Lessons from the Beatitudes – Matthew 5:1-11
The beatitudes give us a good picture of what God values in humanity. If we want to know how to be perceived “at our best” with God, we can look at the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:1-11. In some ways this turns what we know on its head. Just as the Jews believed in the first century, we also tend to believe that the “blessed” are those with power, authority, ego, and means.
But according to this passage, the blessed:
- Are poor in spirit (they will receive God’s kingdom)
- Mourn (God will comfort them)
- Are meek (God will give them the earth)
- Hunger and thirst for righteousness (God will give them what they seek in full)
- Are merciful (God will grant them mercy)
- Are pure in heart (God will show Himself to them)
- Are people who make peace, not just avoid conflict (God will call them sons)
- Will be PERSECUTED for being righteous (God has already given them the kingdom of heaven)
Then Jesus reiterates the last statement, saying that when people hate and persecute you and say evil about you (falsely) because of Jesus, then they should rejoice, for their reward (in heaven) is great and and they are following in the footsteps of the prophets before them.
So what have I done lately that is deserving of righteous persecution? Living a peaceful life, absent of anyone being affronted with my faith or my belief, is not exactly what God is going for here.
As a Christian, I shoudl probabaly be so bold as to draw attention. To make men revile me for my faith – but not because of my ego or performance as a person. They should hate me because through my humility and pursuit of mercy and goodness, their own sin is revealed to them by the Holy Spirit. If we are not practicing humility and mercy to the point of being unavoidably noticed, then we are perhaps not acting as Jesus taught.