For those of us who have walked with Jesus for a while, the chances are we have read the beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12. Maybe even been taught about them a few times. I have. Yet, in researching the passage more closely I came to realize there is an unseen beatitude:
Blessed are those who live through the cycle of the Christian life.
Jesus spoke the beatitudes in the Greek language. It's in that form which I discovered that all the beatitudes are connected in a way in which Jesus describes the entire life cycle of a believer. A life which recognizes itself plainly before God and devotes itself to worshiping the One who is worthy.
Each beatitude builds on the previous one. Follow along...
Verse 3. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Who are the poor in spirit? Often we consider this to be those who are sad or depressed. But this understanding misses the mark. The word for poor is "ptochos" which means destitute and spiritually poor. The word for spirit is "pneuma" which means wind or breath. It is our very being. The "poor in spirit" is about a recognition of our brokenness. It is a recognition that we do wrong. That we sin.
Verse 4. Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.
We often look at this passage and think of those who lost a loved one or grieve in some way. God does, through his Holy Spirit, bring comfort to those who mourn in such a way, but this is not the heart of Jesus' words. Who are those who mourn? Those who are "poor in spirit"! People who recognize their brokenness. People who see they can't right their own wrongs in life. When someone sees their own failings however, they can choose to be content in the path or mourn the path they are on. Blessed are those who mourn that path. For it leads them to a greater path...
Verse 5. Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.
The key work here is "meek". This word does not mean weak. In the original language it means a gentle strength. It is a strength which realizes itself under the almighty strength of an all powerful God. And using that strength in a gentle way. In a way which demonstrates power with undue harshness.
See where we are so far in the beatitudes? A person sees that they are poor in spirit. They are broken. Then they mourn their brokenness. They grieve over their failings and understand they can do nothing in themselves in order to right the wrongs they have done. This leads to discovering that their own strength is not sufficient to be made "right". They discover a holy God whose almighty strength is the only strength which can right their wrongs. They see their true standing before this Almighty God and desire to have their life be made right before Him. This leads to...
Verse 6. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
The desire to be made right before a holy God leads the seeker to Jesus himself. Righteousness for every person only comes from Jesus. For all have sinned and fallen short of God's perfect standard (Romans 3:23). Righteousness, the healing comfort of the broken and mourning poor in the spirit, comes from faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (Romans 9:10). Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved (Romans 10:13). Jesus fills up those who are hungry and thirsty for a right standing before God with righteousness when they surrender their life to him.
This brings us to the halfway point of the beatitudes. The first four blessings have taken us from sinfulness to salvation in Jesus Christ. From brokenness to surrendering our lives in worship to the Savior.
Next time we will see what Jesus says the life of the believer should look like in worship to him... beatitudes five through eight.
worship him 24/7...
scott
Blessed are those who live through the cycle of the Christian life.
Jesus spoke the beatitudes in the Greek language. It's in that form which I discovered that all the beatitudes are connected in a way in which Jesus describes the entire life cycle of a believer. A life which recognizes itself plainly before God and devotes itself to worshiping the One who is worthy.
Each beatitude builds on the previous one. Follow along...
Verse 3. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Who are the poor in spirit? Often we consider this to be those who are sad or depressed. But this understanding misses the mark. The word for poor is "ptochos" which means destitute and spiritually poor. The word for spirit is "pneuma" which means wind or breath. It is our very being. The "poor in spirit" is about a recognition of our brokenness. It is a recognition that we do wrong. That we sin.
Verse 4. Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.
We often look at this passage and think of those who lost a loved one or grieve in some way. God does, through his Holy Spirit, bring comfort to those who mourn in such a way, but this is not the heart of Jesus' words. Who are those who mourn? Those who are "poor in spirit"! People who recognize their brokenness. People who see they can't right their own wrongs in life. When someone sees their own failings however, they can choose to be content in the path or mourn the path they are on. Blessed are those who mourn that path. For it leads them to a greater path...
Verse 5. Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.
The key work here is "meek". This word does not mean weak. In the original language it means a gentle strength. It is a strength which realizes itself under the almighty strength of an all powerful God. And using that strength in a gentle way. In a way which demonstrates power with undue harshness.
See where we are so far in the beatitudes? A person sees that they are poor in spirit. They are broken. Then they mourn their brokenness. They grieve over their failings and understand they can do nothing in themselves in order to right the wrongs they have done. This leads to discovering that their own strength is not sufficient to be made "right". They discover a holy God whose almighty strength is the only strength which can right their wrongs. They see their true standing before this Almighty God and desire to have their life be made right before Him. This leads to...
Verse 6. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
The desire to be made right before a holy God leads the seeker to Jesus himself. Righteousness for every person only comes from Jesus. For all have sinned and fallen short of God's perfect standard (Romans 3:23). Righteousness, the healing comfort of the broken and mourning poor in the spirit, comes from faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (Romans 9:10). Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved (Romans 10:13). Jesus fills up those who are hungry and thirsty for a right standing before God with righteousness when they surrender their life to him.
This brings us to the halfway point of the beatitudes. The first four blessings have taken us from sinfulness to salvation in Jesus Christ. From brokenness to surrendering our lives in worship to the Savior.
Next time we will see what Jesus says the life of the believer should look like in worship to him... beatitudes five through eight.
worship him 24/7...
scott