"Blessings"

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Today, we begin a series that is based on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. It will carry us through the weeks leading up to Advent, and hopefully, it will also be our preparation for that special time of year.
Today, we begin at the beginning of the Lord’s sermon – with his bestowing blessings on many who do not feel blessed. But first, a question - what exactly is God’s blessing, and is it truly a great thing, or does it bring hardship? For many people who have differing standards, one person’s blessing is not such a good think for others.
Take, for instance, our holiday that comes tomorrow. Columbus Day is the time we celebrate the European discovery of the “new world”. Of course, Christopher Columbus was trying to find a new route to India, with the intention of replacing the slower land routes that were being used. Fortunately - or unfortunately - depending on your point of view, he ran into a rather large land mass and never did get to the Far East! For many, this is a day to celebrate “discovery”, but for others, it is a day of disgrace! On one hand, this opened up an entirely new continent for development and exploration and freedom, but it also was the beginning of oppression and subjugation for the indigenous people who were already here.

From a human standpoint, one person’s blessing is not necessarily a good thing for someone else. But when it is God’s blessing, God’s consecration, God’s sanctification, it is always good, whether we fully understand it or not.

Read Matthew 5:1-2

Jesus is in the Galilee, and even though it seems to be fairly early in his ministry, the crowds are already following him! He attempts to find some quiet time upon an unnamed hillside, but the quiet doesn’t last very long. There are a few sites today that have been identified as the Mount of Beatitudes, and each has been developed as a very serene spot. But on that day, wherever the site may have been, it would rapidly become anything but still and peaceful!
We read that it was the disciples who came to hear him that day, but according to Matthew’s gospel, we only read of the 4 fishermen who have been called by now, not the 12, and not the entire entourage who would eventually follow. But was it really only 4 who heard these words? Probably not. “Disciple” means “those who follow”, so it could have been quite a crowd, and the term could even be extrapolated to mean “all who read this letter”. Regardless of who this is intended for, Jesus begins to teach.
A beatitude is a statement declaring that certain people are in a privileged, or fortunate condition. As the New Interpreter’s Bible says, “Matthew’s beatitudes are not practical advice for successful living, but prophetic declarations made on the conviction of the coming, and already present, kingdom of God.” So as we proceed through these 9 “fortunate circumstances”, keep in mind that it isn’t so much about the earthly conditions of this life as they are about a life lived in the grace and glory of Jesus Christ.
The first thing that we will notice is that each statement doesn’t say “if you are …”, “then you will have …”. The blessings aren’t even about a present condition, they are about a prophetic reality that is being declared.
And a second issue that should be understood, is that these proclamations are in no way about 9 different types of people – they are about the characteristics of each and every follower of Jesus.

With that, let’s begin to briefly consider each of these “privileges”.

Read Matthew 5:3

This first beatitude directly refers to the coming Kingdom. The “poor in spirit” refers to those who are poor in worldly means, as well as poor in human attitude. It’s about those who lack prideful attitudes, and even in knowledge of their own scarcity of means. These are the ones who the religious elitists would deem to be unworthy, and Jesus is reversing that pronouncement, and proclaiming that these are the very ones who will receive the Kingdom!
This type of spirit truly identifies the people of God.

Read Matthew 5:4

In Isaiah 61:1-3, we read “.. proclaim the Year of the Lord’s favor … comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion ..” Grieving in Zion could imply grieving for the state of the Lord’s holy city, and even for the Lord’s people. For us today, it would not only lean toward a sorrow over the state of the Church, but for opposition to God’s plan.
We do not submit to the world’s situation as the final judgment, but are sad for the fact that God’s final solution is not yet complete. And even as that day will be the time when comfort will be made perfect, we can also know the comfort that comes by faith in Christ Jesus today.

