THE BEATITUDES – A SUMMARY

 

As we end this series, let us summarise what we have come to understand from what Jesus was telling the disciples and the people as He opens His Sermon on the Mount.

 

         Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Count yourselves as being fortunate that you have the opportunity to humble yourselves and therefore come before Me with a humble spirit, for in this position you will have eternal life in the kingdom of heaven one day.

The Hebrew word shâphâl [shaw-fawl] used for humble means putting oneself in a lowly position, therefore not being proud. The Greek word tapěinŏõ [tap-i-nŏ-o], used mostly in the New Testament for humble, means that one brings themselves low in their heart. This is all about a humbleness of the heart. Seek this humbleness; make it part of you. 

 

         Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

You can only be happy as you get to see the sinful state that you are in, realising that if you come before Me, you shall receive forgiveness for your sins because of the immeasurable grace and mercy of My Father. In this you shall be comforted as you realise that you do not have to live in this state of depravity that you currently find yourselves in.

The Greek word for mourn is pěnthěõ [pen-theh-o], meaning to actively grieve or wail with a feeling of sorrow. When we grieve so deeply it should only lead us to have a contrite heart. A contrite heart is a state that you are in where you have a deep feeling of expressing remorse at the recognition that you have done wrong. It leads us to constantly be a repentant people. Seek to keep a contrite heart, thereby knowing that heaven is your eternal home.

 

       Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Happiness is found by those who are gentle and humble, and it is those who shall be walking with a high level of godliness. What happens around you will not toss you about.

Meek in Greek is praüs [prah-ooce], and it takes us down the path of being mild [humble], and it has close ties with the Greek word praiŏs [prah-ot-ace], meaning gentle and humble. We can closely link this with the word gentleness, one of the Fruit of the Spirit. Now gentleness is an inward grace and is expressed by submitting one’s strength in a humble manner, for it is a character trait founded upon God’s love.

 

       Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

For those who crave after a clean and pure heart, they shall be filled with a life of happiness in this age and the age that is to come. Your craving will lead to the Father providing the sustenance that you need to pursue this type of lifestyle. It is only God that can fill someone and provide them with a wholesome life.

Let us crave after righteousness; pursue it, for as we do so, our faithfulness in following the ways of Jesus will result in God’s righteousness coming down upon us. As Peter puts it, let us strive after being holy, for God is holy. Get into reading the Word, meditating upon it, making it a part of you, speaking to God about it, and listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit as He gives us the wisdom to interpret its meaning.

 

       Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Happiness will be found by those who are compassionate and are able to be merciful towards others, for the Father will continue to pour out His goodness upon you. Live a life of godliness, as this is at the very core of God’s heart. It is the opposite of living with a judging spirit.

The Greek word for mercy is ělěěõ [el-eh-eh-o], and it means to have tender compassion towards others which is given to you by divine grace. For it is impossible to see others, as God sees them without having experienced God’s compassion and mercy yourself. This is part of God’s goodness to humankind.

 

       Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Now that you are a child of God, guard the purity of your heart, for then you shall be able to have a close relationship with the Father. Jesus points to a two-way relationship in which our part is to seek constantly after katharŏs [kath-ar-os] a clean heart [this is at the core of the word pure], and God’s part is to shower us with His blessings, as a parent would with a child.

We strive to remove habitual sin from our lives and move forward in being able to resist the devil and to stand firm against ways of ensnaring us.

  

       Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

 

As the Father’s heart is inclined to see all people living in harmony with one another, you shall find joy in being a person who seeks after helping others reconcile and be at peace themselves. In doing this you will be showing your life to others, a life that reflects God.

Since Jesus is referred to as the prince of peace, it is expected that we should follow His lead in this area. We will show Jesus that we have fully understood what loving others means and how having joy as a character trait has shaped us into what we are today. Fruit of the Spirit, as in Galatians 5, indicates that Love is the first fruit we should have, followed by Joy and then Peace.

 

       Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Know that future happiness is awaiting you if you are one of those that are pursued and punished because you choose to live your life opposite to the way the people of the world do.

What a pleasure it will be to be able to do as Stephen did, to see Jesus waiting for you, if the persecution leads to your earthly death. The devil will come against us in different ways, especially if he is worried about your influence upon others. Be happy knowing that your life is making an impact in showing Christ to a dying world.

 

       Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you, because of me.

 

Be happy when you are defamed abused and people hurl insults at you because you stand firm and proclaim the name of Jesus. The Greek word ŏněidizõ [on-i-did-zo] for insult indicates that the above will happen in an angry and abusive manner. Jesus is telling us that this will happen to all of us in one way or another.

Scripture tells us time and time again to live good lives amongst the people of the world. We need to show that although we are in the world, we are not part of it.

 

Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven …