(Matthew 5:8)

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

Is it really possible to have a pure heart when living within corruptible flesh? Doesn’t scripture teach us that our hearts are deceitful (Jer 17:9) and that if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves? (1 Jo 1:8) But it must be possible – otherwise Jesus would not have said so!

There are actually several people in the Bible who could be used as examples of someone with a “pure heart,” but the most vivid example would be King David. There is no other person in the Bible who is fleshed out in such detail, nor with such candor. Not only do we have a full biography of his life in the books of Samuel, we also have a window to his soul through the Psalms that he wrote.

David is famously known as “a man after God’s own heart,” and there were times in his life when he would probably have agreed with that statement. As he was preparing to ascend to the throne after defeating all his enemies, David confidently declared, “The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I am not guilty of turning from my God.” (2 Sa 22:21-22)

But there were other times when David did not feel so righteous. When coming to grips with his actions in the aftermath of his affair with Bathsheba and the assassination of Uriah, David despaired at the depth of sinfulness within his heart. In his wretchedness he entreated the Lord, “Create a clean heart in me, O God, renew a right spirit within me.” (Psa 51:10)

In fact, we could say that David is just as famously remembered for his affair with Bathsheba as he is for being a man after God’s own heart. But God hasn’t remembered him that way. God has continuously used David as an example of someone who kept his commandments. He told Solomon, “If you walk before me faithfully with integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father.” ( 1 Ki 9:5-6) In spite of everything David did throughout his life, God still esteemed him as a man after his own heart.

God is able to see past the infirmity and corruption of our mortal flesh and into the depths of our soul – he is able to see things within us which we cannot perceive on our own. God is greater than our hearts (1 Jo 3:20) and he knows us much better than we ever could know ourselves.

It all comes down to the one true desire of the heart – not the passing desires of the flesh, not the fleeting ambitions of ego, but the single most desire of the heart. David said, “One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.” (Psa 27:4) Can we say that? If we are really pure in heart then we would seek after God, we would earnestly desire to see him. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. ~ Psalm 24:3-4

Matthew 5:7

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved). ~ Ephesians 2:4-5

We serve a merciful and compassionate God. To serve him, to know him, to believe in him is to experience his mercy, and it is through his mercy that we learn to be merciful to those around us. The knowledge that God loves us and continues to care for us, despite all our sins and shortcomings, makes us want to be kind and caring toward others.

Mercy does not come to us naturally, however, we must learn it by example. We can see this played out in society – a child that has been left to his own devices, unnurtured and undisciplined, does not know how to be kind to others. He does not think to himself, “I’m going to treat these other kids the way I wish someone would treat me.” Unless someone comes along to show him a better way, that child will be selfish and uncaring by default.

But if it’s true that we to need to see mercy before we can show mercy to others, then why would Jesus turn it around and say that it is by being merciful to others that we ourselves are shown mercy? Is he talking about some kind of “karma” here? Or is this just another example of reaping what we sow? No, it is neither of those things; Jesus is simply giving us an introductory lesson into the “grace-based” economy of the Kingdom of God. In God’s economy each of us starts out with Nothing, then God graciously gives us Something, and as we share that Something, we continuously receive more of it back. Jesus touched on this subject often in his sermons and in parables such as the Parable of the Talents (Mat 25:14-30). As we share mercy, we receive greater mercy.

We do not compel God to be merciful to us by being merciful to others, but somehow, in making the effort to put our own needs aside and focus on the needs of others, we learn more of what mercy is. We discover new opportunities to show mercy to people around us, and even begin to view others differently, seeing past the rough exterior to the fragility within. We SEE God’s mercy – we see it everywhere! We see how God pours out his mercy to us afresh every morning and sustains us with mercy throughout the day. We see it in the small comforts of our home, in the loving gestures of friends and family, even in the wagging tail of a dog in welcome after a long tiresome day. It is through the practice of mercy that we learn to recognize the mercy that God has lavished upon us

The quality of mercy is not strained. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath.  It is twice blessed: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes. ~ William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

(Matthew 5:6; Luke 6:21)

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

Hunger is a constant in our lives. We are born hungry, we wake up every day hungry, we come home from work hungry; it never ends. We can stuff ourselves to the point of bursting, swearing we will never eat again, only to find ourselves rummaging around in the refrigerator a few hours later.

