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The Kingdom of Heaven is like a prince who upon ascending to the throne gathered his subjects to address them. This was a good king, but even as he was being coroneted he was in the midst of a battle against evil princes who wanted his throne. As they gathered, the subjects wondered, "What would the King do and say?" Would he make heavy demands on them, as was his right? Would he lay down laws and guidelines? What was about to happen as this king took power?
This is the situation in our lesson today. Jesus had just begun his ministry of proclaiming that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. He was healing and casting out demons. He was declaring that the time had come for God to rule in people's hearts. And some were already following and believing in him.
Jesus of course is the King. He is a King in the midst of a battle against the princes of evil. The faithful souls that gathered around to hear his teachings were his subjects. As his subjects gathered, what would this new King say? What would Jesus say to his disciples? That is the environment into which Jesus spoke the Beatitudes.
The Beatitudes are some of the best-known words of Jesus. They are familiar to us and we like them. They talk about blessing the poor and the meek. Those are comforting thoughts. Unfortunately I think we often misunderstand them and make them into something they are not.
One major school of thought is that the Beatitudes are meant to give us moral direction. In other words Jesus is saying, "Be meek so you can inherit the earth." By blessing those who are poor in spirit and forgiving and peacemakers, Jesus is holding up those ideals for others to follow.
One recent expression of this interpretation has characterized these saying as the "Be Happy Attitudes." The idea being that, in the Beatitudes, Jesus is holding up attitudes of living that lead to happiness. In other words if you live an attitude of mercy you will receive mercy from others and God. These ways of living lead to happiness.
I deeply respect the preacher that wrote the book the "Be Happy Attitudes." However, I disagree with his interpretation. The Beatitudes are not primarily moral guidelines. They do provide some moral guidance. But that is secondary to their primary purpose.
So if the Beatitudes are not moral guidance what are they? They are exactly what they appear to be. They are blessings. Each one begins, "Blessed are," and so on. It literally means "happy are..." But the happiness is more than some momentary giddiness or transient warmth of spirit. It is a higher stage of happiness and well-being. It is a happiness that can come only form God. A blessedness above anything this world can provide. These blessings are being spoken by Jesus the very Son of God. He, himself, is promising these blessings.
These blessings from God are the direct result of the coming of the Kingdom of God. In the chapter just before this one, Jesus begins his ministry of spreading the Good News. He tells people that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand; God's reign of justice and peace is coming. In this age the poor are trampled upon and mistreated. But because the Kingdom of God has come, the poor, the meek, the peacemakers will all be blessed.
In many ways this is the opening address of Jesus' reign over his kingdom. The Beatitudes are not laws to be followed. Jesus is not saying, "Be merciful or you will not be shown mercy." These are royal decrees of blessing upon those whom God chooses to bless. Jesus the Messiah or King is making a royal proclamation! "Henceforth and forevermore the poor in spirit, who have hitherto been trampled under the wheels of oppression by the rich, shall have bestowed upon them the Kingdom of God." "Henceforth the peacemakers, who hitherto have been crushed by the machinery of war and labeled as unpatriotic, shall be given the royal title 'the children of God.'" And so on... These are not moral laws to be followed, but proclamations of justice and grace to be celebrated.
What exactly are these blessings from on high, and to whom are they given. Let's take a closer look. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God." The prophets of ancient Israel referred to the poor as an example of holiness. The poor had no material wealth or power, so their only hope was in God. The poor were those who looked to God and God alone not to wealth or power or knowledge for their deliverance and salvation. Their poverty forced them into a faith that made them trust God for each day's bread. In like manner the poor "in spirit" is anyone who, like the poor, trusts in God alone. These poor and faithful people shall own the kingdom as co-heirs with Christ.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." These are probably those who mourn for their sins and the sins of others. They are truly sorry for how human sin has hurt God and their fellow human. They are also saddened by the chains of sin that bind and imprison others. God will comfort them by forgiving them and calling others out of sin too.
