Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount
5 “Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
The Beatitudes
He said:
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 be shown 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 because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
On Sunday my Pastor preached about the scripture above. During his sermon he told a story about a former neighbor of his who made a lot of money and did not mind telling people about it. It wasn’t that this man is a bad person or someone that people disliked, he is a very nice and sociable person in fact when my Pastor asked him how he was doing he said, “Man I am so blessed!”
My Pastor said after getting in his car he thought is that really what Jesus meant when He said someone is blessed?
Obviously when you read the Beatitudes you realize it’s the on going flipping of the worldly narrative.
We see the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, the ones who hunger for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers and the persecuted who are called blessed.
Compare that to the world. The world’s version of being blessed is money, prosperity and happiness. Who Jesus called blessed would be considered cursed by the standards of the world.
The world’s standards are so much different than God’s.
I actually found a wonderful article that I think articulates the meaning of being “Blessed”. I would like to share that with you to close this weeks blog entry:
https://openthebible.org/article/what-does-it-really-mean-to-be-blessed/
Have a (truly) Blessed Week,
Chris
Source:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5%3A1-12&version=NIV
The Good Word 