Read Matthew 5:5

This reads as an “upside down” reversal, or more accurately, a turning of life “right side up”. For the world, the meek have no power or future or place, but for God, this identifies those who have surrendered their place in the world order, in order to gain primary status in his kingdom. For a life in the Lord, it isn’t about how much authority we can wrestle away from others, or how much wealth we can accumulate, or how much honor and respect the world may show to us. Jesus tells us that these things will never last, but that the things of heaven will never fade away. (Matthew 6:19-20)
But if that’s true, what does “inherit the earth” imply? Aren’t we to surrender the things of earth? Of course we are, so this phrase can’t mean the earth that we currently know – it must be the “new earth” that we read about in Revelation 21:1-4. That is the place where the Lord’s people will know gain.

Read Matthew 5:6

The word “righteous” means virtuous, blameless, upright, worthy. But doesn’t this characteristic come to us through faith in Christ? Absolutely. This “reality” is about those who hunger for the coming of the One who brings righteousness to all who believe. Once again, this is about those who long for the day when Jesus returns.
And those who “hunger”, or yearn for that day will know the satisfaction of Christ’s return, and will rejoice in the arrival of the Kingdom. The implication is, obviously, that those who aren’t eager for that day will not rejoice, and will never know satisfaction.

Read Matthew 5:7

This offering has connections to the Hebrew texts of Micah and Hosea.
In Micah 6:8, we discover that true justice and mercy go hand in hand, and that they can’t simply be good thoughts or concepts that we advocate for – we must “act” justly, and “love” mercy.
In Hosea 6:6, we read “For I desire mercy not sacrifice, and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings.” We witness to the mercy and justice of God by offering those very attributes to others.

Have you been noticing that none of the Lord’s words could ever bring agreement from those who do not believe in Jesus? Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” The Lord’s word for our life is far greater than the “word” that comes from the world, and his word will never fail. (Isaiah 55:11)

Read Matthew 5:8

“Purity of heart” is more than just thinking and acting in a moral way. It means that we live in single mindedness – that we are completely devoted to God. No more “fence sitting”, no more dual citizenship, no more multiple masters, no more living a wishy-washy faith.
For those who are single minded about the Lord, “seeing God” is no longer a hope – it is an “end times” promise.

Read Matthew 5:9

Even the Roman emperors referred to themselves as “peacemakers” and “sons of God”. It certainly didn’t mean that they were peaceful people, though! The thought behind the title was that they were capable of reconciliation – presumably with the nations that they conquered.
In Godly truth, though, it seems that the Lord is talking about people who reconcile, or bring his “peace” and truth, into the lives of others. Again, this isn’t about working for peace, or the abolition of warfare in the world. It’s about introducing others to the spiritual peace of Almighty God.

Read Matthew 5:10

Again, this isn’t only about those who are going through a difficult situation – it’s about those who have been unjustly persecuted because of their love of Jesus Christ. Remember the 4th prophecy – regarding those who hunger and thirst for righteousness? Not only will they be satisfied, or filled by Christ’s return, but they will inherit the Kingdom as well.

Read Matthew 5:11-12

This section isn’t just one more beatitude - it is actually a summation of the 9 previous ones. Matthew is telling us that when the world insults us, and persecutes us, and tells all kinds of lies about us, simply because of our faith in Christ, that this is a reason to rejoice. Remember the promise of Romans 5:3-5 – that suffering is not the last word when Jesus is at hand. Persecution has been around forever – even before Jesus came on the scene. The prophets, the earliest believers in Jehovah God, and those who have believed in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, as Redeemer and Savior, and as Lord of their lives, from the earliest days of the Church and through all the ages until Christ returns - all have been, and will continue to be, persecuted and oppressed for their faith.
And Jesus tells us that this is a reason to rejoice – not because we are suffering, but because a great reward awaits us when the Kingdom of Heaven appears in our midst.

“Rejoice in the Lord always!” (Philippians 4:4) Not just because there is hope beyond our troubles, but because we have an incredible reason to celebrate – and the name of that reason is Jesus!