At first glance, the Sermon on the Mount seems so simple, but it’s a complex call to a life seeking God.
I recently revisited the Beattitudes from the Sermon on the Mount. You remember those, right, the blessed be sermon? It’s found in Matthew 5, if you want to check them out. I always come away with something different when I read them.
This time I read them in the NLT version. Scholars disagree whether this sermon was given to the masses or just the twelve disciples. Either way, the meaning is the same. It’s a call for us to act as well as a comfort for us, letting us know that God cares about our human suffering.
There are a total of nine listed blessings. Four are things that happen to us. The first one is “God blesses those who are poor in spirit and realize they need him, for the Kingdom of heaven is theirs.” Who among us hasn’t been poor in spirit? We are all broken. When we know we need God, the Kingdom of Heaven is ours.
The second is, “God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” We have all mourned the loss of someone dear. Jesus says, God understands our pain and we will be comforted.
The next five call us to action. “God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.” How are we doing with humility? We live in a very narcissistic world.
“God blesses those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” He doesn’t say, those who like for things to be righteous. He says those who hunger and thirst for it. That means we should do more than have a conversation with our friends when something is unjust. We need to have a deep desire, a hunger, to make things right.
“God blesses those who are merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.” How do we do with mercy? Are we merciful towards others in our lives or do we live for “pay back?”
“God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they shall see God.” How pure are our hearts? When we pray, is it like a shopping list of please help me get a,b, and c or is it with a heartfelt, “Lord please do your will, not mine.”? Tricky, right?
“God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called children of God.” Notice it doesn’t say those who like peace or like to live in peace? Who doesn’t like to live in peace? It doesn’t say those who are peaceable. It says those who work for peace. It’s active and it’s hard. Making peace is a full time job in the angry world we live in, but something we are called to do.
The last two go back to things that happen to us. “God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” Doing right gets more and more difficult. People are getting persecuted more and more often for things like praying before a sporting event. Jesus says, keep at it. The Kingdom of Heaven is yours.
Finally, “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you, because you are my followers.” He says to be happy a great reward awaits you in heaven. So, fellow Christians, we need to soldier on. God sees our struggle. He’s watching over us and He has a plan.
The sermon seems simple, but it’s a challenge to live a life that’s more than simply spiritual. It requires action too. I think it’s something to think about. What about you? I’d love to hear from you.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