Matthew 5:1-12

1 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, saying: 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 sons 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.

Connect

God's blessing can be found in unlikely places.

The Methodist missionary E. Stanley Jones confessed that he once thought God's best virtues were put on high shelves where only the ascended masters could reach them, but he later came to understand that God actually puts them on the lowest shelves where people have to stoop in order to find them. If this is true, then the curse of sin ironically means that we are all born too tall, rather than too short, for the things of God. It means that God is hidden in the quiet, often humbling places we forget to search in our quest to find Him. He who slipped quietly into the world during the night, birthed by an unwed teenager, placed in a manger, and observed first by shepherds, still moves seamlessly among us today in a thousand different places and predicaments. And God's MO is perhaps best summarized here in the Beatitudes.

Jesus is among the most quoted, yet least understood, characters in the world. His pithy sayings have made their way onto billboards, talk shows, and gospel tracts. And none of His sayings is more clever or ironic than these. Jesus blesses those who seem cursed (Matt. 5:3-10) and curses those who seem blessed (see Luke 6:24-26). Gathering with the crowds . . . on a mountainside in Galilee, Jesus brought His disciples around Him, and with a ring of Pharisees standing in the back, he began to teach them the virtues of His upside-down kingdom (Matt. 5:1-2).

From the surface, some things need to be said about the nature of this important list. The first is that they are very simple. Three of every four words are one syllable; and the longest, most difficult word is persecuted (vv. 10-11). A fourth-grader could understand this sermon, yet (as Mark Twain observed) it is precisely the part of Scripture that we do understand that gives us the most trouble. This is probably because these sayings are so extreme compared to whatever life we, including saints, are used to. After all, which of us wants to finish last in a heated argument? And who really yearns to seek after mourning or righteousness? Let's be honest, do we truly desire to seek God when there is so much fun to be had? And when it comes to suffering, who wants to take it upon themselves when there is much to be dished out instead?

Yet the Beatitudes do not come as a secret formula for happiness. These are not the "be-happy attitudes.' For Jesus does not promise happiness, but instead blessing (literally, "divine favor') to those who suffer. It is insensitive to suppose that a grieving widow (those who mourn), a bankrupt merchant ("you who are poor,' see Luke 6:20), or a suffering martyr (those who are persecuted, Matt. 5:10) can be happy about his or her predicament. The being blessed that Jesus spoke about is not a stubborn denial of the facts, but a quiet and sure confidence that God is trustworthy in the worst of times as in the best. We can find Him in the least likely places.

Observe People of God's kingdom are blessed through helplessness (Matt. 5:1-3). While Pharisees sought "honor at banquets and the most important seats of the synagogues' (Matt. 23:6), Jesus said blessed are the poor in spirit (5:3). As affirmed in Mary's Magnificat (see Luke 1:52), God "brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.' To be poor in spirit (Matt. 5:3) or poor in riches (see Luke 6:20) is to be helpless in this world and thus at the mercy of God. It is not self-hatred. Rather, it is to be so consumed with God and His righteousness that we see our own sin, mortality, and helplessness in light of Him. So the more of God that Paul comprehended, the less of himself he admired. In his Epistles, Paul moved from seeing himself as the "least of the apostles' (1 Cor. 15:9) to the "least of all God's people' (Eph. 3:8) to the least of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). It is the ultimate paradox. The richer we become spiritually, the poorer we become in spirit.

Relate

1. If you could be present at one of Jesus' times of teaching, which one would it be?
2. In what ways do the "poor in spirit' reflect genuine humility?

Observe

People of God's kingdom are blessed when hurting (Matt. 5:4).

It is always more fun to laugh. Clearly, this is not forbidden by Jesus who offers us life more abundantly, and who himself showed good evidence of a sense of humor. But Jesus' point is, even those who mourn (v. 4) will find comfort entangled with their grief. Like Moses, they will climb the mountain of terror, heading straight into the thunder and the smoke of life, and there they will find God even in the dark (see Ex. 20:18, 21). While Pharisees laughed at poverty (see Luke 16:14) and mourned while they fasted (see Matt. 6:16), the real people of God have it the other way around. We will be comforted while we mourn (5:4), and we are comfortable when we fast (6:17).

