The Beatitudes

Matthew 5:1–12 ESV

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And 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 satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive 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. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Jesus is often celebrated for his wisdom by people outside Christianity.

What does it mean to be “Blessed?”

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 25.119 μακάριος, α, ον

pertaining to being happy, with the implication of enjoying favorable circumstances

Pertaining to being happy, with the implication of enjoying favorable circumstances.

So who are these people…did Jesus get it correct…are the people outside Christendom correct?

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

Matthew 5:1–12 ESV

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And 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 satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive 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. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

He means those who are deeply convinced of their own sinfulness in God’s sight.

Do you believe you have it together or do you see yourself as a work in progress?

What would you want t

This saying is about conviction of sin and wanting it out of your life, maybe try and lead students to see their own conviction of sin.

Human society admires self-reliance and self-confidence. We admire the self-made businessman

Jesus see it as those who know they are truly needy.

Does this come in line with the wisdom of our day?

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

mourn. He means those who sorrow for sin, and grieve daily over their own short-comings

But Christ does not merely affirm that mourners are not unhappy. He shows, that their very mourning contributes to a happy life, by preparing them to receive eternal joy, and by furnishing them with excitements to seek true comfort in God alone

I would submit that Jesus is only truly wise if he is God and teaching us about Godly existence.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

meek. He means those who are of a patient and contented spirit. They are willing to put up with little honor here below. They can bear injuries without resentment

Is that you? or do you demand justice when you have been wronged?

Can you think if a way someone has wronged you and you are still waiting to be made whole again?

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

They long not so much to be rich, or wealthy, or learned, as to be holy.

Any ambitious people here, what are you ambitious for?

When I talk about Holy people what do you think of? Do you desire to be Holy or do you think if that as boring?

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

merciful. He means those who are full of compassion towards others.

Does that describe you or are you quick to celebrate the trials of others? When Michigan Loses, what The Patriots lose, When a model fails to loose her baby weight and looks like the rest of us. What a politician you dont like gets caught doing something bad. What the rival schools basketball team or dance team get caught cheating on exams and forfeits a title? how do you respond to these things.

Jesus tells us to pray like this “Forgive us AS we forgive.” If god forgives you as you forgive how much forgiveness do you imagine he will have for you?

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

pure in heart. He means those who do not aim merely at outward correctness, but at inward holiness. They are not satisfied with a mere external show of religion

Are you the good kid in your family, at school, on the team…why is that, are you truly acting from a pure heart or are you trying to curry favor?

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

peacemakers. He means those who use all their influence to promote peace and charity on earth, in private and in public, at home and abroad

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

persecuted for righteousness sake. He means those who are laughed at, mocked, despised, and ill-used, because they endeavor to live as true Christians

How do you know if you are truly following Christ? You will know in how you are recieved in the world.

If you had gotten into $100,000 of debt studying to be a teacher, and was about to loose your teaching license because you refused to teach things counter to your faith what would you do?

How did you do on the citizenship test? Would God give you a passing grade? would you give one to yourself?

The Gospel is not about us getting the answers to the test correct…it is about us failing the test, so Jesus trades in his Passing grade for our failing grade.

The kinds of people who live a sermon on the mount experience are those who have been transformed by God in Christ more that those who have created self transformation.

One commentator shares his experience....

The Beatitudes

The Teachings of Jesus

Think of the Beatitudes as the Citizenship Test for the Kingdom of Heaven