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.

10828. The Lord came into the world to save the human race, which if He had not done so would have perished in eternal death. He saved it by subduing the hells which were molesting every person coming into the world and going out of it, and at the same time by glorifying His Human; for having accomplished this He is able to keep the hells in subjection for evermore. The subjection of the hells and the glorification of His Human simultaneously was accomplished by means of temptations which His Human was allowed to undergo and by repeated victories in them, His passion on the Cross being the final temptation and the complete victory. The truth that the Lord subdued the hells is His own teaching in John,

Jesus said, Now My soul is troubled. Father, rescue Me from this hour. But on account of this I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name. A voice came from heaven, [saying,] I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. Then Jesus said, Now is the judgement of this world, now will the prince of this world be cast outdoors. John 12:27-28, 31.

In the same gospel,

Have confidence, I have overcome the world. John 16:33.

And in Isaiah,

Who is this who comes from Edom, marching in the vast numbers of His strength, mighty to save? My own arm brought salvation to Me. Therefore He became their Saviour. Isaiah 63:1-19; 59:16-21.

The truth that He glorified His Human, and the truth that the passion on the Cross was the final temptation and the complete victory, through which He was glorified, is again His own teaching in John,

After Judas went out Jesus said, Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God will glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him at once. John 13:31-32.

In the same gospel,

Jesus said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You. Now, Father, glorify Me with the glory which I had with You before the world was. John 17:1, 5.

In the same gospel,

Now My soul is troubled. Father, glorify Your name. And a voice came from heaven, [saying,] I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. John 12:27-28.

And in Luke,

Ought not the Christ to have suffered this and to enter into His glory? Luke 24:26.

'Glorifying' means making Divine. From all this it is now clear that unless the Lord had come into the world and been made Man, and by this means had delivered from hell all those who believe in Him and love Him, no mortal being could have been saved. This is what should be understood by the statement that without the Lord there is no salvation.