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." These are not those who are timid and shy. The meek are those who are humble before God. They are those who are not proud and arrogant. They don't demand things out of self-importance, so they shall be given the world.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." One who hungers seeks after something. These are people who don't delude themselves into thinking they can be righteous by themselves. Hungrily they seek after the true righteousness that only God can provide. And they shall not be disappointed. God will give them the righteousness they seek after.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." In this world people often take advantage of the merciful. In God's kingdom those who show mercy to others shall receive mercy from God.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." The pure in heart are those who single-mindedly try to serve God. Their motives and wills are not stained with desires to do things against God's will. In the Kingdom to come they will be blessed by seeing God.
"Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called Children of God." Peace in the Bible is more than the absence of war. In includes justice and community wholeness. What we would call peace with justice; an end to injustice and war. Those who seek these things will be called God's children.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Persecution itself is not a blessing. But enduring persecution is a sign of loyalty. And those who are loyal enough to endure this persecution will be greatly blessed.
"Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and speak all manner of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad for great is your reward in heaven." Here Jesus gets personal. It's not about "them" or "those people" or just "the poor," its all about YOU! You are blessed. Even when you are suffering in this age the eternal reality is that you are blessed.
How can one obtain these blessings? How can you or I own the Kingdom of God, be comforted, or inherit the earth? How can we become righteous and obtain mercy? How can we see God and be called Children of God?
It's easy. To obtain the blessings of the Kingdom just embrace the King: Jesus. Once you give yourself to God all the rest will follow. It's like becoming an American citizen in a way. People in other lands dream of freedom. Sometimes they must become Americans to obtain it. They were born under the reign of governments that inhibit freedom. When they become Americans all the blessings of liberty spelled out in our Constitution and Bill of Rights are theirs, because they are under its rule. If you want the blessings of the Kingdom of Heaven, just pledge your loyalty to its King: give your life to Christ.
You cannot obtain the blessings of the Beatitudes on your own. You can't earn the Kingdom of God or status as a child of God. You can only accept it as a gift from God. You must embrace Christ as the ruler of your life and submit yourself to his definitions of love, justice and mercy. You must make him the Lord of your life. Then as a citizen of the Kingdom of God and as a Child of God all those blessings are yours.
Then Jesus will look at you from his holy mount and say: Blessed are you faithful, the Kingdom of Heaven is yours. Blessed are you who are merciful, I will show you mercy. Blessed are you who mourn your sins and pray for others, your prayers are answered. Blessed are you who speak up for peace and justice; you are God's children. Blessed are you because you are part of God's Kingdom.
After his baptism and temptations, Jesus began traveling through Galilee proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom of God. It was during this ministry that he delivered what we call the Sermon on the Mount. Let's get the picture in our heads. Jesus was traveling around and the description of his actions included primarily casting out demons and healing with a little teaching thrown in. Now keep in mind that there were many healers and wonder workers in Jesus' day. Some of them were probably genuine, but many were false. The false wonder workers were just showmen using people's pain to get what they wanted.
But Jesus was different. He did go around working wonders and people came to him to be healed. But Jesus also had disciples. And these disciples traveled with him and he taught them. They were like a little community that followed Jesus around.
People probably wondered about this Jesus. What was going on here? He taught like a Rabbi but he healed people like a wonder worker. His teachings were profound yet down to earth. And he backed up what he said with actions. He could have demanded money and gifts from the people, but he didn't.
It was in this context that Jesus taught the lesson we call the Sermon on the Mount. Just as people were wondering to themselves "What's this Jesus all about," Jesus told them. The Bible says that when Jesus saw the crowds he went up the mountain and sat down and began to teach his disciples. Now, when most people picture the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is standing before a crowd of thousands of people. And there probably were thousands of people in the crowd, but Jesus is not addressing the crowd. It says that he addressed his disciples.
This would not have been the 12 disciples we usually think about. At this point only four of those had been called. The "disciples" were the people who had come to believe in Jesus and were following him to learn from him. It may have been as many as a hundred of more people, but it was much less than the crowd we usually think of.
There is something else important to notice here. It says that Jesus went up the mountain. You might think that this was to get away from the crowds so that he could talk more privately to the disciples. But it also has some symbolic importance. Moses had gone up a mountain, so in a sense Jesus is being portrayed as a second Moses.
There are several things we can learn from the beatitudes about what Jesus is all about and what following him is all about. First of all the church is a community of deliverance. Matthew chooses is words carefully when he reports and describes Jesus actions and teachings. He makes it clear that Jesus is deliverer; a Savior. Up till that time Moses was the greatest deliverer that people knew of. He had led the nation of Israel out of bondage and to the promised land. God worked mighty wonders through Moses.
