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

 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.  Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

- Matthew 5:1-10

Yesterday we read that Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets.  He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.  And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.  Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.  Great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. 

And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.  Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: . . .  In the Old Testament, my study bible says, there were only a select few who were chosen to hear God directly (see Exodus 19:3-13).  But here, in the Sermon on the Mount, God Incarnate is speaking to the multitudes face to face.  The mountain, a note explains, is a place where divine action enters human history, the place where God reveals Himself to man (17:1; Genesis 22:2; Exodus 3:1, 19:2; 1 Kings 18:20).  To be seated is the traditional Jewish position for teaching with authority.  There were some early Christian preachers (for example, St. John Chrysostom) who sat while the people stood.  Matthew mentioning that Jesus opened his mouth is an emphasis that this teaching is "one way."  Jesus has come to speak with authority (7:29), and the disciples aren't there for discussion, nor are they there for debate; they are to listen.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  To be blessed in this context is to experience a heavenly, spiritual exaltation rather than earthly happiness or prosperity.  Let us note here that so far in our readings both John the Baptist and Jesus have preached in ministry that "the kingdom of heaven is at hand."   In today's reading, the Beatitudes give us a taste of that Kingdom and its particular blessedness.  In Hebrew, my study bible tells us, "poor" means both (1) the materially poor and (2) the faithful among God's people.  The poor in spirit are those who have the heart of the poor; that is, the same attitude as the poor, and are totally dependent upon God.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."  Those who mourn are those who sorrow over the sufferings of this life (9:23), the sufferings of others (John 11:35), the state of the world (Luke 11:35), and their own sins (Luke 7:36-38).  All such people are comforted by the power of God both in this world and in the age to come, my study bible tells us.  Holy sorrow is part of the ongoing process of repentance (3:2, 4:17), conversion, and virtuous action; it is the firstfruit of infinite joy.  It is to be distinguished from ungodly sorrow, which is a sadness that leads to despair (see 2 Corinthians 7:10).

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."  Meekness here does not mean weakness.  It is an attitude of being content with both honor and dishonor, says my study bible.  It is an imitation of Christ, who said, "Learn from Me, for I am gentle [meek] and lowly in heart" (11:29).  To be meek in this condition here is to be God-controlled, having mastery over passions, especially anger.  Meekness isn't passive weakness; it is rather strength (particularly God's strength) which is directed and under control, and tempered with charity and mercy.  The earth that the meek will inherit isn't power nor is it possession in the world, but rather the new earth, which is everlasting (Revelation 21:1).

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."  Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are those who see the presence of God and God's Kingdom as the most important thing in life.  They have a desperate craving for what is right before God, which is comparable to a starving person's craving for food (see 6:33).  This is the righteousness given by God; that is, the relatedness that the love of God teaches and confers.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."  Mercy, according to my study bible, is love set in motion, expressed in action.  God's mercy in taking our sufferings on Himself in order to grant us His Kingdom sets us free from captivity to the evil one.  In view of God's mercy to all, we in turn are to be merciful to all.  This is a promise given by Christ; it is also repeated in other forms as a warning (Matthew 6:14-15; James 2:13).

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."  To be "pure" is to be unmixed with anything else.  It is the opposite of "duplicitous."  The pure in heart are those completely devoted to the worship and service of God, and who accept no compromise.  My study bible says that with the aid of the Holy Spirit, those who achieve purity practice all virtue, have no conscious evil in themselves, and live in temperance.  This level of spirituality, it tells us, is attained by few, but all may strive for it.  A note reads, "When the soul's only desire is God, and a person's will holds to this desire, then that person will indeed see God everywhere." 

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."  As Christ is the source of peace, He found no price sufficient for peace other than the shedding of His own blood.  In doing so, He reveals Himself to be our Reconciler, the Prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6; Ephesians 2:14-16).  This peace is given by the Holy Spirit to those who imitate Christ.  Therefore, peacemakers are those who share God's peace with those around them, by imitating Christ's sacrificial love and participating in His work.  By God's grace, peacemakers become sons of God themselves. 

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  Children of God, my study bible says, uphold truth, refuse to compromise with the ways of the world, and give themselves to no other (6:24, 33; see 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  Like Jesus, they will be persecuted for righteousness' sake (see John 15:18-20).  Christ's kingdom is the crown that awaits the righteous.

Jesus has been preaching the gospel of the Kingdom; and in yesterday's text we were told that already great multitudes follow Him from all regions of Israel:  Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.  In the Beatitudes, Jesus teaches us about the Kingdom, and its particular forms of blessedness, what it is to live in this living Kingdom that is within us and among us.  It's important to remember that there aren't any limits on this participation in the Kingdom of heaven.  Rather, we grow in it; the Beatitudes teach us our proper direction, what it is we struggle for, how we go forward in our faith, and they teach us the blessedness and blessings of this Kingdom.  It is a life of virtue, and one of growth in that virtue, by the grace and help given to us to do so.  Let us note that "mourning" also includes repentance, the things we leave behind as we move forward into this Kingdom.  Our road also includes sacrifices that are built into it, a way of leaving "worldly" ways behind, just as He did, and as He taught us also to take up our own crosses in following Him (Matthew 16:24-26).  To live in this Kingdom is to adapt to a way of life, a struggle, a growth, which is full of inner power which creates tangible results, although this growth happens without our understanding -- we merely experience its fruits.  In chapter 13, Jesus will give us a series of parables describing what this Kingdom is like, so important is this message to His ministry.  It is worth examining each one of them, as well as others included in other Gospels.  They all illustrate the nature of this Kingdom in which we are invited and may fully grow in participation.  But as one may guess from this passage in today's reading, the kingdom of heaven is all about experience, the struggle to live His way and to participate in the grace and presence of that Kingdom which He has brought to us.  To experience this Kingdom is to live it; it is to love God with all one's heart and soul and mind and strength, and to do so is to find these blessings and live them in this world, thus in effect loving neighbor as oneself.  It is a lifelong task, one in which we grow and learn, and have our times for stumbling and repentance, for discarding the old and welcoming the challenge of the new.  But in all things, and through each day, He is always with us.