Matthew 5:1-3. 1Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Who doesn’t want to be happy? Who doesn’t want to be blessed by God? Isn’t God’s blessing what most of the world is looking for? Striving for? Isn’t obtaining and then keeping the blessing of God the goal of all religions?
The life of blessing was not some new idea that Jesus is introducing here for the first time at the beginning of his great sermon. In fact, nothing about this whole scene is new. It’s straight out of Exodus. In Exodus, Moses went up to Mount Sinai surrounded by the 12 tribes of Israel, and there he gave the people the law, a conditional covenant full of blessing and cursing. Blessing IF you obey. Cursing IF you disobey.
Jesus is reenacting that great day from Israel’s past. Like Moses, Jesus went up on a mountain. Like Moses, Jesus gathered the 12 around him. Like Moses, Jesus declared the beginnings of a covenant. But Jesus’ covenant is quite different. The kingdom he has brought to earth does not come with conditions like the old covenant. That would be bad news. But Jesus’ kingdom is good news. His blessings are unconditional.
Blessed ARE. Not blessed IF.
We often miss this in the beatitudes. We read Jesus’ words as another “to-do” list. To be blessed by God just be poor in spirit, mournful, meek, hungry for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, and persecuted. Good luck.
But Jesus isn’t telling us what to do. He’s telling us the good news of who we ARE in him. When we repent and believe the gospel, we become blessed citizens of the kingdom of heaven. And every citizen of heaven, everyone who is in Christ, is…
Poor in spirit – They admit their need for the “kingdom come.”
Mourning – They know that all of the pain and the sorrow will bring the comfort of being in Christ.
Meek – They know that weakness and sacrifice today brings the inheritance of Christ in the end.
Hungry for righteousness – They know their longing for justice will be satisfied by Christ’s rule.
Merciful – They know that no merit has earned them life, only the mercy of God.
Pure in heart – They know that purity is a pronouncement, affording us the blessingof seeing God.
Peacemaker – They know that peace with God allows them to broker the peace of God in the world.
Persecuted – They know that to follow Jesus is to follow him into his persecution.
To live is Christ is not to find our way to these blessed attributes of Jesus. It is to find them IN Jesus. In Christ, we are blessed. Blessed through the repentance and faith that places us into the kingdom of God as citizens of heaven, and co-heirs with Christ.
You: In what ways are you still building your own kingdom of power?
You in Christ: In Christ you ARE blessed. How does this change how you seek happiness today?
Christ in you: How can your life display the mercy, purity, and peace of Jesus today?
To Live is Christ 