What are the Beatitudes? Jesus gave the Beatitudes (meaning ‘blessings’) when He introduced His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapters 5-7. Let’s discuss your question further.
Who Were the Beatitudes For?
- Target Audience: The Disadvantaged
The meek, the mourning, the righteous, the merciful, the pure, the peacemakers, and the persecuted shall inherit the Kingdom under His rule. It will be a sea change from this current age.
Modern political candidates take their message to receptive people. They often claim to fight for the disadvantaged and promise them relief. And since most people don’t belong to the elite, they do that to pursue the most voters.
- The Advantaged
In our time, the elite’s policies usually win the day because the upper classes have the political power and money. Once the candidate is elected, they ignore their promises to the disadvantaged
When Jesus walked, the religious authorities (the Pharisees, scribes, lawyers, and whom the Gospel of John called ‘the Jews’) held power over the officially uneducated – compared to their self-proclaimed ‘superior’ learning.
- The Disadvantaged
So, most of Jesus’ followers were ‘the unwashed multitude.’ People some candidates might call ‘deplorables,’ which removed these people from their target audience.
- The Anti-Rich
And the majority opinion during Jesus’ time was that God blessed the rich and that ‘sinners’ deserved their misfortunes. Jesus famously countered their teaching:
“ Jesus … said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!… Astonished beyond measure, (they said), “Who then can be saved” (Mark 10:23,26)?
The Beatitudes Matthew 5:3-10
- Note: Poetic Type
Jesus gives the Beatitudes Matthew 5:3-10. They are complementary poetry where each line builds on the other. The first half of each verse describes a group, and the second half gives the promised blessing. The first four blessings are for inner attitudes and God’s promises for their mindset.
- Inner Attitude (Matthew 5:3-5:6)
3) “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
4) “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
5) “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
6) “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”
- Your Clique
In high school, were you part of the in-crowd? Or, like most of us, were you an outsider? You might have dressed, looked, or acted differently, so they bullied you. Do you remember your discomfort? On the other hand, do you remember how it felt when someone stood up for you? Or were you the bully, but now you know how your victim felt
- The Vulnerable
Take heart! God loves the vulnerable. He made laws to protect widows, children, and the deaf and blind. Others are also disadvantaged, but these examples represent everyone ‘poor in spirit.’
- Little Children
Likewise, Jesus used little children as models (not of those with a certain type of faith) of those without privileges in that society, yet having the mindset needed to enter the Kingdom of God, i.e., those “without one plea”:
“Allow the little children to come to Me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall not enter it” (Mark 10:14-15). You can read Childlike Faith for more understanding of the faith Jesus was speaking about.
- Blessed Because
Each of the beatitudes contains a hoti (Greek) clause. A Hoti clause tells us what results from this person’s attitude. It’s translated as ‘for,’ but we could translate it as ‘because.’ It tells us why the merciful will feel blessed or happy. Example: If you are poor in spirit, the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to you!
Who Was The Sermon on the Mount For?
What a shock! Jesus’ culture assumed God’s Kingdom belonged to the rich, the educated, and the popular, especially the self-promoting! And attitudes haven’t changed much in our society, have they?
“(Jesus said), “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them…” (Matthew 20:25).
Then He quickly added, “It shall not be so among you” (Matthew 20:26).
- Comfort for the Mourning
God also blesses those who mourn because they share His concerns, as illustrated during Ezekiel’s time (@ 600 BC, and we could multiply these examples):
“The Lord said to him (the angel), “Go through the midst of … Jerusalem, and set a mark upon … the men who sigh and groan for all the abominations … in its midst.… Do not touch any man on whom is the mark (of God’s protection)” (Ezekiel 9:4,6).
- Jesus comforted the mourning crowds:
“When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they fainted and were scattered, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).
Not Above
Meek people don’t promote themselves, so they get trampled. They look for other’s best interests while ignoring their own. The Apostle Paul said Christ had this meek mindset, and we should imitate Him (Philippians 2:5):
“Let each of you look not only to your interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4).
- An Attitude: Hunger and Thirst
Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness look for justice on earth and long for Christ’s reign:
“Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
We get hunger pangs when we need food. Likewise, the Lord’s people crave righteousness and justice.
Note: Believing in Jesus’ Name satisfies our hunger and thirst for righteousness!
- Outer Attitude (5:7-10)
7) Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
8) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.
10) Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- The Love Connection: Mercy
In Jesus’ Parable of the Good Samaritan, He mentions three people. Then, He asks the lawyer to choose which man loves his neighbor.
***The lawyer replies, “The one who had mercy on him” (Luke 10:37).
***In contrast, James sampled someone not loving their neighbor, explaining God’s attitude to the merciless:
“So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For he who has shown no mercy will have judgment without mercy, for mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:12-13).
***God is merciful, so He expects merciful children:
“And you will be the sons of the Highest. For He is kind to the unthankful and the evil. Be therefore merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:35-36).
- The God Connection: Purification
We’re born with a sinful heart, so we, like King David, need God’s washing. When David sought forgiveness, he prayed,
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).
Only God can cleanse us, yet we must keep ourselves clean once cleansed. That process starts with our innermost thoughts; it’s what we set our minds on:
“Whatever things are true, … honest, … just, … pure, … lovely, … of good report, (of) any virtue, and … praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8).
- The Peace Connection: Holiness
Bringing peace among brothers does the Lord’s work:
***The Bible tells us to “Pursue peace with all men, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).
***God loves peacemakers, but, “There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked” (Isaiah 57:21).
- The Righteousness Connection: Persecution
Satan is ‘the god of this world.’ He causes the world of people to oppose righteousness and torment God’s people. Jesus warned His followers they’d suffer persecution, saying, “You will be hated by all men for My name’s sake (Matthew 10:22)
- The Blessing Connection: Kingdom
The blessing for the attitudes in (5:3) repeats in(5:10):
“For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
This bracketing says blessings for these people (hopefully us!) will come within the Kingdom and not necessarily in this life in this world. A righteous life following Jesus results in persecution and sorrow.
But when He returns, He’ll bring its blessings.
- The Faith Connection: (Future) Blessings
Living this life righteously takes the faith listed in Hebrews 11; we endure suffering now because we believe that Jesus brings future blessings during His reign:
“Jesus answered, “Truly … there is no one who has left (anything or anyone), for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, who shall not receive a hundred times as much … with persecution, and in the age to come, eternal life” (Mark 10:29-30).
Summary What are the Beatitudes?
***Jesus gave several Beatitudes (blessings) to introduce His Sermon on the Mount.
***Jesus addressed His Sermon to the humble and disadvantaged.
***The Beatitudes (5:3-10) are complementary poetry where each line builds on the other.
The blessings Jesus promises may not come in this world: The meek, the mourning, the righteous, the merciful, the pure, the peacemakers, and the persecuted shall inherit in the future Kingdom when Jesus rules.