Introduction
The Beatitudes were taught by Jesus on the
Sermon of the Mount. These qualities are
not upheld by people nowadays. They are
totally opposite to qualities that people look for nowadays. If we are to live according to qualities as
spelt out by the Beatitudes people will call us wimps. Who wants to have qualities like meek,
mournful, etc?
The Church is like a battleship. It battles
with evil. Its a battleship to rescue
those from the evil ones. People take
refuge in the church so to speak. In
fact, a Church is everything.
Does God wants us to have qualities as listed
in the Beatitudes ?
Why did Jesus teach about such qualities ?
According to a theologian the Beatitude is a
Spiritual Charter of the Kingdom of God, another says it is an Essence of
Christ-likeness. Jesus lived out all the
qualities of the Beatitudes. This is
what God wanted us to be, living like Jesus Christ.
Living
out the Ten commands under the New Covenant
Some say the Beatitudes are "Blessed
Attitudes", in a sense these are because God wants us to have these
qualities which when followed blessed us.
A majority of the Beatitudes are presented in
negatives because God knows human weakness, and He used commands like
"thou shall not....".
What is the meaning of "blessed?" The
Greek word is "Makarios". In Greek it means supremely blessed. A blessed person is not like what he claims
to be blessed and he is blessed. But a
blessed person means that others see of him as being blessed. Meaning people seen him as having favors from
God. According to God a blessed person
has all the qualities as listed in the Bible.
Beatitudes are what God wanted us to be like,
we will be blessed by God if we have all these qualities.
1. Blessed
are the poor - it is not about physical poverty, but about spiritual
poverty. People who trusted God in what
ever the cause. Piety to God. A total dependence on God. Like Mother Teresa, her work was a total
dependent on God. She gave to the dying
love and care that no body wants to give.
A total giving out of her love for God, and also a total dependence on
Him.
2. Blessed
are those who mourn - not necessary bereavement as a love one died. But people who are willing to suffer because
of their loyalty to Jesus.
3. Blessed
are the meek - Just like Jesus said of Himself in Matthew 11:28-30 that He was
humble and He gave rest to others.
4. Blessed
are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness - this is also in spiritual
sense. A spiritual appetite for
righteousness and for God.
5. Blessed
are the merciful - Merciful in Hebrew is a covenant word. God showed mercy to the Israelites. Mercy was symbolized by rainbow. Its about
the character of God. When Jesus died on the Cross justice and mercy
"kissed" each other.
6. Blessed
are the pure in heart - this means single-mindedness. Of one track mind. If there is anything that
does not lead to Jesus throw it out! The
opposite of this is a divided heart.
When we are single-minded we will see God, but when our hearts are divided
we cannot see Him. Mathew 6:22-23, the
eye is the lamp of the body. If the eye
is sound, the whole body will be sound, because it will be full of light. Otherwise the whole body is dark.
7. Blessed
are the peacemaker - Jesus meant it in spiritual ways and not physical
ways. He does not want believers to
become wimps but to work through the problems and to reconcile. Reconciliation
is difference from compromise. In
comprising both parties have to give up something. In reconciling to God for example, Jesus died
on the Cross to reconcile us to God. We
accept this on God's terms, not ours.
8. Blessed are those who are persecuted - this is
not an end by itself but being persecuted for God's sake.
9. Blessed are you when people insult you,
persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me -
this is similar to number 8 but goes further in the descriptions. Again people
do all kinds of evil against us because we believe in Jesus.
10. Rejoice - is like the end of the rainbow,
something there to look forward to.
A) Acts
5:41
B) Acts
5.42
C) James
1:1-4
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