Matthew 5:1-11
Marching Orders for the Christian Walk

Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying:
	"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
		for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
	Blessed are those who mourn,
		for they will be comforted.
	Blessed are the meek,
		for they will inherit the earth.
	Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
		for they will be filled.
	Blessed are the merciful,
		for they will be shown mercy.
	Blessed are the pure in heart,
		for they will see God.
	Blessed are the peacemakers,
		for they will be called sons of God.
	Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
		for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

New International Version

The Beatitudes are a beautiful, poetic passage of scripture that present a clear and radical view of how we should live as Christians. The contrasts in the poetry are real contradictions in values between our sinful nature and God's nature, and Jesus is clear on which values we should choose.

Don't let the beauty and familiarity of this passage disguise the terrifying demands of this scripture. We can't pick and choose among which of these to follow; we can't choose varying degrees of these qualities; and we have to abandon the easy, worldly measures of success and reasonable behavior to live in the way Christ commands us.

Each of these nine couplets discusses a facet of a God-filled life that contradicts the sinful view of how life works. The centuries and language translations may mislead us to see some of these as mere words of comfort from the Gentle Shepherd, but that was not Jesus' primary intent. Let's look deeper:


Poor in Spirit: Only those who have emptied themselves of their own pride and sense of self can be filled with the Holy Spirit. Poverty in worldly possessions is not a virtue, but poverty of ego is.

Mourn: In this context, Jesus identifies those who choose to mourn, just as Jesus mourned for Jerusalem in Luke 13:34; those who see the evil and brokenness in the world that God sees are those prepared to bring God's healing to the world. Mourning because of what happens to us is not a virtue, but mourning the sin in the world is.

Meek: Those whose attitude towards others is gentleness, humility, and meekness are those who live as Jesus lived. We rebel against this attitude! The meek never fight for what is rightfully theirs! The meek never defend themselves against injustices! But the meek allow God to work in the hearts of their oppressors and enemies. Being subdued by others is not a virtue, but choosing to live a life of humility is.

Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness: It isn't enough just to desire God's presence in the world; we must have a primal urge that puts God's Way above all our other desires. Don't be deceived that we are to long only for earthly justice and good, for God's Righteousness and Justice will not be complete where there is sin, and the facade of human justice is an decrepit imitation of God's Goodness. Being hungry is not a virtue, but longing with all our being for God is.

Merciful: What we do when we are "right" is a critical measure of how much we allow God to live in us. When we pass judgment, when we use our moral ground to berate others, when we relish in our goodness, we reject God's presence in our lives! When we let God live in us, we show mercy at every opportunity. God doesn't count how many times wrong-doers do right, God only considers whether we sinners have accepted God's grace. Condescending to those who aren't as good as we are is not a virtue, sharing mercy from our merciful God is.

Pure in Heart: If we have somehow justified to ourselves how we have met the previous five beatitudes, we have to admit our failure at this command. We all have sinned, we all have failed this test. Only in God's Grace can our hearts and minds be cleaned, over and over as we slip and fall, to give us a pure heart to see God.

Peacemakers: When we have an intimate relationship with God, brought about by the cleansing power of God's Grace, we are compelled to draw people away from human conflict and direct them to God. The peacemaker doesn't seek to negotiate an end to conflict, but knows the song is right, that "Jesus is the Answer" for any conflict. A peacemaker is a dangerous job, and God commands us to act without fear to lead everyone to God's Peace. Wanting peace is not a virtue, neither is dictating and enforcing peace, but living out God's Peace is.

Persecuted for Righteousness: When we are slaves to God's righteousness, we will be attacked by those whose evil ways are threatened. However, do not be deceived that being attacked by evil-doers means we are following God's Righteousness! It may mean we are following our own righteousness, and may even deserve to be attacked for our arrogance. Suffering because we are right is not a virtue, living for God no matter what happens to us is.

When People Insult You: Standing up for a just cause is easier than standing up against personal attacks, and Jesus warned us that when we live for God, we would be slandered and discredited. Since our Message is infallible, the Evil One will attack the messengers. Standing up to slander with righteous indignation is not a virtue, answering evil with good is.

A. Z. Tozer wrote "a fairly accurate description of the human race might be furnished one unacquainted with it by taking the Beatitudes, turning them wrong side out, and saying 'Here is your human race.' "

God calls us to live in complete obedience to God's Will, evidenced by how we live out the Beatitudes, with love for God and for all those in the image of God.