Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
The Beatitudes
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:1-12 - The Beatitudes
ReplyDeleteThings to explore:
- All together is there a progression, theme or collective principle?
- Go through each one.
http://www.pbministries.org/books/pink/Beatitudes/bea_05.htm talks about a progression.
ReplyDelete"The first four describe the initial exercises of heart in one who has been awakened by the Holy Spirit. In the preceding verse, the soul is seen hungering and thirsting after Christ, and then filled by Him. Here we are shown the first effects and evidences of this filling. Having obtained mercy of the Lord, the saved sinner now exercises mercy."
There are quite a few articles discussing a progression:
- poor in spirit - realizing our need for God/Jesus.
- mourning - realizing our sin and how it separates us from God.
- meekness - surrendering to God's will
- hungering and thirsting - what happens to us when we do the first three. We hunger for God's will being done.
- merciful - the change in heart towards others when we realize the first four.
- Pure in heart - single minded devotion, no longer divided between Christ and the world.
- Peacemakers - Bringing God's message to the world.
- Persecuted - Suffering for God's message of the cross.
Hmm., I think I do see a progression here. I wonder if it's possible to say, "I reached level X".
Poor in Spirit.
ReplyDeletehttp://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/2255/what-is-the-meaning-of-poor-in-spirit-in-matthew-53 does a good job explaining both poor in spirit and mourning (as well as their consequences).
It says Mark 2:17 sheds light on this: "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Those who recognize that they are morally sick are the only ones who inherit the kingdom of God. This leads right into mourning because of our moral sickness, which only then will God bless us with inexpressible joy and spiritual riches.
I think its interesting that the 6 rewards in the middle (vs 4 - 9) are future tense (at least in English) and the book ends are present tense and the same reward ("their is the kingdom", vs 3 and 10).
ReplyDeletevs 11 is also present tense in the reward but seems a bit outside the previous statement structure.
I'm not sure what we should take from that however.
It seems like so many promises and rewards are in the future, while the present just contains suffering. I think we can't have rewards and faith at the same time? God is constantly growing our faith on earth. Will we need faith in heaven?
DeleteAs for the present tense for our reward in heaven - the Bible does say store up treasures for yourself in heaven, which is present tense, I think.
I came across a suggestion to compare the beattitudes vs Mt. 23:13-36. Let's just say that Jesus wasn't always meek and mild.
ReplyDeleteIf you use the definition below, I think we can say Jesus was always meek. His power was always under control.
Deletehttp://www.preachtheword.com/sermon/bea05.shtml says about meekness:
ReplyDelete"Not blessed are the first, but rather the last shall be first. He said that it's better to give than to receive. He propagated dying rather than living, losing rather than finding. He said that the least in the kingdom of heaven would be better than the greatest down here on earth. He propagated being poor rather than being rich, it was weakness that He preached about not strength, it was serving rather than ruling. And of course we know that what the Lord Jesus taught in this passage was the exact opposite that enters into the heart of every man that is born into our world. It goes against all of the flow of humanistic philosophy that our world believes in."
Also, the article defines meekness (and what it's not):
"meekness is not weakness, it is not weakness. It is not wishy-washiness, it is not to be indecisive, to be timid, to be unsure of yourself, it's not even to be polite or to be affable or naturally kind or nice. . . . It is not cowardice, it is not spinelessness, it is not a willingness to have peace at any price and cost, it's not lacking in confidence, it's not shyness, it's not the opposite of extrovertedness, it's not simply good manneredness, or proper social convention, and it is certainly not a lack of conviction. Some dictionaries define meekness as deficient in courage. Let me say categorically, no matter what it means in the English language today, it does not mean that in the word of God."
"it simply means 'to be gentle, to be humble, to be considerate, to be courteous. . . . it's simply this: it is power under control. . . . It means this, it means: self-emptying. It means self-humility, it means self-brokenness before God, it is the person who is dead to self."
Hungering and thirsting for righteousness:
ReplyDeletethis article: http://www.desiringgod.org/sermons/blessed-are-those-who-hunger-and-thirst-for-righteousness
says that righteousness is defined by the next three beatitudes: mercy, purity and peacemaking.
Also, "The hunger and the thirst of your life that cannot be satisfied by anything in this world is the constant beckoning of God to remember that you were made for another world, you were made for God."
