Blessed Are the Easily Overlooked
Photo by Chitto Cancio on Unsplash
“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.” (Matthew 5:3-5 NIV) [see full text in button/link below]
What is common is often misunderstood or overlooked.
The Beatitudes found in the Sermon on the Mount are a common topic for discussions on how to be a good Christian or a good citizen of society. Many people prominently feature these nine statements with their promises of blessedness on wall plaques in their homes.
When Jesus declared these truths, He intended them to encourage people. But they are also declarations of the nature of those who populate the Kingdom of Heaven (God). Each statement includes a promise defining why these attitudes of the heart are blessed.
As the gospel narrative continues in Matthew, these declarations become indictments of those who hold pseudo-spiritual righteousness in their hearts, namely, the Pharisees and other self-righteous leaders.
Insights
Each of these Beatitudes begins with the word blessed. Some Bible versions use happy or happiness instead, but this weakens the sense Jesus intended for why such people are blessed. When Jesus said, “Blessed…” He had in mind—supremely blest, enviably happy, well-off, or spiritually prosperous.
Blessed is more like joy, the fruit of the Spirit, than the emotion of happiness that comes and goes. It is an attitude of the heart embedded in a person who trusts in God above all else.
Jesus personified each of these Beatitudes throughout the gospel narrative. They reflect His nature as the Son of Man and the Son of God. These same heart attitudes are to be seen in those who surrender their lives to the Lord as their King, as they live out their daily lives as members of the Kingdom of Heaven.
It’s good to want to emulate these Beatitudes, but our selfish nature gets in the way and pushes aside our good intentions. No one can be any or all of these on a consistent basis without the Lord’s help.
He enables us to do so by His Spirit. When we are born from above and receive a new nature, we’re empowered to live in a new way. In the Gospel of John, Jesus spoke of this to Nicodemus, the Pharisee (John 3:3-8).
Redefining the Nature of God’s Kingdom
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
To be poor in spirit is the opposite of prideful arrogance. It is more than humility alone. It is humility before God. An acknowledgment of who God is and our smallness and weakness in comparison. In Luke’s gospel, this Beatitude is expressed as—Blessed are the poor… (Luke 6:20). Simply put, they don’t think highly of themselves.
The person who is poor in spirit knows they have nothing great to offer God. Whatever gifts or blessings God has given them are not inherent in themselves. It is an attitude of heart opposite to what the Jewish spiritual leaders would expect. They saw themselves as superior to others who were less spiritual, especially the poor and needy.
This is the nature of Jesus and His kingdom. Jesus is humble by nature, as seen in His birth, upbringing, and approach to ministry and leadership. This is what the apostle Paul points out when He says—
He made himself nothing by taking the very nature [or form] of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8 NIV)
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
There is both an actual and spiritual sense to these Beatitudes, but the promise is true in both senses—those who mourn will be comforted.
We find a great, comforting promise from God in the last book of the Bible, Revelation, to be fulfilled at the end of the age— And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes (Revelation 7:17 NIV). The idea of comfort for mourning is found throughout the Psalms and in Isaiah (Isaiah 25:8; 35:10; 51:11). Paul says the comfort we receive is the comfort we can give to others (2 Corinthians 1:3).
This Beatitude proceeds from the first one. Just as God grants the Kingdom of Heaven to those who are humble and poor in spirit, so He gives His grace to comfort those who mourn for their spiritual condition before God. It’s an acknowledgment of a person’s unworthiness before God but with the promise of restoration through the comfort of God’s mercy and grace.
When Joseph and Mary presented Jesus at the Temple after His birth, the prophet Simeon spoke of seeing the Consolation (Comfort) of Israel. The Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon that he would see the Lord’s Messiah before he died (Luke 2:22-35). Isaiah used the word comfort to describe the coming of the Messiah (Isaiah 40:1-5; 52:9), which Simeon referenced.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
I’ve heard jokes made that the meek will inherit the earth and all its mess because they’re too timid to refuse it. But this perspective completely misses what Jesus says here. Jesus looks ahead to a new earth and new heaven (Revelation 21:1). The meek will inherit a new and improved earth!
You may have heard people refer to meekness as weakness, but this is not at all true. The word meek or meekness is hard to translate from its original language into English because of its depth of meaning.
A simple explanation is the balance between anger and indifference. It’s also likened to the strength of a well-trained horse kept under control. We see this with Jesus in His first clearing of the Temple (John 2:13-17), and when He remained silent when wrongfully accused (Matthew 26:59-68; 1 Peter 2:22-23).
The meek, those who will inherit the earth, are the ones whom God trusts to care for and oversee His creation with Him, as the first people on earth did when God set them in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15).
This is what Jesus says about Himself—this is His nature—“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart…” (Matthew 11:29 KJV)
Which of these three Beatitudes do you relate to most at this time in your life?
Reflection—
The state of blessedness in these Beatitudes is only possible with a humble and honest heart, as we surrender our lives to Jesus as King, and He fills us with His Spirit.
Prayer Focus—
When you find yourself at a low point or in a time of mourning, ask God to remind you of His promise to comfort you as a member of His Kingdom. Ask God for humility, a gentle and self-controlled spirit, so others may see you are a child of the humble King.
This is an excerpt from a soon to be published book, one of a series of three, called, The Heart and Soul of God’s Kingdom. Look for it on Amazon with my other books— Trip Kimball on Amazon