The same thing goes for spiritual hunger. We have a continuous need for the things of God. We ask for wisdom, we ask for mercy, we ask for grace, and even though God is faithful to grant us these things, there is always a need for more. In fact, the more we experience of God, the more we desire him.

When Jesus talks about hungering and thirsting for righteousness, I don’t think he is talking about a desire to be righteous. We don’t hunger for what we want to become, we hunger for what we want to consume. This is the kind of yearning expressed by the psalmist in Psalm 42:1, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.” And also by David in Psalm 63:1, “Earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.” To hunger for righteousness means to hunger for God himself, because righteousness only comes from God – it’s a product of his very nature.

Hunger is also a sign of health and vitality, just as a loss of appetite is a sign of illness. If we have no appetite for God, if we have no desire to seek the things of his kingdom, it is an indication that things are not right with us. When Jesus said, “woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry” (Luk 6:25) he was speaking to those who felt no desire for God because they derived all their comfort and satisfaction from the things of the world. Keep in mind that Jesus was speaking to a group of his disciples when he gave this warning, not a group of Pharisees or unbelievers, so it should not be taken lightly by us today.

It can be surprisingly easy to fall into the trap of feeling “well fed” when we live inside such a virtual smorgasbord of worldly pleasures. There are so many things here to entice and distract us. We have jobs and responsibilities which feed our egos and make us feel important and influential. We have passions and talents which compel us to create beautiful things, making us feel clever and talented. We have people in our lives whom we love deeply and who love us, making us feel cherished and vital. None of these things may be bad in and of themselves, but if they stave off our desire for God and keep us from seeking the things of his kingdom, they can become dangerous.

Two things I have asked of you; do not deny me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me; lest I be full, deny you, and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. ~ Proverbs 30:7-9 NHEB

(Matthew 5:5)

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

The concept of inheriting land was much more established within the mindset of those who were listening to Jesus at that time than it is with us today. We are used to thinking of the “promised land” as something awaiting us in heaven, something metaphysical, so it’s easy to forget that there is also a physical aspect to the promise. But to the Jews of that day who were living in occupied territory under the rule of a wicked and licentious regime, this promise was all about having a place of their own, a physical land where they could worship the Lord freely and live in prosperity and peace; and the idea that it was the meek who would inherit the land was not exactly new to them either, this same promise appears in Psalm 37, which was written centuries earlier:

A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity. (Psalm 37:10-11)

Jesus expands this promise by taking it beyond limits of the boundary lines described by Moses in the Book of Numbers, Chapter 34. He is speaking about a future time when the curse of sin will be lifted, the earth and heavens will be made new, and righteousness will reign over all. At that time the promised land will not just be confined to the boundaries established in Numbers – those boundaries will no longer exist – this promised land will encompass the whole earth!

“Blessed are the meek…” Meekness is not an admirable characteristic by today’s standards; we tend to use that term when describing someone who is basically spineless. We think that meekness is synonymous with timidity and weakness. However, the biblical term used here does not carry that same negative connotation. The Greek word, “praus,” used here for “meek,” can be more accurately defined as “strength under control” and is often translated as “gentle.” Jesus uses this very same term later on when describing himself as “gentle and humble in heart” in Matthew 11:29.

As Christians we are all called to meekness, but it is not something that we can produce within our own selves, it is a fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23) We can’t simply say to ourselves, “I’m going to be meek today.” That work is done by the Holy Spirit as he sanctifies us and forms us into the image of Christ, and it often comes by having to endure some very unpleasant circumstances.

Meekness goes hand in hand with Christlikeness. To be meek is to have the same mind in us as Christ had when he humbled himself and took on flesh. (Philippians 2:5-7) We can’t make ourselves meek, but we can humble ourselves, we can surrender to God, and we can take his yoke upon us and learn from him.

(Matthew 5:4; Luke 6:21)

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

The word “blessed” means to be happy, to be envied, to be specially favored by God. But there is nothing happy, or enviable about mourning, nor is there anything particularly special about it; everyone experiences it at one time or another in their life. The same is true for weeping, in fact even more so, and yet in Luke 6:21, Jesus tells his followers, “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.”

