Matthew 5:1-12 – The beatitudes

The beatitudes are a set of nine assertions of Jesus that the people of the Kingdom of God ought to live out. They are part of a larger message known as the sermon mount. Here we are told that Jesus went up to the mountain when he saw the swelling crowd. Going up to the mountain was Matthew’s way of putting emphasis on Christ, and not to tell us the place where Jesus shared the message. This very same sermon in Luke is titled sermon on the plain.  Matthew, in this Gospel, deliberately styled it in such a way so as to parallel Moses of the Old covenant. Like Moses, Jesus’ birth was foretold by an angel in a dream. And like Moses, Jesus will work miracles to save His people. Like Moses, He also went up to the mountain, and He also gave authority, command, etc.  

To be poor in spirit is to acknowledge one’s spiritual poverty, which will enable one to connect with God and enjoy His reign. To mourn or realize one’s wretchedness, will open up doors to receive God’s comfort. To be gentle is the way to conquer the earth. To hunger and thirst after righteousness is a prerequisite to being satisfied. To show mercy enables one to receive mercy. To be pure in heart helps one to experience the reality of God. To be a peacemaker befits the character of God, and shows one to be a child of God. Kingdom people can endure persecution for righteous sake, for they have great rewards.       

Christ did not intend these to be just a set of things for believers to do to receive God’s blessings in the future, but rather an introduction to the characters that covenant people should already be practicing.  The present tense in each of the nine indicates that they are something that are to be present with the people of the Kingdom of God. The people of the Kingdom are expected to live these assertions here and now. In the book of Deuteronomy we see a list of blessings and curses for God’s people, for their obedience or disobedience. Matthew here seeks to identify the list of blessings for the New Covenant people.

We are often mistaken that the promise of each of the assertions that it carries, is for the future in God‘s Kingdom, somewhere in the by and by. They certainly will make sense for the future which God has promised. But in Christ Jesus the future has arrived. And in Him we are called to live these assertions. Let’s live them and experience the goodness of God here and now! 

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