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Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:10
The Beatitudes
By New Christian Bible Study Staff
These verses, the opening phrases of the Sermon on the Mount, hold some of the Bible’s most beautiful and best-loved poetry. Part of its beauty, though, lies in the fact that the meaning is not quite clear. What does it mean to be “poor in spirit”? What does it mean to “inherit the earth” or to be called “the children of God.” The fact that there are many possibilities causes us to linger over the phrases, pondering them.
Understood in the internal sense, these blessings show the spiritual states of the various people who could be receptive of the Lord and the new church he was launching. On a deeper level it shows that states within ourselves that can lead each of us to the Lord and to a deeper understanding of His truth today.
The “poor in spirit” are those who know little about spiritual things, but want to learn. Those that “mourn” are those who want to be good, but see no desire for good in their church. The “meek” are those who love to care for and serve others. To “hunger and thirst after righteousness” shows a desire to rise up, to learn about what’s good and to come to desire it.
The “merciful” are those who love their fellow people. The “pure in heart” are those who love only what is good. “Peacemakers” are those who are in harmony with the Lord, gaining knowledge from Him and wanting what He wants. And to be “persecuted for righteousness’ sake” means acting out of love and care for others, even though you are condemned by others for it.
There’s something of a progression there, from those who simply want to learn to those who actively want to be good people to those who actually are good and acting out of love for others. None of it, though, describes those who are learned in the Jewish traditions, or even necessarily observant in terms of ritual; they are, rather, those who sense that it is possible to be a good person and are willing to make the effort.
And they are promised their rewards! The “kingdom of heaven” is the understanding the angels have of the Lord; “comfort” represents ideas that lead to the good of life; “inheriting the earth” is a state of loving others and being loved by them in return. The overall message is simple: If we truly wish to be good people, and are willing to let the Lord teach us how to be good people, we will end up filled with love and wisdom from Him. And that’s what we need to focus on: The desire to be good, and openness to ideas from the Lord. It’s not about ritual and intellectual “correctness”; it’s about ideas that lead us to be good.
But what of being reviled and persecuted? This depicts temptation, when the hells attack our newborn good desires and true understanding. They cause us to doubt our ability to be truly good and question the ideas that are leading us. And they can do it in many ways, reminding us of the fun we’ll be missing or reminding us of all the bad things we’ve ever done to render us hopeless. They will even attack the Bible and the ideas that come to us through it from the Lord; that’s represented by the idea that people also attacked the prophets.
These states, however, are blessed in their own way; only by battling these evils, which are rooted inside us, can we finally fully embrace the good life we have been striving for. That’s why it is pictured last, and that's why it leads to the “great reward” in heaven.
Matthew 7
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"Don't judge, so that you won't be judged.
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For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you.
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Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but don't consider the beam that is in your own eye?
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Or how will you tell your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye;' and behold, the beam is in your own eye?
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You hypocrite! First remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother's eye.
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"Don't give that which is holy to the dogs, neither throw your pearls before the pigs, lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
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"Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you.
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For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened.
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Or who is there among you, who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?
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Or if he asks for a fish, who will give him a serpent?
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If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
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Therefore whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets.
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"Enter in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who Enter in by it.
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How narrow is the gate, and restricted is the way that leads to life! Few are those who find it.
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"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.
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By their fruits you will know them. Do you gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?
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Even so, every good tree produces good fruit; but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit.
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A good tree can't produce evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit.
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Every tree that doesn't grow good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire.
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Therefore, by their fruits you will know them.
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Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven.
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Many will tell me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?'
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Then I will tell them, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.'
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"Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock.
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The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it didn't fall, for it was founded on the rock.
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Everyone who hears these words of mine, and doesn't do them will be like a foolish man, who built his house on the sand.
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The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell--and great was its fall."
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It happened, when Jesus had finished saying these things, that the multitudes were astonished at his teaching,
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for he taught them with authority, and not like the scribes.
