The Blessings — Matthew 5:3–12
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
— Matthew 5:3 NRSV
What do the beatitudes mean for us?
Ever since I was young, I’ve never really understood the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. As I’ve gotten older and began reading the Bible more, these blessings were still enigmatic. Even in college — taking Bible classes on the gospels no less! — they are still strange to my ears and to my eyes.
For awhile, I thought that maybe this is the behavior we who follow Christ must model to attain blessing. But that’s not quite right. So, what do these blessings mean?
If these are essentially thesis statements on who is truly blessed in our world, it doesn’t seem to be true. These beatitudes seem to speak more to our world than the one’s in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount:
Blessed are the rich in spirit, for theirs is everything they desire.
Blessed are those who celebrate incessantly and in vain, for they are comforted.
Blessed are the affluent, for they have inherited the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for pleasure, for they are being filled.
Blessed are the merciless, for they know the score to get even and execute it.
Blessed are the polluted of heart, for they see and have everything.
Blessed are those who sow division, for they will be called powerful.
Blessed are those who persecute righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of this world.
These beatitudes seem more accurate to how our world looks today. I’m sure you can piece together concrete examples of this in real life examples. Politicians, celebrities, CEOs, rich business-people, and all the like appear to be the “blessed ones” yet live out lives antithetical to the righteousness or justice of God.
These anti-beatitudes are the ones that are encouraged, or, at the most, given leeway for people to perform. Yet, these anti-beatitudes are taught almost as ethics. We often teach them or live by them ourselves.
“We need to get even with those who do us wrong.”
“We need to be aggressive to get the things we want.”
“Follow your heart and it won’t lead you wrong.”
“Make sure you’re comfortable above all else.”
Though anti-beatitude living makes people blessed in earthly ways, it isn’t the way of Christ. God isn’t the one blessing people who hold fast to this list of anti-beatitudes. It may be the work of the Tempter, it may be the work of evil, or it may be the work of human gumption.
Yet, what do these beatitudes, these blessings, that Jesus gave in his momentous sermon mean?
No, these aren’t behaviors to do so we can attain blessing. The blessedness of those who are poor in spirit, in mourning, are meek, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, are merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, and persecuted — the blessedness of these is the fact that God is with them.
The kingdom of God belongs to these people. In a world where the rich and powerful seem to inherit their every wish, the kingdom of God is far more inclusive.
God’s rich and powerful are not those with millions of dollars and exorbitant wealth. They aren’t those on corporate boards for the largest industries in our world.
No, God’s rich and powerful are the meek, the merciful, the peacemakers, the persecuted, the mourners. God is already at work in the lives of these. God is with them already.
Who the world discounts as downtrodden, worth overlooking, worth ignoring and cumbersome — those are the ones God is with and God is blessing.
So, what do the beatitudes of Jesus mean for us?
In one sense, it is a plea for us to be merciful and pure in heart and peacemakers and hungering for righteousness. Yet, it must not be done for an ulterior motive of attaining some blessing. The blessing is God’s presence, not more money or wealth or a promotion or things like that.
In another sense, these beatitudes mean that we should participate in God’s work right before us. If God is with these people — the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, the persecuted — then we must join with God in serving them. Of course, when we serve the poor in spirit, we can’t give them the kingdom. Yet, this is a call for participation in God’s mission.
In our participation, we must know that we cannot give the kingdom of heaven, ultimate comfort, the earth’s inheritance, fulfillment, mercy, seeing God, or anything like that.
The point is this: Christ gives himself up to all those listed in these blessings. These are blessed by God because Christ has come to serve them, forgive them, save them.
The poor in spirit are blessed with the kingdom of heaven because Christ has opened the door to the kingdom for them as well.
Those who mourn are blessed with comfort because Christ mourns with them and understands the cries of pain and loss.
The meek are blessed with the earth’s inheritance because Christ came to uplift the downtrodden, overlooked, ignored, and forgotten.
Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed because Christ has given them his own righteousness to be completely sufficient.
The pure in heart are blessed in seeing God because Christ is the face of God.
The peacemakers are blessed by being called children of God because Christ is the way of ultimate peace.
Those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake are blessed with the kingdom of heaven because Christ was persecuted for the same thing and has inherited all authority of God’s kingdom.
For in Christ’s work, all these are made blessed. You know see where God is at work? Through the giving of his Son we are made blessed.
Many of us live poor in spirit. Some of us seemingly never leave a state of mourning. Sometimes it seems we get walked all over. We desire righteousness but never seemingly get there. We want mercy. We long for pure hearts. We plead for peace.
God’s already at work — in Christ, God has blessed us with the way of ultimate fulfillment, peace, inheritance, mercy, identity, and kingdom. In Christ, God has paved this way.
In this prologue for the Sermon on the Mount, Christ pronounced all these blessed. It is with his work of salvation and redemption that these are made blessed. It is in knowing Christ that we are blessed.
