Matthew 5:1-12
1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.

2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

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

4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.


I used to read this passage as if it were a list of character traits that I needed to strive to attain to gain the kingdom of heaven. After a recent sermon I heard on the radio, I made a few notes and decided to take another look at it. I do not remember who gave the sermon, nor do I remember the details of it. I am just working from the notes I made of a few thoughts that I had at that time.

The suggestion was made that Jesus Christ was painting a portrait of the believers who inherit the kingdom of heaven. I got the impression that it was not a group of different people, such as the meek, the gentle, the merciful or the others. But rather, the believers exhibit these traits as part of their character as children of God. This prompted me to consider this portion of scripture from a new point of view. As I grow in my Christianity, am I developing the mentioned characteristics as a matter of fact, as a part of natural spiritual growth? Just as God sees us as forgiven, though we still sin in this life, does He also see us as already possessing these traits? I believe He is refining me as I go through this life. Are these the characteristics that He is instilling in me?

So now I consider this passage from the point of view that it is a done deal to see if it makes sense. As far as I can tell at this point, Jesus began preaching to the crowd and this message is pretty much standing on it's own. While that doesn't free me to treat it however I wish, it does free me to evaluate the passage on it's own merits. Consider the phrase, "after He sat down, His disciples came to Him." What were the disciples doing while Jesus walked up the mountain? I don't know. They could have been single file following Him. They could have been walking in the front of the crowd. They could have been spread out in groups of twos or threes and just congregated with Him when He sat down. Does it even matter? Perhaps not, but keep in mind that the disciples didn't know much more about Jesus than the crowds at this point. Jesus had just called the disciples a short time before this event. I suspect the disciples followed closely but stayed at an arms length still watching, evaluating and figuring things out. How surprised were they to hear their new leader begin speaking about meekness and humility? These men were no slouches. They were bold enough to leave their livelihoods to follow a carpenter's son. I find it hard to imagine the amount of faith they were granted by the Holy Spirit to do such a thing. I've never been able to get my head around these men dropping everything to follow a man who said, "Come, follow me." The presence of the power of God must have been something to behold.

"He opened His mouth and began to teach them," reports the scripture. There is plenty that could be read into such a statement, but I resist the temptation to appear as a scholar who pontificating on each word as if there is a deeper meaning that only my elite class can understand. Suffice it to say, if I were to open my mouth when I have an audience, I believe God would bless the step of faith.

Blessed, or blissfully happy or contented, are those who are described in these verses.

The poor in spirit are those who are aware of their total dependency upon God. The pride in my self sufficiency needs to be replaced by the knowledge of my spiritual state and dependency upon God. If all things are His, then none of them are mine. If I am merely a steward of the things He allows me to have, again, I am not the owner. I am dependent upon God for my next breath and everything else He allows into my life. Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all."1 A child has no real worldly riches, no accomplishments to hang on, no self reliance to interfere with a humble trust.

Those who mourn realize their sinfulness with a godly sorrow that leads to repentance. "For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death."2 The Holy Spirit leads me to the truth of my spiritual depravity apart from Jesus Christ. The sorrow produced under the conviction of the Holy Spirit is not a regret as being sorry for being caught, rather it is a sorrow that causes humble repentance by fully realizing the guilt and the responsibility for the sinfulness. It inspires me to turn away from sinful behavior and move toward restoration with God.

The gentle, or the meek, is to say the self controlled. To be meek is not to be weak or a push over. It is actually being patient, gentle, humble and kind while under attack. It is best demonstrated by Jesus Christ before going to the cross. "And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer. Then Pilate said to Him, 'Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?' And He did not answer him with regard to even a single charge, so the governor was quite amazed."3 Jesus Christ had every truth on His side and yet did not argue His case. He chose to display meekness as He did the will of the Father. "Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right."4 If I am doing the will of God, and I suffer in the course of doing so, I am not to rail back against my accusers.

Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are not self righteous such as the Pharisees or those who trust in their religion rather than in Jesus Christ. I must hunger and thirst for a correct relationship with God. I must seek His righteousness and put down my arrogance and pride. "But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead."5 My vain religious practices and external morality must give way to the will of God in humble service to Him.

The merciful pardon when a pardon is not demanded. I am called by God to be compassionate and forgiving. This call is not only to those I deem worthy of receiving mercy, but to those also who may not seem to be worthy. I am to be forgiving without regard to the other party being repentant. I am to be forgiving even if the other party is not seeking forgiveness. My being forgiving is not to be paraded as some highly noble thing I have done. Such a case would be external religiosity. Rather, I am to act with humility and grace.

The pure in heart are able to withstand the judgment of God as He judges the motives of the heart. I need to conduct myself in such a way that everything I do will glorify God. If my actions are to glorify myself rather than God, I have failed. To act in the will of God requires pure motives that glorify Him alone.

The peacemakers pray for their enemies and are commanded to love them. They do whatever is within their ability to live peaceably with others. "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."6 That is a tall order, but I must strive to perform the will of the Father. I must love all people as He does.

Those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness receive a blessing from God. It is enough to suffer, but to suffer under false accusation or for doing good is a heavy burden. "As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful."7 "If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you."8

"Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me." Whereas the previous case related to the sake of righteousness in general, this statement deals directly with the person of Jesus Christ. "Jesus Christ said, 'If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you.' "9 I am not left hanging out on my own. The Holy Spirit was sent to assist me and to strengthen me through the many trials I face.

And through it all, I am promised great things. Mine is the kingdom of heaven. I shall be comforted. I shall inherit the earth. I shall be satisfied. I shall receive mercy. I shall see God. I shall be called a son of God. Again, mine is the kingdom of heaven. I shall rejoice and be glad, for my reward in heaven is great. Are these not all things that are promised to me as a follower of Jesus Christ, a believer trusting in Him for my salvation? I will live and reign with Jesus Christ through all eternity as I have been given the power to become a child of God, adopted into His family.

I have already received the promises. From where does my motivation come to attain the traits described in these verses? There is no motivation because that is the backwards view of this passage in my opinion. There doesn't need to be any motivation. My character is being developed by God on a daily basis, molding me to be holy as He is holy. To be perfect as my heavenly Father is perfect. To be loving and righteous and merciful just as He is.

Yes, it is a done deal. I may still need to go through more refining, but the outcome is set. As usual, my one job is to be obedient to the will of God with thanksgiving and praise. I am to offer myself as a living sacrifice in worship to Him, performing the good works which he has created in advance for me to do.



1 Mark 10:15
2 2 Corinthians 7:10
3 Matthew 27:12-14
4 1 Peter 4:19
5 Philippians 3:7-11
6 Matthew 5:44-48
7 James 5:10-11
8 1 Peter 4:14
9 John 15:18


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Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." John 14:6 That doesn't leave much wiggle room. Yet, we continue to try to get right with God on our own terms rather than submit to Jesus Christ.