The Beatitudes
Lectionary Reflection
Matthew 5:1-12
The Beatitudes
The gospel reading for this Sunday comes from Matthew 5
1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he began to speak 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 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 receive 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 for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Sound familiar? Most people recognize this passage. Some may even know it as the “Beatitudes” or the “Sermon of the Mount.” It has always been one of my favorite passages in all of the Scriptures with universal implications for all of us.
Have you ever wondered….
Who is God present with in the world?
Who does God bless?
What kind of people populate God’s kingdom?
What kind of person, according to Jesus, am I to be?
I think this passage answers some of these questions in profound ways.
God Blesses those in hard times
This passage is known as the “Beatitudes” after the word that we translate as “blessed” or “happy” which in Greek is makarois (μακάριος). I love the word “makarois” because it means “extending” or “elongating” and there is this idea that God extends God’s own grace and happiness to us through particular circumstances.
Have you ever found yourself in a hard time? God is still with you.
Are you sad and need comfort? God is still with you.
My family recently went through one of these challenging times when we unexpectantly lost our home in a storm (article coming about that story). Despite the stress and chaos of those six months until we moved somewhere permanent, it was a blessing in disguise. Yes, it was stressful. It was pretty expensive too…. But in the midst of all of that chaos, God blessed us with safety and a fantastic community (some strangers) that helped us in incredible ways.
The God I have met in my own life and the God I see in the Scriptures is a God who cares for the sick, widow, orphan and outcast. The same God who created the universe reached out to the forsaken Hagar in her dark times and listened to the saddened Hannah (the mother of the Prophet Samuel) in her plea. God truly does extend God’s own grace and blessing to those in hard times.
How to live in the Kingdom of God
The Sermon on the Mount is this iconic story in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew’s gospel is arranged around five topical sermons, with this section dealing with how one lives their life. You could also think of this section of Matthew as a summation of all of the teachings of Jesus on practical “Christian” living. This section marks how we are to live in the Kingdom of God.
Jesus highlights the ideas of being “poor in spirit”, (that is, repentant), “meek” (self-controlled), “pure in heart” (seeking God above all else), “hungry for righteousness”, “merciful”, and “peacemakers” (personally and universally).
While I do not believe nor endorse that we should pursue these as a means to blessings, I do believe we should pursue them as the ends of our development as God’s people. These qualities describe those in God’s Kingdom. How should you treat others? Mercifully. What should you pursue? Righteousness. What impact should you have on the world? Peace.
How do I become one like that? By recognizing I am poor in Spirit and making room for God to extend God’s own grace in me.
King of an upside-down kingdom
What I love the most about this passage, especially considering the comparison of “beatitudes” in Luke, is how revolutionary they are. This speech Jesus give is very reminiscent of a populist leader or a new King giving a call to arms for their revolution. Typically, a King would surround themselves with the rich, powerful, loud, power-hungry, and violent.
Jesus does the opposite.
Jesus surrounds himself with the poor, meek, merciful and peaceful.
He is a different kind of King of a different kind of Kingdom.
THY will be done on earth as in heaven
What is this revolution of God? Surely it is different than the revolutions of other Kings. How will Jesus establish the Kingdom of God? Surely in a different way. What part of God’s revolution will you partake in?
Will you let Jesus become your own King as we all become the peacemakers of God in the world?
The Kingdom of God is something for the whole world. As we pray together in the “Our Father”
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
The Kingdom is what we pray we world becomes as it is in Heaven now. A place of no tears or divisions and peace.
Will you join the revolution?
This is a semi-weekly submission in a series of Lectionary Reflections, subscribe to read the next submission. All Lectionary Readings come from the Revised Common Lectionary and uses the NRSVUE text.