He goes on to say that we shouldn't only hunger for God, but for God's righteousness. "Satisfaction comes from God to those whose passion in life is to know him in the struggle to be like him in the world".
http://www.theologyofwork.org/new-testament/matthew/the-kingdom-of-heaven-at-work-in-us-matthew-5-7/the-beatitudes-matthew-51-12/blessed-are-those-who-hunger-and-thirst-for-righteousness-for-they-will-be-filled-matthew-56/
claims that hungering for righteousness is hungering for right relationships with God and other people.
http://discovertheword.org/2011/02/17/discover-what-jesus-meant-when-he-said-%E2%80%9Cblessed-are-the-merciful-because-they-shall-obtain-mercy%E2%80%9D/
ReplyDeletemakes a distinction between grace and mercy. "Grace is a loving response to people who don’t deserve it, while mercy is a loving response prompted by the misery and helplessness of the person to whom it is shown. Grace answers to the undeserving; mercy answers to the miserable. Biblical mercy is more than showing sympathy for one of our children who is sick. It’s the response we show to the kid down the street from a broken home who has shattered our garage windows three or four times."
http://www.jacksequeira.org/SOTM06.htm talks about what mercy is not. "Mercy in Greek means one who has compassion, has pity for those who need help, and puts this compassion into action." That action is thoughtful.
Not looking at the Greek here but this is the working definition I use
ReplyDeleteGrace is when God gives us what we don't deserve.
Mercy is when God withholds from us what we do deserve.
Question: Is mercy conditional? Is grace?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.gospelway.com/salvation/grace-conditions.php says, "none of this proves we can be saved without doing anything. It does mean that nothing we do could ever earn or merit forgiveness."
"the Bible contains many examples of people who received God's blessings by grace, yet they had to meet conditions. . . . Nevertheless, meeting the conditions did not earn the blessing, so it was still a matter of grace."
"Matthew 7:21-27 - To enter the kingdom of heaven, we must do the will of the Father. It is not enough just to learn Jesus' teaching or claim to believe Jesus is Lord. . . It is true that the gospel is not a system of justification by works of law, yet it is also true that the gospel is a law in which works and obedience to commands are essential to receive salvation."
In conclusion, God's gift of salvation is free to us. But to partake of that gift, we must do certain things, such as have mercy for others.
Weird! Once again, looking into something goes counter to modern evangelical thought.
Going by Von's definition:
DeleteGrace is when God gives us what we don't deserve.
Mercy is when God withholds from us what we do deserve.
I think that the answer is that God's grace (offer of salvation) is unconditional. God's mercy (judgement) is conditional based on our actions and lack of them. God makes the offer of salvation, but we must obey to receive that gift.
Whew! Does this make sense. It seems so counter to everything I've been taught.
I think I John explains this seeming dichotomy. If we are saved, the love of God is in us. If the love of God is in us, we will be driven to do the things that God requires. If we are not doing the things that God requires, the love of God is not in us, and therefore, we are not saved. No one can receive God's mercy and not be changed so that they aren't merciful from then on.
Deletepure in heart:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/november/25.66.html
"A PURE WILL loves God with the whole heart and soul and mind. It is "fanatical"—the greatest insult the modern mind can conceive, and the greatest compliment God can give. It is also the greatest compliment a lover can give: "I love you with my whole heart and soul. My love is not divided. You have no rival.""
"THE PURE IN HEART are blessed because they will see God. Although this will not be ultimately true until the new heaven and earth, yet it is also true even now. Our perception of God and his ways, as well as our fellowship with him, depends on our purity of heart."
http://www.desiringgod.org/sermons/blessed-are-the-pure-in-heart:
"A pure heart is a heart that has nothing to do with falsehood. It is painstakingly truthful and free from deceitfulness."
"So the double-minded man of verse 8 has his heart divided between the world and God, like a wife who has a husband and a boyfriend. Purity of heart on the other hand is to will one thing, namely, full and total allegiance to God."
"That is, purity is a prerequisite for seeing God. The impure are neither granted admittance to his presence, nor are they awed by the glory of his holiness, nor are they comforted by his grace."
Is it possible for us to be pure of heart here on earth? Is it a matter of degree?
Deletehttp://www.gotquestions.org/pure-in-heart.html says, "Those who are truly “pure,” then, are those who have been declared innocent because of the work of Jesus and who are being sanctified by His refining fire and His pruning."
http://www.meetingwithchrist.com/E016%20Blessed%20are%20the%20pure%20in%20heart%20-%20Mt%205%288%29.htm says,
"When the Lord Jesus says that the pure in heart shall see God, He is making what we call an eschatological statement. He is not talking about the present situation but about the age to come. They shall see God at some point in the future. But in this present time, i.e., living as we are in this present state of sin that we are in, no man can see God and live. In this mortal flesh, with all its sin, I cannot see God and live. That is why even Moses, being a sinner like all of us, could not see God face to face and live."
"Seeing God directly, face to face, is impossible right now. It is something that will happen only in the future. However, it is possible to see God right now, by faith. It is an indirect vision of God, but a vision of God nevertheless. . . . The person who has faith in God can see beyond this material world. He can see the spiritual world. He can see God. Seeing God can be equated with the consciousness of God’s presence in one’s life. It is about knowing God and fellowshipping with Him."
