The Beatitudes

Sermon on the Mount was a message that I’m sure many people, especially His disciples, had been anticipating ever since the Lord began His ministry, because they want to know what’s the kingdom going to be like? How will people get into the kingdom?

“The Chosen,” for example, had Jesus thinking through what He was going to say, writing notes, making changes, giving His notes to Matthew, who gave Him feedback. Are you kidding me? That never happened. The Sermon on the Mount, including the Beatitudes came from the Father and given to Christ to speak. Christ is the living Word who revealed the thoughts of the invisible God. He is the Living Word of the living God. He is the one who spoke the words of the Father, revealing to all the hidden thoughts of the Father. He said, “I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things” (Joh 8:28). He said, “I and my Father are one” (Joh 10:30). He said, “I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works” (Joh 14:10).

The other mistake in “the Chosen” and in Christendom generally is that everybody assumes the Lord was talking to this giant crowd. There was a giant crowd, but the sermon was addressed to the disciples in front of the crowd. Mat 5:1 tells us the Lord saw the multitudes of people, and he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him. Then, Luk 6:20 says that he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said…

The Sermon on the Mount was the first big collection of directions and guidance to His now complete group of twelve disciples. And as many people have pointed out, the Lord is largely elevating the standards of righteousness far above the law, standards He expects His disciples to exemplify until the kingdom is here. Being one of His disciples meant that their walk had to be superlative, not even close to meriting even the tiniest accusation.

Mat 5:1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: Mat 5:2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

Mat 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Mat 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Mat 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Mat 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Mat 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Mat 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Mat 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Mat 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Mat 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Mat 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Mat 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

The Beatitudes

The Lord opens His sermon with blessings to His own people who have faith. He declares blessings for the poor, the mourners, the faithful, the meek, the persecuted, the hungry, and the merciful. This is a broad declaration of blessings in the kingdom coming to those faithful saints who are struggling and other saints who embody specific righteous attributes of God. They will all be blessed. How? They will be not only relieved from their struggles, but they will also be living in a new kingdom free from all form of suffering, oppression, and persecution (Isa. 14:3-6; 42:6-7; 49:8-9; Zech. 9:11-12). And they will be rewarded in that kingdom.

This is called the Beatitudes – supreme blessedness upon His saints.

The great error in Christendom is that they largely fail to recognize that these blessings are earthly rewards in an earthly kingdom.

Poor in Spirit

Mat 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

In Luke 6:20, we find, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. But here in Matthew He specifically says the poor in spirit. There has been some discussion as to whether or not He meant physically poverty or spiritual poverty. Bullinger would argue this was about physical poverty, that the Lord was making a contrast between physical poverty compared to the extraordinary wealth in the kingdom. Charles F. Baker would make the case that he’s talking about spiritual poverty. So which is it?

I’d say this is a Hal question – YES. I think the Lord made both statements just as they were written in Matthew and Luke, which meant He addressed all forms of poverty.

Plus, some books called all of these 8 traits in the Beatitudes as virtues. I wouldn’t necessarily call being poor in spirit a virtue. But being willing to acknowledge your spiritual poverty so you can come to Christ by faith, that is an asset.

If you’re literally poor, you will be rich in the kingdom. There will be rich and poor in the kingdom, but the standard of living is so astronomically through the roof compared to what we have now, you have to ask, “What is poor in the kingdom?” A poor person in the kingdom would be a dream come true for the wealthiest person today. You’ve got health, long-life, a fertile land, tame animals, peace, comfort. You’ll have a house you designed and built that will never depreciate. What more could you possibly need except to drink of the Lord’s righteousness to feed your soul? (Isa. 4:1; 35:1-2, 7; 30:23-25; 62:8-9; 65:21-23; Jer. 31:5, 12; Ezek. 34:26; Mic. 4:1, 4; Zech. 8:11-12; 9:16-17; Ezek. 36:29-30; Joel 2:21-27; Amos 9:13-14).

If you’re spiritually poor now, wait until you’re in the kingdom in which you will experience such overwhelming, satisfying, vitality to your spiritual life, you cannot comprehend the fulness of that life. There is also this aspect of the kingdom where the resurrected saints won’t simply be filled with the Spirit, but when you take into consideration all the verses about the Holy Spirit in the kingdom, particularly in Ezek. 36, you get this sense that all these people will actually be experiencing the true fulness of the Holy Spirit inside of them like never before. (Isa. 32:13-15; 41:1; 44:3; 59:19, 21; 61:1; Ezek. 36:26-27; 37:14; 39:29; Joel 2:28-29; Ezek. 11:19-20).

