Blessed are the Have-Nots, Beatitudes, Matthew 5 | Anita Mathias: Dreaming Beneath the Spires

LIGHT OF THE WORLD
HOLMAN HUNT

^{MATTHEW 5}

¹ Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them.

Hey, I really like Jesus’ approach to his teaching ministry. He sits down. His disciples come to him, and he teaches him.

That’s one approach to finding your role in the Body of Christ. If you teach, do people want to listen? If you write, do people want to read it? If you want to counsel, pray, prophecy, practice hospitality—do you find people who want to be counselled, prayed for, listen to your prophecies, eat at your table? I think I heard John Mumford say that at our church retreat. Look behind your shoulder. Are there people following you? Then perhaps your calling to lead, teach, write, whatever… is from God.

He said:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Believe it or not, I used to have some trouble understanding this. Now, I have no trouble at all. Of course, it is blessed to be poor in spirit—so blessed. Not to need to be “a big deal,” “someone,” in the mix, in the know. Not to need to be known. To be content to be unknown. Just to be yourself. Just to love.

When I married my husband, Roy, 21 years ago, speeches at our wedding spoke of his humility and gentleness. “Is he really humble?” I wondered “What is humble?” But though only Christ, I assume was truly poor in spirit, I have seen in Roy some of the blessings of being poor in spirit—of not being consumed by the restlessness of ambition or the desire for prominence or the exhaustion of needing to blow your own trumpet.

⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.

When things go wrong for me, I run to God, I flee to God, I am immersed in him. When things go well, and everything is okay, it takes much more of a conscious effort for me to remember God, and turn to him.

If God is indeed our happiness, our wisdom, our consolation, our rock, our stability, then indeed blessed are those who mourn and have no recourse BUT to turn to God. Blessed are they who are comforted by God.

⁵ Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.

This is true, because Jesus says it is true (which is a statement from faith, not logic) but I have seen how this has worked out numerous times in my own life.

A rather manipulative woman recently said to me, “When all else fails, try humility.” I laughed, but in fact, meekness and humility have an immense power—more than pride and violence and dominance, which breeds anger and resistance.

I believe the meek often do get their hearts’ desires. Most men and women, who are after all made in God’s image, find it hard to resist the meek and gentle.

⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.

Who does not need mercy? We all do. And Jesus tells us how to obtain it. Be merciful when it is in your power to be so.

Gosh, I know from experience, immense blessing do come to the one who shows mercy.

Here’s an older blog post on the subject.

http://theoxfordchristian.blogspot.com/2010/10/orchards-of-stone-blessed-are-merciful.html

⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.

Purify my heart, Lord Jesus, I want to see you.

⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.

Do we want the blessings of being children of God?

I guess we should try making peace in situations of conflict, starting with family, then church conflict.

I don’t even know what that looks like, Lord, but teach me to be a peacemaker in situations of conflict.

¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Here is a recent post I wrote on the Beatitudes: Blessed are the Have Nots.

http://theoxfordchristian.blogspot.com/2010/12/blessed-are-have-nots.html

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

I just recently realized some of the blessings of this. Some. I have grown stronger through a season of experiencing this. I have been able to literally blow off and shrug off what people say. To take it all with a grain of salt. I have learnt to lean on God. I have learnt to trust myself to God, not matter what people say. To not care so much for people’s good opinion. To not bother to defend myself, but to leave all that to God. To rest in God, and be happy, no matter what people say about me.

¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

If we are experiencing insult, persecution and slander BECAUSE we are doing what we heard Christ tell us to do, then we can rejoice and be glad.

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth.

I love this metaphor. This is what I would love to be: an almost invisible element, seasoning conversations, the atmosphere around me, people’s lives. To have a quiet goodness. Salt doesn’t struggle to be salt. It just is.

Change us, Lord. Help us to be salt in our environments.

But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.

I love the way Jesus suggests we do life. We focus on the inside, on our character, heart and spirit, on what we really are.

When Jesus transforms us, and brings goodness out of our ashes, our goodness cannot be hidden.

¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

A fine balance. Jesus later on warns us against blowing our own trumpets, praying or fasting or giving for men to see.

So on one hand, we are not to promote ourselves and show off; on the other hand, we are not to conceal the good we have done, because a good child reflects well on her parents.

¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸ For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. ¹⁹ Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

The ESV Study Bible says, “Jesus fufills all the OT in that it points to him, not only in its specific predictions of a Messiah, but also in its sacrifice system, which looked forward to his great sacrifice of himself; in many events in the history of Israel which foreshadowed his life as God’s true son, in the law which only he perfectly obeyed, and in the Wisdom literature which set forth a behavioural pattern that his life exemplified.”

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ ²² But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

The New Covenant. God sends his spirit to dwell in our hearts. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh, (Ezekeiel 36:26). With it come higher standards, not only don’t murder, but don’t linger in anger.

The injunction not to be angry may be saying to us: Why do you expect higher standards from your sister than you are capable of? Why are you angry with your brother who has lied, been lazy, stabbed you in the back? Have you never lied, been lazy, or betrayed a confidence? And why have you taken your focus off God to focus on your sinning brother, anyway?

²³ “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

Seek reconciliation whenever possible. When not possible—in a case of an inveterate enemy, or someone you just don’t trust—forgive them, but be on your guard.

²⁵ “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. ²⁶ Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

Avoid lawsuits as far as possible