'When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
“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 receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."'
--Matthew 5: 1-12 (The Beatitudes)
Another pop quiz: What is the longest teaching of Jesus in any of the Gospels? It’s the Sermon on the Mount, and it spans three full chapters in the Gospel of Matthew, from the start of chapter 5 to the end of chapter 7. That’s a pretty long sermon, I gotta say. Folks in my parish get restless if I start to hit the 15 minute mark; I can’t imagine what it was like for Jesus’ audience!
Here's the the scene: Jesus has gone atop a hill – or a mount – near the sea of Galilee. It didn’t even have a name at the time, and if you go there today it’s simply called the Mount of the Beatitudes. This huge crowd gathers around to hear him speak, and he takes his position – not standing on a rock or in a makeshift pulpit. Instead, he sits down because that’s what teachers and philosophers in the ancient world would do when they wanted to make a point that everyone should listen to. And this whole scene is intentional, with Jesus going atop this rather simple hill and offering a teaching that directly mirrors Moses going atop the mighty Mount Sinai and giving the Law to the newly freed people of Israel. More than a few times in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus will emulate Moses, the Law-Giver, and teach his people just as Moses did, which might be why Matthew is often called the “teaching Gospel.”
Jesus begins his sermon, not with commands, but with declarations of Divine Blessedness – this is where the Latin term ‘Beatitude’ comes from, it literally means Divine Blessedness. In the crowd are probably a few wealthy folks, maybe even some Roman soldiers or temple officials, but for the most part the crowd consists of poor folks who are desperate to hear some good news. And this is what they got:
Blessed are the poor in spirit. That is, those who find their identity in true relationship with God, not in material possession or self-aggrandizing. Yours is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, those who know what it is like to lose, who understand the extraordinary teacher that is suffering. You will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek. This is straight out of Psalm 37, verses 9 and 11 In our lexicon meekness is associated with gentleness or passivity, but that’s not what is meant here. Rather, Jesus is saying blessed are those who have a sense of humility, those who do not give in to the “futility of unyielding anger” as Preston Epps put it, even in the face of overwhelming power like Rome. You will inherit the earth with your meekness, which is a means of non-violent resistance against the very powers and principalities who use their military might and political prestige to gain even more power.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; that is, actively doing the will of God. This isn’t a foolish hope, but a deep desire to see the Kingdom of God come on earth as it is in heaven. Blessed, then, are those who strive for righteousness, justice, and equality—not just for themselves but for others—and do so with the same passion as one who feels the pains of hunger and thirst. Those folks who desire and work for God’s righteousness with that kind of abandon will have their hunger filled.
Blessed are the merciful. If you want to get mercy, you have to show it. If you want to be forgiven, you have to forgive. The measure given will be the measure gotten back. Such as these will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart; that is, those whose motivations are unmixed, clear, and undivided by agenda. Blessed, Jesus says, are those of you who speak up for others or do some kind of good, not because you’re gonna get something in return, but because it’s simply the right thing to do. God, after all, sees not our outward actions but the motivations of our heart – remember the story of when David was chosen as King. Those with pure intensions will see God, Jesus says.
Blessed are the peacemakers. Did you know that the Roman Emperor wasn’t just called Son of God, but also Peacemaker? Ironic, given that such peace – the Pax Romana – was achieved through brute force and domination. Jesus is a new kind of peacemaker and Son of God, who works through acts of mercy in anticipation of God’s own actions of mercy when the Kingdom comes in its fulfillment. It’s not passive – Jesus himself turns over the tables when necessary – but it is direct, and is about facing, naming, and confronting the evils of the world. In our own day we need to be reminded of that. Making peace is not about accepting things because we are afraid of the trouble of doing something, but making peace is about actively facing things, even when the way to peace is through struggle. These are the ones who will be called Children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted, who have understood that the path to peace often results in struggle. Theirs will be the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are any of you, he tells the crowd, when people revile you, those of you who have lost family, friends, or jobs because you dared to seek God’s righteousness and be a peacemaker. Blessed are the members of the Church (with a capital C) who know such persecutions. Those persecutions are inevitable because the Church, when it really is the Church, is bound to be the conscience of a society.
And there you have the Beatitudes. Did you notice the verbs Jesus used? No shoulds or shouldn’ts – or thou shalts and thou shalt nots. The verbs are conjugations of “to be” – “Blessed are you..” and “You will…” So many of us get caught in the web of should that we get stuck and miss the bigger message. The Beatitudes are not commands to be followed but declarations to be responded to. Who among you needs to know that you are blessed, especially when everyone else seems to declare you cursed? Who are the poor in spirit, the meek, the mourners, the ones who long for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted, and the reviled reading this message right now? Hear Jesus call you what you are: blessed!
Loads of psychological studies have shown that children need to hear 10 affirmations for every negative comment. Maybe that’s why Jesus gives 10 pronouncements of Divine Blessedness in this sermon. We become what we are named, whether children or adults. Call someone bad long enough and they’ll believe it to their core; same goes for if you call them blessed. These are pronouncements not just for the crowd who heard them – and those who hear them still – but a reminder for the hearers to be doers and to pay these pronouncements of Divine Blessedness forward.
Much has been made of the debate around the Ten Commandments being posted in public places. But what if we publicly displayed Jesus’ version, these declarations of the blessedness of God upon the very ones to whom the world does anything but bless? If we are to heed the words spoken by the prophet Micah – to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God – then doing so looks like living into the Beatitudes ourselves, both as those who need such blessings and as those from whom such blessings can come.