Plus, for the resurrected saints, there’s a continual feeding of their souls by being in the Lord’s perfectly righteous kingdom, by observing righteousness everywhere, by seeing righteousness in all the fellow saints, with whom there are close loving bonds of fellowship, and by observing the rightness of God in all His ways in His leadership. They’re constantly being fed spiritually by seeing and living a sermon (Ezek. 34:22-24).

Notice also how the Lord said Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. For them, the kingdom was made. For them, the kingdom itself is their reward, and the kingdom is their inheritance. They own it. They possess it. Possessing the kingdom isn’t just about possessing all the wealth in the kingdom. This is also about possessing all the joy from the righteousness that will characterize His kingdom, which is the solution to their spiritual poverty.

Notice also that hope is immediate for the poor in spirit, because once they have eternal life, they are already in possession of the kingdom.

Blessed are They That Mourn

Mat 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

I don’t think the Lord is talking about a future comfort, although being comforted in the kingdom will be an permanent reality. I suspect the Lord is talking about a rule that is now in effect. Those that mourn, they shall be comforted. The comfort now exists to those who have been mourning.

What is that comfort?

The Messiah is here. The kingdom is at hand.

There is also comfort in knowing that everything in the OT was true. God is real. He is in the process of fulfilling every promise He ever made in the OT, including the fact that He will take away their sins, remove the sin-curse from the Earth, put down everything that offends His holiness, and He will bring into reality all the promises of His kingdom here on Earth. The promises of God establishing His kingdom on Earth was their hope and that hope they had was always designed to bring comfort to those Israelites who are suffering, but now they can feel even more comfort because the Messiah has arrived as prophesied.

Of the kingdom, Isaiah would write, “They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isa. 35:10). So there is now substance to their hope giving them comfort because now they can see God is true, His promise are being fulfilled, and they are ever closer to having their hopes realized, that the kingdom will actually be here.

Blessed are the Meek

Mat 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

The Lord is referencing Psa. 37:11, “But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”

So the implication is here is the fulfillment of prophecy. That which was promised is soon to be a reality. You disciples who are already familiar with Scripture and with the value of meekness, that which was foretold is near at hand – the meek shall inherit the earth.

Of course, meekness as we often say, is not weakness. It is strength under control. It is the strong who chooses to be humble, who chooses to submit to the will of God, to be mild and gentle. Jews were taught the value of meekness, that they should view themselves as strong because of their covenant relationship with God, but, in that strength, they choose humility. Humble strength.

Notice also the blessing: for they shall inherit the earth. The implication here is the reward of a great inheritance on the Earth for having manifest this attribute of God in their lives. The faithful saint who modeled the Lord’s meekness, he or she will be rewarded with some fine real estate in the kingdom. It was never that they had to be meek to qualify to enter the kingdom. You have to be justified to enter His kingdom, but… if you’re justified and you were meek, then great is your reward. The promises and the blessings were always to the faithful. Being in a covenant with God didn’t guarantee your entrance into the kingdom.

Remember what David said in Psa. 2:8, I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

On the other hand, Paul tells all of us believers today that we have been made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6).

Blessed are the Hungry and Thirsty

Mat 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

I’d suggest that the Lord speaks here of a spiritual hunger and thirst because they are hungry for and thirsting after righteousness, the rightness of the ways of God.

Of course, if someone wants God’s righteousness imputed to them like Father Abraham, they will get that if they accept Christ by faith. But a deeper meaning here is that they will be filled to the brim with depths of understanding about the rightness of God’s ways in His kingdom.

In prophecy, righteousness was always the primary word characterizing the nature of Christ’s rule and His kingdom. He will reign with perfect righteousness (Isa. 32:1). Righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins (Isa. 11:5). With righteousness shall He judge the poor (Isa. 11:4; Cf. Ps. 72:104). Sitting upon His throne He will judge righteously. He will be ever ready to judge. He will always be swift to judge matters (Isa. 16:5). Jerusalem shall be the source from which all righteousness will flow into the world in all its brilliant glory. Zion shall be called “the city of righteousness” (Isa. 1:26). The Lord proclaimed, “I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness” (Isa. 60:17). The Gentiles will be proclaiming in the kingdom, “Jehovah reigneth! He shall judge the people righteously” (Psa. 96:10). Isaiah writes the earth shall be FULL of the knowledge of the LORD. Everything people will see will have God’s creative genius stamped on it. Every glorious aspect of the Earth they see, the natural realm, the animal kingdom, all of that will teach people about the Lord Himself and the wisdom of His ways. The Earth itself becomes the book anyone can read to learn more about God.

