Blessed Are
By Shirley Mitchell
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:3-10
Matthew 4:23-25 tells us, “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.” Today, let’s place ourselves in the crowd as Jesus teaches the people. Imagine ourselves as Jewish women of that era hearing Jesus’ teachings for the first time. Since you and I are sisters in Christ, let’s pretend we were sisters at Jesus’ first coming. Or if you are a man, imagine that we are brother and sister.
Since it is 2,000 years ago and the place is Israel, some things will be quite different about us. For example, I imagine that we would be fit and trim. Hallelujah! It is not because of our gym membership. We exercise through daily chores and our mode of transportation, walking. Foods packing on the extra pounds were not available to us. Salt and some spices were the only flavorings. We are prescription drug free. People of Jesus’ day did not have many drugs available to them and certainly not for common people like us. Most likely, as women, we never attended school. However, we are educated. Our parents taught us at home because they have the greatest role in teaching their children. Let’s not forget, we are Jewish. Our religion permeates every facet of our lives. We speak Aramaic. Lastly, we have never heard the Gospel message. We only know the Law and burden of trying to keep the Law.
Imagine with me that we are performing our daily work. We hear a commotion outside. Suddenly, our neighbor’s son comes running through the village shouting, “Jesus is going to the hillside! Everyone is gathering behind Him! Jesus and His disciples are headed to the hillside!”
I say to you, “Sister (Brother), He is going around teaching again - the Man who healed His disciple’s mother-in-law and many people all over Capernaum. The whole region is talking about this Teacher. They say He is a prophet, and some people have given up their lives to follow Him. Let’s stop working just for today and run to the hillside to hear Him teach. People say He is astonishing. Maybe we might actually see a miracle and know for ourselves if He has healing power.” You agree to go to the mountainside with me and hear His teachings.
Most scholars agree Jesus gave these teachings primarily to His disciples, but the crowds were present and listening. Jesus did not have our modern sound systems and microphone. However, He used what He had created - a sloping hillside to be His stage. He began to bless people who most people thought were the unfortunate. He blessed the poor and promised them the reward of heaven. He blessed the mourning and promised them comfort. And on and on, to the persecuted who would receive the kingdom of heaven.
When I first imagined myself on the mountain listening to Jesus, I still was looking through my American prosperous eyes. When I thought about being poor in spirit, mourning, or persecuted, I knew I would never want any part of the kingdom Jesus was describing. From my eyes, I would have rejected Jesus if I thought I had to be those things in order to be His follower. It is a complete contradiction for what people desire for their lives.
I prayed over the passage and asked God to explain it to me. I asked Him to tell me the reactions of a Jewish woman in Jesus’ time. She might have been disappointed, confused, or even angry at the supposed Messiah who was to be King. She would not know what it is like to have the Holy Spirit living inside of her. However, I realized she still might be nodding her head. She lives in a time where the infant mortality rate is high, and the expected life span is low. She lives in a time of great political unrest. She lives in a time where the Pharisees give her a list of rules for righteousness and never tell her about hungering for it. When Jesus spoke these words, she might think, “I have been poor in spirit. I know what it is like to mourn.”
Sometimes people abuse this passage and think God has called us to a joyless existence and not a vibrant life. However, this thinking would go against Jesus’ teachings and how He lived. In Luke 5:29-35, the Pharisees rebuked Jesus for eating and drinking with sinners instead of fasting and praying like John the Baptist’s disciples.
God helped me to realize that although the physical life and political life is different, a Jewish woman and you and I have shared similar matters of the heart. We have experienced or will experience at some time these life circumstances. Jesus offers to us the soothing encouragement to be a faithful follower. He offers the hope of a future reward to you and me if we pursue Him, if we sacrifice ourselves for Him, and if we endure hardships. One of my favorite quotes about the Beatitudes is by Philip Yancy, “Like a bell tolling from another world, Jesus’ promise of rewards proclaims that no matter how things appear, there is no future in evil, only in good.”
Precious One, on the mountain today we found refreshment and nourishment from the Teacher. Someday, Jesus will right every wrong. He taught us to hold on for future rewards. Someday, everything wrong or not sorted out on earth, will be sorted out in heaven. It is a tantalizing glimpse of a time to come.
As we close today imagining ourselves sitting on the mountain, I begin to understand why the people of our village and entire region are astonished by Him. He does not talk like the religious rulers. Today, He challenged our human reasoning and offered perplexities of His kingdom. It inspires us to come day after day on the mountain to sit at the feet of the Teacher.
Pray with me: Oh, Lord, thank You for that lesson on the Mount of Beatitudes. Thank You that in Your economy that this world is not the final authority. You have promised rewards in heaven for faithful followers who recognize our poverty in spirit and hunger for righteousness. You will right every wrong some day. We put our trust and hope in You. In the wonderful Name of Jesus, we pray, Amen.