By Allen White
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. Matthew
5:3-12
The beatitudes have always seemed like funny little riddles
to me. I’m not trying to disrespect them. After all, they are the “red letter”
words of Jesus Himself. It’s just that, honestly, I’ve never parked at the
beatitudes for very long. Maybe it’s hard to “be happy” when I know that I’m
about to get blasted with the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).
One author calls the beatitudes “sacred paradoxes.” They express
both present and future blessedness. The “poor in spirit” will possess the
Kingdom presently as they belong to Jesus and potentially when they enter
Eternity. They have part of it now and are waiting for the rest.
But, to be honest, Jesus instructs us to be happy about some
rather difficult circumstances: poverty, mourning, hunger, thirst and
persecution to name a few. We don’t really find much happiness in those
circumstances.
Obviously, “happy” means more than just being happy. The
idea is more of a deep inner joy. Happiness is based on happenstance (do you
see the similarity). If I’m in a good circumstance, then I’m happy. If I’m in a
bad situation, then I’m unhappy.
Joy doesn’t depend on our circumstances. In fact, joy can be
sort of ludicrous. The writer of Hebrews says, “You sympathized with those in
prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you
knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions” (Hebrews 10:34).
That’s just crazy. Seriously crazy. And, seriously needed.
Right now, you and I could easily come up with a couple
dozen things that we are unhappy about. (Don’t go there.) Without regard for
our circumstances, God intervenes in ridiculous ways. He knows how temporary
the situation is. He knows the grand scheme of things. He knows the end result.
God is saying to you and me today: “Oh, you’re poor in
spirit, well, I just can’t wait to show you what’s in store. You’re mourning
today, I’m going to work in your life to provide all of the comfort you need.
You hunger and thirst for righteousness and just can’t stand the injustice in
the world, boy, do I have something in store for you.”
Do you feel blessed today? God wants you to have His “joy
unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8, KJV).
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