The Blessed Ones

Matthew 5:1-12
Isaiah 61:1-9

In the previous chapter, Jesus began his ministry by proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” In other words, “Reorient your lives towards God, for God’s kingdom is near.” And it’s near in him, he is the presence of God’s kingdom in the world. Then he begins to call disciples, like Peter, Andrew, James and John. And as they follow him, he works his way through Galilee teaching and healing. And as does this, large crowds also begin to follow him, which brings us to today’s passage.

We’re told that when he sees the crowds following him, he goes up to the top of a mountain, sits down, his disciples gather around him, and he begins to teach them. This teaching is what we refer to as the Sermon on the Mount, which runs from Ch. 5 through Ch. 7. One might get the impression that only his disciples hear this teaching, but that’s not the case. At the end of Ch. 7 we are told, “Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.” So, even though this teaching is for his disciples, the crowds hear this teaching. And, they notice that he teaches as one having authority, in contrast to their scribes.

The scribes interpreted the law, they commented on the law, that is the law that was given through Moses at the top of a mountain. But, they comment, the don’t reveal anything new. Jesus also, from the top of a mountain, speaks. But he speaks not as one commenting on some other authority, but as one having authority. He speaks as one who has authority to reveal what was not previously known. Isaiah 61 is the background for this passage.

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me.” The Spirit descends on Jesus at his baptism and now he is going through Galilee proclaiming good news, binding up the broken-hearted, proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor. And as it says in Is.61:9, he is going to reveal the “people whom the Lord has blessed,” which he does in the lines we read from Matthew 5.

Who are these blessed ones? Who are the poor in spirit, the merciful, the peace makers? Who are these blessed ones? Well, they are the ones who repent, remember? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” In other words, the blessed one are his followers who, with the help of God’s grace, live according to God’s kingdom in this world. They have been reoriented from the way of the world to the way of God. And they are blessed, not because they are poor in spirit, or because they mourn, or because the long for righteousness. They are blessed because they belong to the kingdom of God.

One of the mistakes that people make when reading these opening lines of Ch.5 is they read them as if Jesus is giving commands or suggestions for living the blessed life. He is not saying, if you want to be blessed, then mourn and you will be comforted. He is not giving the recipe for being blessed. So, what is Jesus doing here? He’s simply describing the reality. He is pulling the curtain back and showing us the truth.

In one sense, Jesus is describing what life can sometimes be the like for his followers in this world. And, to be frank, life for his followers will not always appear blessed. And that’s part of the point Jesus is trying to make. As followers of Christ, we don’t necessarily try to be poor in spirit, or to mourn. We don’t strive to long for what is right. These are not virtues we strive for, nor are they necessarily things we would consider a blessing. But as followers of Christ who live according to his kingdom in this world, we may find ourselves mourning, or working for peace, or longing for what is right. If we’re living according to his kingdom, this may be our experience in this world. So, that is the reality, in one sense.

And yet, Jesus is saying, if this is you, if you follow me and you mourn, if you follow me and you long for what is right, then in spite of how things are right now, you are blessed. And you are blessed now, not because of what you are experiencing right now, but because of what will be. When it is all said and done you will be comforted, you will inherit the earth, you will be called children of God, and you will see God and live in God’s kingdom forever. And who guarantees that all of this will happen? God. So, Jesus is pulling back the curtain and saying, “This is how God’s kingdom works."

So, let’s go through each one of these quickly, to get a sense of what Jesus is saying. Blessed are the poor in spirit. To be poor, whether it be physically, mentally, spiritually, or what-have-you, means that something is lacking. And generally, it is something good and needful that is lacking. So, if someone is poor in spirit, it means they lack something spiritual, something which is good and needful. Anyone who follows Christ, by default, is admitting that they lack something good and needful, something spiritual that only Christ can provide. In short, we are created with a need for God, on whom we depend for everything, and it is a need that only God can provide. Someone who is poor in spirit understands this and lives accordingly. So, Jesus is saying, if this is you, you will inherit the kingdom of heaven. If you recognize your spiritual need and look to God to fill that need, it will happen.

Blessed are those who mourn. Mourning here is not simply about personal grief, though it includes that. This is about those who in following Jesus and looking for the kingdom mourn the way that the world is: the suffering, the injustice, all that is wrong. Again, Jesus is teaching his follows by pulling back the curtain and revealing the kingdom. By default, the followers of Christ are looking for the kingdom to come, they long for the way things should be and therefore they mourn that things are not that way. Jesus is saying, if this is you, if you look at this world and it breaks your heart, you will be comforted. You will see the kingdom; you will see things put right.

Blessed are the meek. This is not blessed are the weak, let’s just go ahead and put that out there. Meekness does not necessarily mean weakness. The meek are in contrast to those who take what they want by force. We could translate it, blessed are the gentle who don’t force what they want on others, and don’t take what does not belong to them by force. Jesus specifically ties this one to the earth. In the OT, the land had been promised to the people. It was not their land, but it was given to them by God so that they would have the means to flourish. Of course, in Jesus day, the land was occupied by force. Jesus is saying, if this is you, if you are one of the gentle ones whole live according to God’s ways in world that operates by violence and force, you will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. The metaphor that Jesus uses here is powerful. If you have ever been hungry or thirsty, much longer than you would prefer, then you understand how it can take primary place. True physical hunger and thirst becomes all-consuming so that one can hardly do anything but think about food and drink. Jesus is saying, if you have that kind of hunger and thirst for what is right, you will be satisfied, you will see the rightness, righteousness, you long for.

Blessed are the merciful. Mercy in the bible is not just about forgiveness, it’s about wholeness. To ask for mercy is to ask to be made whole. A blind man is sitting there as Jesus walks by and he cries out, “Jesus, Son of David, Have mercy on me?” What is he asking for, that his sins be forgiven? No. He’s asking to be made whole, that Jesus would restore what is lacking, If the first four of these referred to those in the kingdom who experience spiritual lack, who mourn for the world we live in, who are gentle, and hunger and thirst for what is right; then these next three are those in the kingdom who are doing the kingdom work in the world. So, these have both a passive and active element. Jesus is saying if this is you, if you are merciful working to restore what is lost, you will receive mercy, you will be restored.

Blesses are the pure in heart. The pure in heart are those of the kingdom who have a single-minded devotion to God and the ways of God. Their hearts are not divided between the ways of God and the ways of the world. Jesus is saying, if this is you, if you are devoted to God and the ways and work of the kingdom, you will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers. Again, those of the kingdom are not passively mourning and being gentle, they are at work with God, living according to God’s kingdom in this world. Peacemakers seek to reconcile what has been torn apart. Instead of dividing and promoting disunity, they bring together and seek peace. Jesus is saying, if this is you, if you seek with God to bring together what has been torn asunder, you will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake and blessed are those who are persecuted on the account of Christ. Those of the kingdom aren’t just longing for what is right, they are doing what is right. If they are mistreated for that, if they are mistreated on account of following Christ and proclaiming him, Jesus is saying the kingdom is theirs. It’s the same promised made to those who are poor in spirit. If they are persecuted on account of being followers of Christ, they are blessed and should rejoice, not because they are persecuted, but because they belong to God, just as the prophets before them.

In closing, Jesus is neither giving commands, nor is he giving a recipe for being blessed. He’s pulling back the curtain and showing us the reality about the kingdom. It’s as if he’s saying, “If you are my follower in this world, don’t let discouragement overcome you, stay strong, stay the course, for you belong to God, and all the promises God has made will be fulfilled for you.” Amen.