, God’s righteousness can be considered as the definition of right. He loves those who practice righteousness, in Psalm 11:7 we read: For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face. And from a familiar 23rd Psalm: He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. As God is righteous and all-powerful all things end in righteousness and we shall see that righteousness.
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