There's more in this article that I need to delve into.
More in the last article:
Delete"Paul’s emphasis is on the indirect nature of our seeing rather than on the quality of what we are able to see. For now, we see God indirectly. But one day, we shall see Him directly, face to face."
"Now, we see from the Scriptures that by nature, man’s heart is very far from being pure. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. . . .Whether it is about cleaning a heart that is dirty or changing the heart which has become hardened, the message is the same. The heart of man has to go through a process of spiritual transformation."
"The notion of purity here is connected with the dirt of sin. A pure heart is a heart that is not defiled by sin."
"The prospect of seeing God face to face should stir us to live pure and holy lives. We must make every effort to be pure even as Christ is pure."
I'm getting to an understanding, but I'm still confused about where are responsibility for having a pure heart ends and God's begins. More tomorrow.
I am entirely unsatisfied with the many articles I have read on this. Many say that we can only have a pure heart through the gift from God. But they go on to indicate that somehow it's a simple choice for us to have a pure heart, and all we have to do is try hard enough.
DeleteSo here's my speculation on this, because I can't seem to find the answer on line anywhere. (Please help if you know).
When Jesus' blood washes us, we are pure. When we get to heaven, we will see God. Here on earth, it gets a little fuzzier. Seeing God here means feeling Him working or hearing His voice with our spiritual minds. My opinion is that this is a matter of God's grace and has little to do with how pure we are. Some people who have pure hearts don't hear much from God, because God, in some cases, wants to build faith in those He loves - sometimes by becoming more quiet. For example, at the end of her life, Mother Teresa wrote about how she has rarely felt in rapport with God, and it made her sad.
So my conclusion is that here on earth God meets with us in His way and timing. A person with a relatively impure heart (on her/his own) may feel more of the presence of God than someone who is relatively much more pure. It depends on what God is doing in their lives. Also, very importantly, the reality of whether God is present in our lives is not based on our feelings. So, in the end, I don't know what it means to see God here on this earth, for one. And I refuse to believe that it's somehow based on our effort that we see God here on this earth. God purified us once, and continues to purify us as we repent of impurity. I don't know what the ramifications of this purifying process is here on earth or in heaven.
This is a tough one. I've been thinking about this more.
DeleteFor this particular verse, I think that there is a logical fallacy with the partial pure will partially see God interpretation (not only that, I think it leads to wrong ways of thinking). I think that this verse can only have two meanings:
1. When we are saved, we are made 100% pure now, and we can now see God in the form of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.
2. We will some day be made 100% pure when Jesus comes back, and then and only then we will see God.
I am not saying that in the context of the whole Bible that there are not rewards for more obedience vs less obedience. I am saying that those rewards for more obedience aren't necessarily a clearer vision of God. In fact, it could be just the opposite.
I think that us seeing God here on this earth is dependent on God's needs and grace. Indirectly, as we obey more, and become more dependent on God's direction, we may get more direction. Even then, I don't know if getting direction from God is seeing God.
I am not positive of my conclusion on this verse and welcome feedback.
Blessed are the peacemakers . . .
ReplyDeletehttp://www.gotquestions.org/blessed-are-the-peacemakers.html says, "Jesus laid down His life to make peace between God and sinners, and when we can carry that message of peace to others, we are peacemakers. . . . There is no real peace apart from a relationship with God (Romans 5:1)."
http://www.desiringgod.org/sermons/blessed-are-the-peacemakers:
"With each beatitude another nail is driven into a coffin. Inside the coffin lies the corpse of a false understanding of salvation. The false understanding said that a person can be saved without being changed. . . . One after the other the beatitudes tell us that the blessings of eternity will be given only to those who have become new creatures. . . .In other words these are all descriptions of final salvation. And it is promised only to the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers. . . .On the contrary, Jesus is describing the pathway to heaven, and this sermon is a message from God to urge you to get on that pathway and stay on that pathway so that you can be called sons of God at the last judgment."
OK! This explanation goes a long way in explaining Blessed are the pure in heart too!
(On with the article): "When Jesus says, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God," he does not tell us how to become a son of God. He simply says that sons of God are in fact peacemakers. People who are peacemakers will be recognized as the sons of God at the judgment. . . . John 1:12 says, "To all who received him (Jesus), who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God." . . . If we are not peacemakers, we don't have the Spirit of Christ. . . . Instead we owe our new birth to the sovereign grace of God (John 1:13). We owe our faith to the impulses of the new birth (1 John 5:1). We receive the Holy Spirit by the exercise of this faith (Galatians 3:2). The fruit of this Spirit is peace (Galatians 5:22). And those who bear the fruit of peace are the sons of God."