It’s not the sorrowing or weeping that makes us blessed, but rather the joy that we will have later on. We are blessed now because God will one day transform our sorrow into joy. (Jer 31:13)

Jesus also goes on to say, “Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.” (Luk 6:25) – This truth is much more jarring when looking at the situation in reverse, but that is the whole point. We need to be jarred out of our sense of complacency with the way things are going and realize that there is a world beyond the present. Jesus is warning us not to seek our consolation and happiness from the things of this world, but instead to seek them from God himself. He is the God of all comfort (2 Cor 1:3) and the source of all joy. (Pslm 16:11)

Jesus speaks of these things within the context of “now” versus “later,” but what is “now?” and when is “later?” In scripture these terms can have multiple levels of meaning. “Now” was that particular moment in time when Jesus was speaking to the crowd, a moment which has already come and gone. “Now” also refers to this present age – the time before Christ returns to establish his kingdom on earth. And for us as individuals, “now” represents the opportunity that God gives each of us to seek him while he may be found, and to call upon him while he is near. (Isa 55:6) This opportunity accompanies us day after day, moment by moment, in times of both sorrow and joy, throughout the entire journey of our lives – up until that final moment when the present collides with the future, “now” bumps into “later,” and the opportunity to seek God is lost.

There is a point in everyone’s life when they will pass on from this present existence. If our faith is in Christ, we have the assurance that he will lead us beyond that point and accompany us into an eternal existence, one where grief and death will be no more.

For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. ~ Revelation 7:17

(Matthew 5:3; Luke 6:20)

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

The Sermon on the Mount recorded in the book of Matthew is probably the most famous sermon of all time. Matthew devotes almost three entire chapters of his gospel to this sermon, which took place on a mountain close by the city of Capernaum where he lived, and it is presumed that Matthew was actually there himself, sitting upon the hillside with all the others who were listening to Jesus that day.

Luke’s gospel records a very similar sermon, occurring at a later time and in a different place – not on a mountaintop but in a “level place.” In fact, the two sermons contain so many similarities that many Bible commentators have tried to conflate the two, some even asserting that Luke took liberties by altering the verbiage recorded by Matthew to suit his own intentions. But that theory really doesn’t make much sense. The more likely scenario is that Jesus continuously delivered variations of this sermon as he traveled from town to town preaching “good news to the poor,” just as he said he was going to do.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”­ – The opening words of the Sermon on the Mount have become so familiar to us by now, it’s easy to pass right by them. But to those living in that time and place these words were revolutionary. The poor, the disabled, and the diseased were not considered to be blessed, but rather cursed by God. (Deuteronomy 28:47-48) For such people to be regarded as blessed while in the midst of their poverty, and to be considered as denizens of the kingdom of heaven while living under Roman oppression would be inconceivable if it were not for the fact that it was Jesus himself who told them these things.

Jesus was speaking to them as one who had been sent from heaven and in order to understand the truth of his words, we must attempt to look at them from a heavenly perspective. This is difficult to do from our earthly vantage point, and the more we are entangled within our own worldly ambitions the more difficult it is! But it becomes easier when we find ourselves with nothing to lose on this earth. Whether this means an actual lack of material possessions or simply the feeling that we have nothing of real value in life, when we are “poor in spirit” there is nothing to stand in the way or distract us from seeking those things which are above. (Colossians 3:1-2)

“For theirs IS the kingdom of heaven.” – Jesus puts this in the present tense, the kingdom of heaven is theirs NOW, not just in the life to come. God’s kingdom is an eternal kingdom – it has always been in existence and it always will be – but through rebelliousness and pride, mankind has chosen to be exiled from that kingdom. Jesus was letting them know that God, through his infinite mercy and grace, has made a way for those who are lowly and humble in heart to dwell with him and be a part of his kingdom, even while enduring the hardships of life on earth.

For the High and Exalted One, who lives forever, whose name is holy, says this: “I live in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the oppressed.” (Isaiah 57:15 – Christian Standard Bible)