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Who are the Blessed
By Paul GeorgeMatthew 5:1-11
Who are the blessed? Jesus said the blessed are, the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted for righteousness' sake. He also told the disciples, "Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake" (Matthew 5:11 WEB).
Who are the poor in spirit? Spiritual poverty is the opposite of the proud, self-assertive and self-sufficient disposition that the world admires and praises. It is opposite of the independent and defiant attitude of men and women who refuse to bow to God; who say like Pharaoh, "Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?" The poor in spirit have arrived at the point in life were they know they have nothing to offer to remedy their situation, can do nothing in themselves to rectify their situation, and have need of all things. Poverty of spirit brings us to our knees before God, acknowledging our utter helplessness and deserving the judgments of God.
Who are those who mourn? It is obvious Jesus is not referring to every form of mourning. The mourning Jesus refers to is the initial mourning that precedes a genuine conversion; a deep-seated sorrow over rebellion against God. It comes from an agonizing realization our sins nailed Jesus to the cross. It is mourning over the iniquities that have separated us from God. It is these tears and groans which prepare the heart to truly welcome and receive the Savior. Such mourning always goes side by side with poverty of spirit.
Who are the meek? There have been many debates as to exactly what meekness consists of. The meek Jesus refers to are those who submit to the will of God, His Word, His rod, and follow His directions and comply with His plan for their lives and are gentle toward their fellowman. Contrary to what the ungodly believe, meekness is not a sign of weakness but a revealing of the yielding to God's will in an individual who will not yield to or compromise with evil. God-given meekness enables His people to stand up for God-given rights. When the ungodly profane the glory of God, we must denounce the profanity and those who profane God's glory. We need to follow Jesus' example.
Who are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness? There have been many questions asked about the word righteousness. The righteousness Jesus refers to that the blessed hunger and thirst after is a yearning after God's favor, image, and mercy. The hunger and thirst refers to an inward, intense desire of the soul.
Who are the merciful? The merciful are those who have received mercy from the Lord and now offer mercy to others. God does not require us to be merciful in order to obtain His mercy that would overthrow the whole purpose of His grace, but having received mercy the disciples of Jesus act graciously toward others. God expects this from us.
The merciful are those who goes to the relief of another in misery, a gracious disposition toward our fellowman and fellow Christians. It is a spirit of kindness and benevolence that sympathizes with the sufferings of the afflicted, so that we weep with those that weep. It involves tempering justice with mercy, and scorns the taking of revenge. It is a holy disposition in contrast with that foolish sentimentality which ignores the requirements of justice, and is inclined to sympathize with those in deserved misery. Ignoring the requirements of justice is a false and unholy mercy that petitions the courts to cancel or modify a just and merited sentence passed upon some flagrant offender.
The mercy Jesus refers to does not have its roots in the natural man. True, some people make no profession of being Christians in whom we often find sympathy for the suffering, and a readiness to forgive those who have wronged them, though admirable there is nothing spiritual in it. Instead of being subject to the authority of God, it often opposes the law of God. The mercy Jesus refers to is the result of the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts.
The mercy Jesus refers to not only fills the heart with compassion it moves the hand to render help to those in need.
Who are the pure in heart? The pure in heart are those whose motives and intentions are pure. A pure heart is one that has a pure object before it. It is one in which the fear of the Lord has been implanted and the love of God shed abroad, and therefore it hates what He hates and loves what He loves. A pure heart is one that makes us conscience of foul thoughts, vile imaginations, and evil desires and that mourns over pride and discontent, unbelief and coldness of affection, and weeps in secret over unrighteousness.
Who are the peacemakers? The peacemakers are those who have been filled with the peace that the world cannot give or take away; a peace that comes from a relationship with God and His beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
In a world where there is no strife, there is no need for peacemakers. The history of the nations proves there is a need for peacemakers. The history of Christianity proves there is a need for peacemakers. The desire of the peacemakers is to live peaceably with all men and abstain from deliberate injury of others, promote unity and heal broken relationships. Peacemakers pour sooth oil on troubled waters, reconcile those who are alienated, and right wrongs.
Why does this world need peacemakers? The disposition the peacemaker Jesus refers to is different from the disposition of the easy-going indolence that is often nothing but selfishness, of the wicked of this world. The peace they desire to establish is not a peace at any price but one God Himself approves of. In this life, we are to avoid the trend to sacrifice the truth for a peace that is not worth the paper it is written on. It is also the duty of every disciple of Jesus' to see to it that we conduct ourselves in such a way no just complaint can be filed against us. It is also for our own peace we do this because it is impossible to be happy when we are involved in strife and enmities. When disturbance and turmoil is aroused, we should diligently examine ourselves before the Lord as to whether the cause for it lies in us. If we are the source of the disturbance and turmoil we must confess it and seek to reconcile those offended; peacemakers must constantly be on their guard against an invasion by the spirit of bigotry and a quarrelsome spirit and keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3).
Who are the persecuted and why are they persecuted? The persecuted are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. The reason why they are persecuted, reviled, and have all manner of evil said of them is the wicked of this world hate justice and love those who defraud and wrong their neighbors. They hate righteousness. If the blessed would cease walking humbly with God, they might go through the world, not only in peace, but also with the applause of the ungodly and unrighteousness. Because they refuse to cease their walking humbly with God they suffer persecution because their life reveals the ungodliness of men and this provokes their resentment. The wicked in this world hate God and those who bear His image.
A second reason why the blessed are persecuted is that the world hates our Lord Jesus Christ. This is why we must honestly examine ourselves before God when we are being opposed. The Apostle Peter told the first century church, "But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters" (1 Peter 4:15). "Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf" (1 Peter 4:16).
What can we learn from the teaching of Jesus concerning the blessed? The blessed in this world are those the world detests. Although those the world detests are persecuted, it is really a blessing in disguise. The opposition the child of God encounters in this world enables him to be aware of his own infirmities and needs and the fact he cannot stand for a single hour unless Divine grace upholds them. By persecution they are often kept from certain sins into which they would most likely fall were the wicked at peace with them. Persecution affords the believer an opportunity to glorify God by his courage, and fidelity to the truth.
The glory the ungodly and unrighteous crave is flattery and honor, but the glory the disciples of Jesus crave is conformity to Jesus who was despised and rejected by His own. Instead of being downcast and complaining over the hostility they meet with in this world the disciples of Jesus are to be thankful to God for the high honor He confers upon them in making them partakers of the sufferings of His Son.
The Lord Jesus pronounced blessed or happiness on those who, through devotion to Him, would be called upon to suffer. They are blessed because such are given the unspeakable privilege of having fellowship with the sufferings of the Savior. They are blessed because such tribulation works patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, a hope that will not make ashamed. They are blessed because they shall be fully recompensed in the Day to come. The child of God must not be dismayed because the fiery darts of the wicked are hurled against him. We must remember, "The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18).
Retired pastor,Church of the Nazarene
Author of web site Exploring God's Word www.thewordofgodonline.net
New American Standard Bible, King James Version, The World English Bible