"So probably Jesus thinks of peacemaking as all the acts of love by which we try to overcome the enmity between us and other people. . . . Peacemaking tries to build bridges to people. It does not want the animosity to remain. It wants reconciliation. It wants harmony. . . . don't equate peacemaking with peace-achieving. . . . But you must never abandon your allegiance to me and my word, no matter how much animosity it brings down on your head."
(This article goes on to speak about peace, integrity and justice and how they should be pursued in light of each other.)
I think this last article nailed it. If you substitute peace-maker for pure in heart, I think that the concept is the same. I am satisfied with this explanation of all the beatitudes.
Blessed are those who are persecuted . . .:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sharefaith.com/guide/books-of-the-bible/the-beautitudes/blessed-are-those-who-are-persecuted.html says:
"those who are sold out completely to living a life for Him will have the scent of the Spirit of God on their lives. This scent is the smell of death for those who are dying spiritually. For this reason, true followers of Christ will be rejected.
However, Believers who allow the corruption of the world to filter into their lives eventually become a weak testimony of Jesus Christ. Their values and behaviors run too closely alongside those whose lives are given over to all manner of selfishness and moral perversity. Christians who do not hold to their faith typically are not persecuted, for there is no reason to be. They are not making a loud enough stand against the systems of the world to merit being silenced. . . . To be rejected by the world means to be accepted by Christ, and honored by the Father just as Christ was honored for His obedience."
There is some truth to this. However, I think it's a little one dimensional. For example, Jesus, and later the apostles were not persecuted at first. In fact, they were highly thought of by the world. In fact, Jesus was only persecuted by the religious leaders (and potentially by Herod) and not by the world.
The reason I bring this up is because I see a lot of Christians in the workplace take a fortress mentality against non-believers. Instead of forming relationships, going to lunch with, talking with unbelievers, they stick to themselves because they think they will be rejected. But these days, assuming you are not disrespectful of others, most unbelievers will accept you for your weird beliefs (for they run into many people with weird beliefs). I think that if you take a humble stance, most people actually want to hear your weird beliefs. Of course, as we follow Jesus more and more, the devil will bring about indirect action against us. Maybe he will tempt us with an attractive person taking interest in us, or set our bosses against us. But in this time and in this country, we don't need to take a defensive stance against direct persecution. (In fact I wonder if it's ever correct to take a defensive stance against people).
http://www.desiringgod.org/sermons/blessed-are-the-persecuted says:
Delete"Has modern society become so tolerant that talk of persecution is outdated? . . . two reasons why this teaching on persecution is still relevant today. 1. 79 countries under significant restrictions on their religious freedom in 1980. 60% of all Christians live in these countries. 2. Paul is convinced that there is such a tension between the message and way of life of Christians on the one hand and the mindset and way of life of the world on the other that conflict is inevitable.
Recall the structure of the beatitudes. There are two groups of four, and each group ends with a reference to righteousness. . . . The three beatitudes that lead to hunger for righteousness are descriptions of a kind of holy emptiness. . . Then the next three beatitudes are descriptions not of emptiness but of fullness. . . So the righteousness longed for in verse 6 is given in the form of mercy, purity, and peacemaking. The result is persecution for this very righteousness.
Jesus' attitude toward money is an attack on their love of money. . . One shaft is the love of something evil or untrue and the other shaft is the need to justify that love. This is the root cause of persecution.
Two Explanations Why Neither Response Seems to Appear: One is that your light is under a bushel. You don't let your distinctive values show. The other is that you are letting them show and the people around you are moving toward one or the other of these two polls: persecution or conversion. Neither of these must happen immediately.
A final note on persecution:
Delete1 Peter 4:15 - "But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters."
If we look around, we can see many examples where other's are being mistreated or reviled by others. People are naturally judgmental. When people are judging or reviling us because we act like Jesus, we are where Jesus wants us to be. However, in my case, there are plenty of times where I have acted like a dope and people have judged me because of it - sometimes more justly than other times. But in those times, I don't feel like I was being persecuted because of Jesus, but being persecuted as any person is. I don't think I will be rewarded in heaven for these times.
My point is that we need to avoid taking a defensive attitude against those who don't believe. Persecution is common. We also need to be able to see ourselves from other people's perception. If we act weird or not real, people won't like us. Not that we need to worry about people liking us.
If I could extend the meaning of I Peter 4:15, I might include that none of suffer for being ignorant, close-minded, judgmental, speaking before thinking, etc.
Whoops! Sorry about all the grammatical errors in the above article. But if I get persecuted for my poor writing, I'll just get more reward in heaven :-).
DeleteAnyway, thanks to anyone who stuck through that section of scripture!