If you were hungry for God and the rightness of His ways, you have no idea how this entire universe will be filled with His righteousness.

It’s a timeless principle that if you are thirsty for righteousness and you seek out God’s Word, you will find it. Here, though, the Lord has the kingdom in view, the overwhelming filling up for all those who seek God’s righteousness, the rightness of His ways. I always loved the point Gaebelein made in a number of his books that as grace reigns today, in the kingdom, it’s the Lord’s righteousness that will reign. I think of Isa 61:11, “As the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations”.

Blessed are the Merciful

Mat 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Is mercy a virtue we should treasure today in the age of grace? Absolutely.

But do we show mercy to people with the hope that God will show mercy to us? Absolutely not. Paul writes in Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;). God already extended to us all the mercy and grace we will ever get when He offered us His free gift of eternal life, which we accepted by faith. Part of that gift is that we become new creatures, forgiven all trespasses, complete in Him, blessed with all spiritual blessings, already seated in heavenly places in Christ, rewarded at the Bema Seat for good service, glory beyond all comprehension, and by making us co-inheritors with His Son. All of that grace and mercy is already ours. It’s a done deal.

So how does this work for Jewish kingdom saints? In what sense could they anticipate mercy from God if they showed mercy to others?

It’s during the tribulation when they experience divine intervention to help preserve them through His period of wrath. That’s mercy He’ll show to them, which is conditional to the mercy they’ve shown others. So if you’re justified and you fail to show someone mercy, you may fall under God’s judgment. That doesn’t mean you’d lose your salvation, but great care must be given to your walk because the if/then principle is still playing out in the tribulation. There may also be mercy at His Second Coming in the sense that when the Lord judges Israel and gives them positions in His kingdom, He will be merciful to the merciful in that He may be a generous to those who showed mercy.

However, showing mercy is timeless. Showing mercy is also a benefit to your own soul. Solomon wrote in Prov. 11:17 that “the merciful man doeth good to his own soul; but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.”

Blessed are the Pure in Heart

Mat 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Notice that it was possible for saints to be pure in heart in in the prophetic program.

Of course, when you think of an impure heart, you can’t help but think of Jer. 17:9, which tells us that “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” The heart is desperately wicked. I’ve heard this verse used to describe believers. There are problems with that. In that chapter, the Lord is comparing the righteous with the unrighteous. The Lord in that verse is talking about unbelievers. In the verse after 17:9, He would go on to talk about judging unbelievers. He’s not only going to judge their works but the fruit of their doings. Even Bullinger would say that that verse is “Referring to the old nature of the natural man.”

Does this mean we can somehow trust our hearts today? No. This means we need to study what Paul says and just let our hearts get onboard with our renewed minds. How is it possible for an OT saint to have a pure heart? After they’re justified, it’s a matter of put off and put on. I’m reminded of Job 29:14. Job said, I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.

They could have pure hearts. They could have clean hands, a good conscience, if they put on the righteousness of God. They simply modeled the rightness of His ways in the outliving of their faith.

Blessed are the Peacemakers

Mat 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

I get the sense that this expression is a perfect contrast to the story in John 8, in which the Lord will tell the Pharisees that Joh 8:44, Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. But of the faithful saints who seek peace in the world, the Lord shall say to them ye are of your father God in Heaven, and the ways of God ye will do.

Baker would ask the question, “Does this mean that all of those at the United Nations should be called the children of God? Are they not supposed to be there to bring about world peace? It should be evident to any unbiased observer that each of the nations represented in that body are there to keep peace only if it results in benefits to its own selfish interests. God and the peace of God are foreign to all of their undertakings. The peacemakers of our text are children of God.” Then, “We do not know if there will be a need for peacemakers in the thousand-year reign of peace in the Kingdom, but there is abundant need for them prior to its establishment.”

I would argue that we do know there will be peacemakers in the kingdom. The Gentile mortals in their nations will, at times, rebel, and the peacemakers will be used for correction before the judgment comes. The Lord proclaimed in Isa. 60:17, “I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness”. He will have officers of peace in His kingdom. There are volumes of verses talking about how Christ and His government will deal swiftly with any outbreak of sin should that occur (Ps. 2:9; 72:1-4; Isa. 29:20-21; 65:20; 66:24; Zech. 14:16-21; Jer. 31:29-30). “He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked” (Isa. 11:4). Of course, Christ is the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6) and shall reign in righteousness and peace upon the earth. Isa 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. We cannot conceive of the exercise of all the power and authority vested in Christ, and all of that power will be comparable to all the peace that will exist under His rule. All of the power vested in Christ shall be equal to all the peace that will be on Earth. There will be no end to His authority just as there will be no end to the peace. But there will be long-living sin-corrupted mortals in His kingdom who will misbehave, and the Lord will officers of peace to maintain peace in His kingdom.