I recall sitting with a widow in her lonely apartment while she relived the night her husband died on the very bed they shared for sixty-six years. She described a "lump of loneliness so hard I could almost choke on it." And that same morning as the sun rose, I was called to the side of another family whose mother died suddenly during the night. For the moment, both families mourned. But one day their "grief will turn to joy" (John 16:20), and even now, there is something of comfort in their sorrow. They have discovered a side of Jesus—the "man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering" (Isa. 53:3)—that they could find no other way. God has come to them in the least likely place.

Relate

3. What was the most significant loss you've ever experienced?
4. What was the grieving process like for you? When did you know that the time for grieving was over?

Observe: People of God's kingdom are blessed with humility (Matt. 5:5). New Testament professor Donald Carson has written that, though we don't think of it so overtly, each of us tends to assume that we are basically at the center of the universe; so for good reason we all relate poorly to the six billion others who are laboring under the same delusion. No wonder it is hard for us to obtain the blessing that is due to the meek. It seems like the only earth any of us will inherit is the sod directly over our graves.

But meekness (literally "controlled strength"), as Jesus meant it, is not the habit of backing down. It is the virtue of putting others before oneself, and in turn putting oneself in the hand of God. The Pharisees loved to be called teacher (see Matt. 23:7), but the real people of God love to be taught. After all, a "disciple" of Jesus is a learner of Him who is "gentle [or meek] and humble in heart" (Matt. 11:29). Mother Teresa is only one example of how the meek . . . inherit the earth with their influence, because the world still craves the presence of this virtue it so desperately lacks (compare with Matt. 5:13).

Relate

5. What are some of the ways that the world views meekness?
6. In what ways is biblical meekness best described as "power under control"?

Observe: People of God's kingdom are blessed with hunger (Matt. 5:6). First-century Hebrews knew all too well the analogy of famine and drought. It was everywhere. And Jesus said that it should last forever if it is righteousness we crave. We should be careful that we do not settle all of the tensions in our claim to be "entirely sanctified." For if by "sanctified" we mean the end of either our frustration with sin or our quest for godliness, we are like the mythological Greek, Icarus, who flew too close to the sun and was destroyed by it. Put another way, if we are filled to the point that we no longer hunger and thirst, then we have something other than real righteousness in our bellies. So content are those who do not rest on their reputation (see Matt. 23:28); whose contentment is mixed with a holy discontent; who like what they've had enough of to desire even more. Blessed are they whose sins bother them even as their holiness consoles them. They will find God in this creative tension.

Relate

7. What are the physical symptoms of hunger and thirst?
8. What are the spiritual symptoms of being hungry for righteousness? What's it like when this craving is satisfied?

Observe

People of God's kingdom do no harm (Matt. 5:7).

It was like the Pharisees to point out the sins of others with a magnifying glass (see Matt. 23:13). Jesus warned them to be cautious and conservative in their judgment of sinners because "in the same way you judge others, you will be judged" (7:2). Even so, it is possible that part of the standard by which we are measured on judgment day will be self-imposed. That is, we are presently writing our own final examination in the way we handle others (12:37). By "merciful," Jesus meant the capacity to get inside of another person's situation and to understand the forces that motivate him or her. We have mercy not that we may acquit that person but that we may be more patient, bearing "with the failings of the weak" (Rom. 15:1). In just this way, we will be shown mercy because we have learned to approach others as people equally in need of grace.

Relate

9. How does your level of mercy toward others affect the way you judge yourself?
10. Why do some people think that they will never need mercy from anyone, even God?

Observe: People of God's kingdom are holy (Matt. 5:8). To the Jews, the heart was the spiritual home of a person. The heart was the seat of affections, giving the bent to people's ways. From their hearts, they saw the world and lived every moment. The pure in heart, then, are those whose motives are sincere; whose mistakes are honest; whose souls are undivided; whose humor, passions, checkbooks, and wandering thoughts all flow from the same pure stream. They will see God in this world like an artist will see character in a painting or a musician will hear it in a song. They are most apt to appreciate the many facets of God's holiness now that they have a little of it themselves. What else could it mean to "share in his holiness" (Heb. 12:10) or to partake of "the divine nature" (2 Pet. 1:4)?

Relate

11. Contrast the pure in heart with the heart that it is impure and corrupt.
12. Why can only the pure in heart eventually see God? What will happen to those with stained hearts when they stand in the presence of God?

Observe

People of God's kingdom are harmonious (Matt. 5:9).

Historians tell us that since the time of Moses, we have seen only 268 years when there was not war somewhere on the globe. Since 1958, over a hundred nations have been involved in some kind of conflict. Today's secular peacemakers are the baggage of war. They are polite men who wear expensive suits, fly in private jets, and meet in neutral countries to hammer out agreements neither side intends to keep.

