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I bet when you read these verses you thought, “I wish our Pastor’s sermons were that concise and short.” ;>) In reality, these verses, which we call the Sermon on the Mount because Jesus gave it on a hillside near Capernaum, most likely lasted several days. During this period of preaching, Jesus proclaimed his attitude toward the law. Position, authority, and money are not important in his Kingdom—what matters is faithful obedience from the heart. Jesus’ words serve as encouragement to us in that we do not have to possess power and fame to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. We only have to have a heart that is turned towards God in order for us to be blessed! People can take your money and your dignity and all the earthly things that you possess, but no one can control your heart and it’s your heart that matters to God!
Jesus was challenging the proud and legalistic religious leaders of the day. Jesus was calling them back to the messages of the Old Testament prophets who taught that heartfelt obedience was more important than legalistic observance. Remember, Jesus pulled his disciples to the side and told them to be wary of the temptations! Jesus was a popular guy and being as close to him as the disciples were they could have taken advantage of the people – that’s what the Pharisees did in the name of God. Power, Pride, etc. are things that we, as Christians, should be wary of.
God’s way of living usually contradicts the world’s way. If we want to live for God, we must be ready to say and do what seems strange to the world. We must be willing to give when others take, to love when others hate, to help when others abuse. By giving up our own rights in order to serve others, we will one day receive everything God has in store for us.
There are at least five ways to understand the Beatitudes. Biblical scholars have analyzed the Beatitudes many times and many ways but they conclude the Beatitudes are:
A code of ethics for the disciples and a standard of conduct for all believers.
A contrast between Kingdom values (what is eternal) with worldly values (what is temporary).
A contrast between the superficial “faith” of the Pharisees with the real faith that Christ demands.
An example of how the Old Testament expectations will be fulfilled in the new Kingdom.
An encouragement to us
The Beatitudes tell how to be blessed by God. Blessed means more than happiness. It implies the fortunate or enviable state of those who are in God’s Kingdom. The Beatitudes don’t promise laughter, pleasure, or earthly prosperity. Being “blessed” by God means to experience hope and joy, independent of outward circumstances. To find hope and joy, the deepest form of happiness, follow Jesus no matter what the cost. There is a movie about a football team that I really enjoy called “Facing the Giants”. In that movie, they pray the prayer “We will praise You when we win and we will praise You when we lose.” Likewise, the encouragement we get from the Beatitudes conditions our hearts so that we can pray, “I will praise You when times are good and I will praise You when times are not so good.” Only a loving God who gave the ultimate sacrifice – the death of His Son – could condition our hearts so that we are always giving praise; regardless of the circumstances.
Jesus said to rejoice when we’re persecuted for our faith. What? Why!?!?!? Persecution helps us understand that our rewards are not of this earth; they are heavenly. Persecution helps us to practice our faith more deeply. Persecution strengthens those who endure. Being persecuted and maintaining a godly attitude influences others to turn to God for encouragement and comfort.
We can be comforted knowing that God’s greatest prophets were persecuted (Elijah, Jeremiah, Daniel). If you are being persecuted for following Christ, you are blessed indeed! People who are faithless go unnoticed by the ungodly.
To me, the Beatitudes stand as a constant reminder of my “heart condition”. A constant reminder of how a sinless person, Jesus, lived a perfect and blameless life. I’m not like that. I’m human. I need the Beatitudes to remind me of what Jesus did for me, is doing for me today, will do for me in the future, and how He will bring me home as I am His. The Beatitudes are truly a contrast to the world in which we live. They are an encouragement to the poor, the meek and the persecuted! Praise God, through the Holy Spirit He has written them in our hearts!!!
Papa Joe Mac's Commentary:
I bet when you read these verses you thought, “I wish our Pastor’s sermons were that concise and short.” ;>) In reality, these verses, which we call the Sermon on the Mount because Jesus gave it on a hillside near Capernaum, most likely lasted several days. During this period of preaching, Jesus proclaimed his attitude toward the law. Position, authority, and money are not important in his Kingdom—what matters is faithful obedience from the heart. Jesus’ words serve as encouragement to us in that we do not have to possess power and fame to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. We only have to have a heart that is turned towards God in order for us to be blessed! People can take your money and your dignity and all the earthly things that you possess, but no one can control your heart and it’s your heart that matters to God!
Jesus was challenging the proud and legalistic religious leaders of the day. Jesus was calling them back to the messages of the Old Testament prophets who taught that heartfelt obedience was more important than legalistic observance. Remember, Jesus pulled his disciples to the side and told them to be wary of the temptations! Jesus was a popular guy and being as close to him as the disciples were they could have taken advantage of the people – that’s what the Pharisees did in the name of God. Power, Pride, etc. are things that we, as Christians, should be wary of.
God’s way of living usually contradicts the world’s way. If we want to live for God, we must be ready to say and do what seems strange to the world. We must be willing to give when others take, to love when others hate, to help when others abuse. By giving up our own rights in order to serve others, we will one day receive everything God has in store for us.
There are at least five ways to understand the Beatitudes. Biblical scholars have analyzed the Beatitudes many times and many ways but they conclude the Beatitudes are:
The Beatitudes tell how to be blessed by God. Blessed means more than happiness. It implies the fortunate or enviable state of those who are in God’s Kingdom. The Beatitudes don’t promise laughter, pleasure, or earthly prosperity. Being “blessed” by God means to experience hope and joy, independent of outward circumstances. To find hope and joy, the deepest form of happiness, follow Jesus no matter what the cost. There is a movie about a football team that I really enjoy called “Facing the Giants”. In that movie, they pray the prayer “We will praise You when we win and we will praise You when we lose.” Likewise, the encouragement we get from the Beatitudes conditions our hearts so that we can pray, “I will praise You when times are good and I will praise You when times are not so good.” Only a loving God who gave the ultimate sacrifice – the death of His Son – could condition our hearts so that we are always giving praise; regardless of the circumstances.
Jesus said to rejoice when we’re persecuted for our faith. What? Why!?!?!? Persecution helps us understand that our rewards are not of this earth; they are heavenly. Persecution helps us to practice our faith more deeply. Persecution strengthens those who endure. Being persecuted and maintaining a godly attitude influences others to turn to God for encouragement and comfort.
We can be comforted knowing that God’s greatest prophets were persecuted (Elijah, Jeremiah, Daniel). If you are being persecuted for following Christ, you are blessed indeed! People who are faithless go unnoticed by the ungodly.
To me, the Beatitudes stand as a constant reminder of my “heart condition”. A constant reminder of how a sinless person, Jesus, lived a perfect and blameless life. I’m not like that. I’m human. I need the Beatitudes to remind me of what Jesus did for me, is doing for me today, will do for me in the future, and how He will bring me home as I am His. The Beatitudes are truly a contrast to the world in which we live. They are an encouragement to the poor, the meek and the persecuted! Praise God, through the Holy Spirit He has written them in our hearts!!!