From my curriculum written for my church: Congratulations!
February 9 Matthew 5:2-12 Congratulations!
Literary Context
In the first four chapters of Matthew, Jesus’s
identity as “Son of God” is established. His royal pedigree (genealogy), divine
office (baptism and temptations), and authority over evil and sickness is
emphasized. Matthew then shifts the focus to Jesus’s authority as teacher of God’s will and righteousness. Matthew
5-7 (and Lk 6), often called the “Sermon on the Mount” (SOM),[1] offers a well-crafted, composite collection of lessons concerning what a citizen of the Kingdom of God
should be, and how a citizen should behave.
Interpretative Issues
Congratulations to. . .(3-11). Other viable translations for “blessed are” would include, “congratulations
to!” or “happy are!” With rare exception, when a blessing is attributed to
someone in the OT, it is concerning God’s blessing in this life because one trusts and obeys God. During the time
immediately before Jesus, Jews began emphasizing the blessings one would
receive in the future World to Come
because of their loyalty to God. Here, Jesus is assuming that the future blessings in the World to Come
are available now because the Kingdom
of Heaven has arrived in His ministry.[2] (Analogy: This is like yelling, “congratulations!” to a person who is
beginning a race because you already know she will win.)
Discussion: (1) Are you
just waiting for Heaven or are you availing yourself of the blessings of the
kingdom now? (2) If you were in a race, would it affect your attitude if you knew you would win?
The Beatitudes (from Latin, beatus, “happy, fortunate”) can be
grouped into two halves: (1) 3-6 have to do with a disciple’s disposition toward God (and in Greek, all have the same
“p” sound); (2) 7-11 have to do with a disciple’s disposition toward other humans. The ninth, final beatitude
switches from the generic third person plural (= those) to the specific second
person plural (= y’all). The Beatitudes assume Jesus’s authority at the final
judgment.
Congratulations
to the poor in spirit. . .Congratulations to those who mourn. . .Congratulations
to the meek. . .Congratulations to those who are hungering and thirsting for
righteousness. . .(3-6) All four of these have in common a disciple’s
demeanor toward God.
It was widely assumed that the rich could easily have, and often held, an
attitude of entitlement because of their status in society and their independence
(e.g., Prov 28:11; James 1:10). “Poor in spirit” means to behave like those who
are poor: (1) they have no
entitlement (because they have no status) and are completely dependent upon God’s provision in His kingdom (cf. James
2:5). Jesus says that the kingdom of Heaven belongs to such disciples; and it
is impossible to enter into the
kingdom of Heaven without this attitude (cf. Matt 19:22-24). For those who
maintain allegiance to their wealth, Jesus’s call of discipleship will remain
unheeded (Matt 19:21-22).
In this context, to “mourn” probably means to feel contrition for sin (cf.
Joel 2:12; Matt 24:30); not simply to be sad. This is why God will “comfort” (=
bring salvation) all those who mourn in contrition (cf. Isaiah 66:2, 13).
The “meek” (Gk = “gentle, compassionate”) refers to those who are
submissive and powerless, just like the poor (e.g., Numb 12:3; Ps 24:9; 37:11; Zeph
3:11-12; Matt 18:4; 23:12). Those who are submissive and powerless in this age will
inherit the World to Come because they do not seek for power in this life (or
seek to force the Romans out via violence).
Those who are “hungering and thirsting for righteousness” are those who are
constantly seeking to do the will of God (e.g., 6:33; 25:37-40). Of course, Jesus
assumes that obeying His message is
the only way to do the will of God to the degree that is necessary in order to
gain access to the kingdom of Heaven (5:20ff; 6:1).
Discussion: (1) What
in your life needs to be changed in order to receive Jesus’s “congratulations”
on these issues? Who in your life will hold you accountable? (2) What are some
practical steps you can take to be “poor in spirit,” “meek,” “mourn [your
sin],” and to “hunger and thirst” for God’s will? (3) Do you praise people
according to these verses? Or do you praise people just for superficial or
“worldly” things?
Congratulations
to the merciful. . .Congratulations to the pure in heart. . .Congratulations to
the peacemakers. . .Congratulations to those who are persecuted for
righteousness. . .Congratulations to y’all when people insult y’all and
persecute y’all. . . (7-11). All five of these have in common a
disciple’s demeanor toward other humans.
Acting
mercifully toward others is crucial to the ethics of Jesus, and certain Jewish
leaders failed (9:13; 12:7; 18:23-35; 23:23; 25:31-46). In return for being
merciful, that disciple “will receive mercy” by God at judgment.
To the
ancient person, the “heart” is the center of volition, attitude, and character
(what we call “mind”). To possess a “pure heart” is to be single minded (toward
God). Jesus constantly emphasizes how the condition of a person’s heart
determines behavior and character (e.g., what we treasure in 6:21, type of
speech in 12:34, purity in 15:18-20, forgiveness in 18:35, et al.). The reward to “see God” refers the reward of being in the
presence of God, i.e., experiencing salvation (cf. Job 19:26-27).
Those who
“make peace” actively seek out reconciliation with other humans (as in
5:23-24). To seek reconciliation is to be a “child of God” since God is our
model, actively seeking out reconciliation with us.
To those who
seek the will of God (= “righteousness”) even in the face of persecution, God
will grant the kingdom of Heaven.
The final
beatitude addresses the disciples of Jesus specifically: all who endure
persecution “on account of [Jesus]” are congratulated. It was generally
believed that God’s prophets were often not received well and were hurt or
killed (e.g., 2 Chron 36:16; Matt 23:30-31; 1Thess 2:14-16; Heb 11:37). Jesus
is declaring that when His disciples are persecuted for obeying Him, it is just
like being an ancient prophet obeying the message of Yahweh. To them, Jesus
says, rejoice because your reward in Heaven is great.
Discussion: (1) What
in your life needs to be changed in
order to receive Jesus’s “congratulations” on these issues? Who in your life
will hold you accountable? (2) What are some practical steps you can take to be
more “merciful,” “pure in heart,” a “peacemaker,” or more bold when doing God’s
will? (3) Are you ashamed of the gospel? What prohibits you from talking to
more people each day about Jesus? (4) We can’t make a person be at peace with
us (Rom 12:18), but we must certainly try when
we’re the ones who have offended. With whom do you need to make peace?
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