7/25/2020
Matthew 5:3-10 “Blessed are…”
These verses in Matthew are known as the
Beatitudes. They were spoken by Jesus to crowd as part of the Sermon on the
Mount. They are 8 blessings that could be considered a cause and effect. You
are in a state of being blessed, and therefore you receive more that bears out
the result. Through a worldly lens, they can seem counterintuitive. For
example, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” We do not
celebrate or respect meekness in people; it is looked at as a weak character
trait. Yet this verse tells of a different, godlier aspect of meekness. It actually
speaks of meekness as not only a blessing, but one with an inheritance. Why,
then, does the world see this trait in such a negative light? Synonyms for meek are: humble, modest, unassuming, down-to earth, and unpretentious; it true these traits also do not convey someone powerful, but they all are traits to aspire to.
The other blessed states are: blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are they who mourn, blessed are those who thirst for righteousness, blessed are the merciful, blessed are the pure in heart, blessed are the peacemakers, and blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness. Most of these blessed states of being are not the way most people would want to live in our society. So, should we just look upon them as beautiful promises that we can detach ourselves from unless forced into one of those states? Chambers writes: “The Beatitudes seem merely mild and beautiful precepts for all in the stern workaday world in which we live. We soon find, however, that the Beatitudes contain the dynamite of the Holy Ghost. They explode, as it were, when the circumstances of our lives cause them to do so.” They are primarily outside our natural way of thinking. Once we become believers, however, the depth of their truth becomes illuminated by the Holy Spirit and they come alive in us.
The other blessed states are: blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are they who mourn, blessed are those who thirst for righteousness, blessed are the merciful, blessed are the pure in heart, blessed are the peacemakers, and blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness. Most of these blessed states of being are not the way most people would want to live in our society. So, should we just look upon them as beautiful promises that we can detach ourselves from unless forced into one of those states? Chambers writes: “The Beatitudes seem merely mild and beautiful precepts for all in the stern workaday world in which we live. We soon find, however, that the Beatitudes contain the dynamite of the Holy Ghost. They explode, as it were, when the circumstances of our lives cause them to do so.” They are primarily outside our natural way of thinking. Once we become believers, however, the depth of their truth becomes illuminated by the Holy Spirit and they come alive in us.
No comments:
Post a Comment