But Jesus had something else in mind. By peace He meant shalom, the quiet, contented conviction that God is in heaven and all is well with the world. More than the end of war, it is the beginning of trust. More than the absence of crime, it is the presence of justice. It is the placid look on the face of a young couple watching their children play around in the yard; it is the weathered smile of an old farmer as he sits down with his family for Christmas dinner. Here, as in the chaotic periods of life, God is present in the well-rested soul. These are the sons of God. They bear the image of the One who rested on the seventh day; the One who gave prisoners their jubilee; the One who breaks the bow and shatters the spear (see Ps. 46:9).

Relate

13. What are some of the ongoing, never-resolved conflicts in your church or family?
14. How could you serve as a mediator for those conflicts? What is a good first step?

Observe: People of God's kingdom will be harassed (Matt. 5:10—12). Jesus finished His list by blessing the most common condition among His audience. Most of His listeners that day either had come out of persecution or were soon headed for it. Within a few days, the Pharisees who killed the prophets (see Luke 11:47-48) would turn up the heat on Jesus and His followers until many would desert Jesus to avoid the trouble (see John 9:22; 12:42; 16:2). Those who remained were persecuted because of righteousness (Matt. 5:10), which is another way of saying that Christ's enemies had become theirs. For this, they inherited the kingdom of heaven in this world and the reward in heaven in the world to come (vv. 11-12).

The apostle Peter is said to have seen Jesus again on the day he (Peter) was crucified upside down. The first martyr, Stephen, saw "the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God" (Acts 7:56). More recently, missionaries in South America have witnessed to their tormentors as they were dying by their tormentors' hands.

Relate

15. How are Christians quietly and subtly persecuted today?
16. What's the best way to respond to false accusations?

Relate

...to you

The Beatitudes form the perfect contrast between self-righteousness and genuine Christianity. Bible commentator Earl Ellis said, "They are invitations to manifest one's faith in one's conduct by the power of the Spirit." How are you doing? Do you find yourself stuck in the old life trying to live out this pattern, or do these virtues "flow from within" (John 7:38)?

God has come down and hidden himself in the strangest of places and predicaments. Even so, the reward of God (the "blessing") is not only something to wait for, it is here and now. Those in trouble may rejoice that the kingdom of God has found them: they have the life of God in them. This is what it means to overcome the world (John 16:33).

• This is abundant life.
• This is eternal life.
• This is holiness.

On the scales below, rate your personal progress (1—5, 5 being "significant progress") in the eight virtues of the Beatitudes:

1.	____	I often compare myself to others and feel inferior.
	____	I often compare myself to God and feel helpless.
2.	____	I avoid suffering and try to escape it.
	____	I embrace suffering and try to find God in it.
3.	____	I am stubborn and dogmatic; I have an immovable spirit.
	____	I am teachable. I have more questions than answers.
4.	____	I am okay with my spiritual passion and walk.
	____	I have a holy discontent with my spiritual passion and walk.
5.	____	I am easily annoyed by the failures of others.
	____	I am learning to be patient and sympathetic with others.
6.	____	I am compelled in life by my image or reputation.
	____	I am compelled in life by my love for Christ and others.
7.	____	I make people nervous. I have a controversial spirit.
	____	I have a soothing confidence in God's sovereignty.
8.	____	I am doing very little in my Christian life that would get noticed or persecuted.
	____	I regularly face the hostility and contempt of one who identifies with Christ.

Bonus Interactive Learning Idea from the Wesley Bible Lesson Commentary

Try This On Your Own: Look From a Different Angle

Spend some time on your own rereading the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:1—12) in several different Bible translations. First, read it in your own Bible. If you do not have other translations available to you, go online and use Bible Gateway (http://www.biblegateway.com) to read it in a few more translations. For example, read it in a formal rendering (such as the King James Version); a direct translation (such as Young's Literal Translation); a contemporary translation (such as the New Living Translation); and a modern-day paraphrase (such as The Message). If you can, print out all the translations so you can compare them side by side.

After you've read them all, consider which words and phrases most stand out to you. How do these different angles on the text change your perspective? How does this harmony of translations help you understand more about what the ideas in the passage mean?

—from the Wesley Bible Lesson Commentary 2009—2010, a year's worth of
studies in Jeremiah-Daniel; Matthew; James; and Samuel/Kings/Chronicles

Go Deeper, Go Broader