Matthew wants his readers to see that Jesus is like Moses in many ways. Jesus had come to lead people out of slavery to sin and death just as Moses had led them out of slavery to Pharaoh. Through Moses God had sent the ten plagues, parted the red sea and brought forth water from a rock and food from the wind. In the same way through Jesus God was working mighty deeds like calming the storm, casting our evil, healing the sick, feeding the hungry. Of course we understand that what Jesus was doing was much greater. The scope of Jesus act of salvation covers all of creation while Moses was just a foreshadowing of what Jesus would do.
But it was important for people to see what kind of religious figure Jesus was. He was not just a teacher who formed a school of thought like the Pharisees or the Sadducess. He was not a "flash in the pan Messiah-wanna-be" who would lead a military revolt. He was not just some wonder worker who put on a good show. Jesus was a Savior and Deliverer. And what he was doing was creating a new nation of God's people. He was creating a holy priesthood of believers who would following him in this work of delivering people from sin and death. And we know that holy nation of priests as the Church of Jesus Christ.
The second thing we learn is that it is a community of humility. Just look at the beatitudes. Blessed are the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful. Jesus is saying that God chooses to bless those with these attitudes. God will deliver the meek and give them the earth. God will reward the merciful and show them mercy. God will bless the pure in heart and they will see God!
One of the overriding attributes of all these that are blessed is humility. These are the people who think of others first and humble themselves before God. There are the one who mourn because they have sinned against God and their neighbor and God will comfort those who mourn. These are the ones who hunger and thirst for righteousness. God will satisfy them. These are the ones who's hearts are pure.
This community of deliverance is distinguished from other communities by its humility before God. The community of political leaders seek to serve themselves by taking power, but this community seeks to serve others even to the point of sacrifice. The community of the Pharisees and Sadducees try to manipulate God, but this community seeks to surrender to God. The community of the rich try to buy deliverance, but this group is meek and poor in spirit before God. The community of the military seeks power through war, but this community seeks peace.
The third thing we learn is that is a community of suffering. The end of the beatitudes is a kind of rude awakening. Verses 3-9 are all "blessed this" and "blessed that." Then it says "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake." Now the disciples might have though of other people who were persecuted and they could feel sorry for them and be happy that God would bless them. But that wasn't enough. Jesus then said, "Blessed are YOU when people revile YOU and persecute YOU and utter all manners of evil against YOU falsely on my account."
Like and good preacher Jesus uses his pronounce carefully to bring the message home to the hearers. They will suffer and be persecuted. They will be slandered and hated because of him. And they were! They were persecuted and died horrible deaths and to this day Christians are still persecuted.
But Jesus told us it would happen. He told us that we would be persecuted. It isn't easy to be God's humble community of deliverance. Often times the people trying to bring real peace are the ones that are treated the worse. When ever someone is enslaved to sin there is someone enslaving them and they don't what then delivered. So when the church speaks out against murder or drugs or pornography or gambling or materialism or homosexuality - there is always someone who hates us for it. But Jesus tells us to rejoice because God will reward us for that faithfulness.
People today look at the church and they wonder, "What's this Jesus all about?" And they come to a lot of conclusions based on what they see of the church. They figure Jesus is all about mutual affirmation and feeling good and that the church is just a mutual affirmation society that could care less about those outside. Others think Jesus is all about judging people and making them feel bad and guilty because that is all they see the church doing. Some think that Jesus is about just getting together with people who are like each other because to them the church looks like and exclusive country club. Some people think the church is about keeping certain people in positions of political power of keeping certain political philosophies in power because that is what they see of the church.
Are we really what Jesus intended us to be? Is the church today a humble community of deliverance that is willing to suffer for the Jesus? Too often the church is busy looking out for its own interests. Too often the church degrades into some kind of social gathering place. Too often the church is not willing to suffer for the sake of Jesus and the people he died for.
What do people see when they look at our lives? Do they see humility and meekness and hunger for righteousness and mercy? Are we willing to let people slander us and speak bad of us because the stand for the right? Maybe we need to sit down and listen a little closer to what our Lord has to say.