Sermon on the Mount, Part 1
Oh, it’s blessed are the meek! Oh, I’m glad they’re getting something, they have a hell of a time.
Mrs. Big Nose, The Life of Brian
My last post was a short little editorial explaining what I feel are some of the basics of the Christian faith. It was very simple—but I believe that the foundational doctrines of the faith in reality are very simple. In the next few posts I want to highlight some of the foundational teachings of Jesus, as well as some of the interesting techniques he uses to teach about the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Audience Matters
A section in the Gospel of Matthew, spanning chapters 5 through 7, is known as the “Sermon on the Mount.” Jesus delivers this monologue to the common people of Israel, who for the most part were a) simple yet devout and sincere practitioners of Judaism, b) used to being marginalized by the religious leaders of the day, and c) living under the rule of a foreign power that showed great contempt for the culture and religion of Israel. The people of Israel had been waiting for their Messiah—a conquering savior/priest/king that was expected to overthrow the occupying armies and liberate the nation in the manner of King David—for centuries. None of the assembled masses realized that the Messiah was sitting right in front of them, at least not until he had finished his sermon (Matthew 7:28-29).
What these people knew about God was largely what they were taught by the religious leaders—the “scribes and Pharisees,” priests and rabbis—the same religious leaders mentioned above. Many (but definitely not all) of these leaders were motivated by greed or lust for power or both. Jesus is about to turn most of what these leaders had been teaching the people upside down.
The Beatitudes
The first section of the Sermon is commonly referred to as “The Beatitudes,” or “The Blessings.” But before we look at Jesus’ idea of blessings, we might want to take a look at what we consider to be blessings. Some of us might translate “blessing” as “good luck” or “good fortune,” or maybe even “karma.” Financial independence, or at least lack of financial stress. Good health. Peace of mind. Popularity. Strong relationships with family. A good job. The list can go on, and these are all definitely valid examples of blessings. Here are the examples presented by Jesus:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 5:3-12, English Standard Version (ESV)
At first look, some of these statements are hard to understand. Part of the reason for that is because some terms—like “poor in spirit” and “kingdom of heaven”—need some clarification. Another part of the reason for confusion is that the definitions don’t exactly agree with our own.
When you first read Jesus’ beatitudes, you see a pattern: “Blessed are [those who are either going through a tribulation of some sort or who are giving something of themselves], for [they will be rewarded for the perseverance and/or sacrifice].” Kind of a Gospel of Delayed Satisfaction.
So, according to Jesus, the poor in spirit, the meek, the persecuted and the mourning, along with the peacemakers, merciful, pure-hearted and those who long for righteousness, are blessed.
The next thing you notice is that the rewards—the actual blessings—are intangible things: mercy, satisfaction, comfort, and the all-important “kingdom of heaven.” So, what does it all really mean?
You’re Blessed
The Bible was originally written in ancient Hebrew and Aramaic (Old Testament) and ancient Greek (New Testament). The two languages (and methods of thought) are almost polar opposites, which creates problems when translating the Bible into English. Luckily there are many different translations to choose from, and some of them are different enough from others to make them very useful in trying to understand a passage of Scripture.1
Therefore, Matthew 5:3, translated as “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” in the ESV, can also be translated as
“Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the poor in spirit (the humble, who rate themselves insignificant), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!”
Amplified Version
or
“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.”
The Message
So, looking at the ultra-literal Amplified Version next to the ultra-subjective Message is revealing. The Amplified version gives a good definition of “blessed” and “poor in spirit,” while the Message expands on the the “poor in spirit” concept beautifully, and also gives a glimpse to what the “kingdom of heaven” might be in referring. Here’s the entire passage from the Message:
“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
“You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
“You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
“You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
“You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
“You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.
“Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble”
Matthew 5:5-12, the Message
Entering the Kingdom
You’re blessed when anything you are enduring or doing drives you closer to God. A gentleman in my Thursday night Bible study group is suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (crippling—his hands are gnarled into claws), diabetes, and adrenal failure. He has prayed to be blessed with healing, as have all of the others in the group and many, many others. Ask him, and John will tell you that he’s blessed. He doesn’t understand quite how at this point in time, but through faith he knows that he is truly blessed.
Yet this is not a “power of positive thinking” exercise. And it’s not suggesting we should all develop a martyr’s complex. It’s merely pointing out a transcendental fact: suffering or sacrificing for the sake of God or others will bring reward.
There is no shortage of televangelists who will be happy to tell you, from their gilded television sets, that you’ll be blessed financially if you’ll only bless them first (make your checks payable to…). As they perpetrate this con game in the name of Christ they secure their places outside the kingdom of God.
Because Jesus makes it clear just what a true blessing is.
Blessings!
