– Matthew 5.1-10 –

The Sermon on the Mount 2: The Beatitudes

Introduction

The poetic beauty of the Beatitudes has long endeared them to people the world over. The drawback is that the Beatitudes have become the vehicle for every kind of theology, philosophy, and agenda. If we want to understand and apply the Beatitudes, we must first place ourselves in the first century and listen to them through the disciples’ ears.

Structure

The Beatitudes have a chiastic structure and must be taken together, as is indicated by the opening and closing promise (vs. 3b, 10b).

A 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

B 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

C 5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

D 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

D’ 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

C’ 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

B’ 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

A’ 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Lesson

* Christians tend to “spiritualize” the Beatitudes by relegating them to heaven or to the inner man or to a separatist community, or else to “materialize” them in support of a “name it, claim it”, “health and wealth” gospel. Despite the popularity of both of these options, they are excluded by even a cursory reading of the Beatitudes (see vs. 5, 10).

* If we could hear the Beatitudes through the disciples’ ears, several things would stand out to us. First, Jesus isn’t saying anything new. All these blessings were promised in the OT (e.g., Ps 34; 37; Isa 61). Second, Jesus is saying something new – that in Him the kingdom and the new covenant have come, and these blessings, which were experienced only fleetingly in the OT, will now be experienced with new power (Heb 8.8-12). Third, the Beatitudes will be lived out, first, by Jesus Himself as He is persecuted by the Jewish establishment then vindicated in resurrection, and second, by the disciples as they are persecuted then vindicated in the destruction of Jerusalem. Fourth, the Beatitudes deal first and foremost with kingdom issues, not matters of personal piety (although they are included).

A, A’ Blessed are the poor in spirit and those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Poor here refers to those who are persecuted for righteousness sake and therefore spiritually oppressed: The wicked have drawn the sword And have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct (Ps 37.14). David called himself poor when he was hunted by Saul (Ps 34.6). As the disciples were cast out of the synagogues, more and more were literally as well as spiritually poor (Jn 16.2; Act 8.1-4; Jm 2.6-7). But one can be poor and not poor in spirit (1Cor 13.3; Pr 10.4; 30.8-9). The essence of poor in spirit is having no hope but God. There is no hope but God, but most people don’t recognized that. The poor in spirit do: Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Ps 73.25-26.) Suffering for righteousness sake is suffering for Christ’ sake (11). The Beatitudes are bracketed by the promise of the kingdom (3b, 10b), because it includes all the other promises.

B Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. The mourning here is not because of private sins, but because unrighteousness reigns and the righteous are oppressed (Pr 29.2; Ps 43.1-2; Hab 1.2-4). Mourning is by faith; fretting and fuming are not (Ps 37.1, 7-8). “Comfort” is when God turns the tables so that righteousness prevails (Pr 29.2). Jesus and the kingdom bring comfort (Isa 61.1-4).

B’ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Shalom, peace, is health, well-being, prosperity. It is the good life: Who is the man who desires life And loves length of days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it (Ps 34.12-14). The kingdom doesn’t come through violent revolution (Mk 11.17). Being a peacemaker means seeking the peace of the Church (Ps 122.6-9; Rv 21.9-10) and of the city where you dwell (Jer 29.4-7).

C Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Meekness is not weakness. Moses was meek (Num 12.3), and so was Jesus (Mt 11.29). Paul told Timothy to be meek but not fearful (2Tm 1.7; 2.25). The essential characteristic of the meek is that they “wait on the Lord” (Ps 37.9, 11), that is, they trust, bear up, obey, and prevail (Ps 37.1-11). Inheriting the kingdom includes inheriting the earth.

C’ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Pure in heart refers to single-heartedness toward God. It is the opposite of idolatry: Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol (Ps 24.3-4). God grants intimate fellowship to those who are single-hearted toward him.

D Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.. To be righteous is to be right and do right in terms of a particular relationship (1Sa 24.27; Isa 45.21g; Dan 9.16; 1Jn 1.9). To “hunger and thirst for righteousness” is to long for the whole world to be right and do right with respect to God and one another (2Cor 5.20). The kingdom satisfies, for it brings the reign of righteousness.

D’ Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Mercy means compassion for others who are suffering, and the Good Samaritan is Jesus’ example of one who is merciful (Lk 10.30-37). Righteousness and mercy go together (Mic 6.8). “The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives” (Ps 37.21). One who “did not remember to show mercy” was Judas (Ps 109.8, 15-16; Act 1.20). He was not shown mercy (Ps 109.8-16).