Later, the Lord will give examples on how He expects His people to promote peace:

Mat 5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: Mat 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. Mat 5:40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. Mat 5:41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Mat 5:42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

I think these principles are very similar to what we’d find in Romans 12, when he writes things like Rom 12:14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Or Rom 12:20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. The principles are similar because these principles reflect the righteous ways of God.

But there’s a distinction between what we find in the Sermon on the Mount and what we find in Romans 12 and that is the motivation for why we do what we do. The kingdom saints follow these principles to be called the children of God. We follow those same principles out of love and gratitude because we are already called the children of God. The Lord said that the peacemakers shall be called the children of God. But what did Paul say? “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:26).

Blessed are the Persecuted

Mat 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The structure to this passage is similar to the first beatitude. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

For the persecuted, just like the poor in spirit, the kingdom was made for them. The kingdom itself was designed to be their reward for suffering persecution. The kingdom is their inheritance. They own it. They possess it. In other words, this kingdom that is yours was designed to overwhelmingly reward you for suffering persecution for my name’s sake. Your participation in the kingdom and ownership of the kingdom will be an overwhelming blessing for all your suffering. The issue is reward for their suffering for righteousness’ sake that secures their blessings in the kingdom, not their entrance.

On the other hand, today believers suffer as a privilege of the calling of God so we may advance the gospel of grace. Php 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake… Suffering is an opportunity to draw close to God in the fellowship of His sufferings, enduring the kinds of hatred Christ endured, to draw on Him for strength, to experience the manifestation of His power in our weakness, to have in our lives the powerful attributes of God, and seeking chances to glorify Christ and His work in us.

Blessed are Ye

Mat 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Notice that the Lord said ye. After having spoken about all the saints manifesting certain characteristics, now He focuses on the disciples specifically. He says Blessed are ye.

Interesting that He says ye speaking to twelve disciples. The Lord is speaking to each one of those disciples individually. The disciples will face contemptuous outrage, persecution, lies, false accusations, the works. That’s not just Satan working through unbelievers. This is also people acting in their flesh. We cannot overstate the power of sin in the flesh and people’s bondage to it. And how are the disciples to respond to all of this bad stuff?

Mat 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

That’s always been kind of a funny line. Rejoice! You’re about to be persecuted as badly as the prophets! Oh joy!

But when you consider the greatness of the blessings, suffering is in fact cause to rejoice, because suffering will only maximize their rewards in the kingdom.

Here’s a question. If everyone is anticipating a kingdom here on Earth, why does the Lord say their reward is in heaven? Because the kingdom itself is a heavenly kingdom come down to Earth and all the benefits and rewards they’ll receive in the kingdom are also heavenly in character. I’m reminded of Rev. 22:12, “And, behold, I come quickly: and MY REWARD lS WITH ME, to give every man according as his work shall be.”

Conclusion

By the time the Second Coming happens, we’ll be in our heavenly seats. We’ll be watching everything play out just as the Lord prophesied here in His Sermon on the Mount. We’ll watch the poor in spirit and the meek and the persecuted inherit the kingdom and be rewarded greatly. We’ll watch those who were mourning get comforted by Christ. We’ll watch those who were thirsty for righteousness be filled to the full. We’ll watch the pure in heart rejoice everlastingly because they’re finally seeing God. We’ll watch Christ actually sit on David’s throne to reign on this Earth out of Zion. We’ll see the sin-curse lifted from creation. We’ll watch God’s kingdom of priests fulfill their destiny. And we will play a role in God’s kingdom from our Heavenly Seats in that same Kingdom. We will glorify Christ and the exceeding grace of His Father for all eternity. And when we watch all of these things the Lord predicted take place, we will be overwhelmed with joy at the beauty of it all.

It’s one thing to be filled with gratitude and hope and joy in the promises found in God’s Word. It’s a whole other level of joy to witness His promises being fulfilled right before your very eyes and to be a part of that. We cannot comprehend the fulness of joy we will be feeling when we witness God’s Word being fulfilled before our very eyes in our glorified bodies.