The Beatitudes

Turn to Matthew 5. Let me ask a couple of questions. First, who would you describe as being blessed? When you look at them and you think, “They’re living the good life.” Who is that? Second, why would you consider them as being blessed? What are the characteristics of this good life? If you watch the advertisements on TV you might be tempted to believe that those who are blessed are made up of those who are wealthy. They can buy whatever they want and go wherever they want. Surely they are the ones living the good life. Having lots of money may make some things easier, but it doesn’t guarantee a blessed life. As much as money might be able to buy there are many things money can’t buy. Money can’t buy a family that loves you or good friends willing to help you. Money can pay for a doctor’s visit but it can’t buy you good health. So what is a blessed life?

I was talking with a friend that has a daughter in northern Virginia. Because she lives so far away he and his wife can’t just run over to her house and help her if she gets sick. However, she has several friends at the church she attends who are willing to bring her food and run to the store for her when she’s not felt well. I would say she is blessed to have friends like that. With that thought in mind maybe we’d describe those who are blessed as those with:

•A loving family

•Supportive friends

•Good health

•A job they enjoy

•Enough money that they don’t have to worry about paying their bills

There may be some more qualities, but what I want to point out is that even these didn’t make the list that Jesus gives us in Matthew 5. In the Beatitudes Jesus tells us the qualities of those who are truly blessed and it’s not the ones the world would be led to believe are blessed.

The word “beatitude” comes from the Latin word for bless. Each of the eight beatitudes (nine depending on how you count them) begins with the word “blessed.” Sometimes the word is translated as happy, but I think Jesus had something much deeper and richer in mind than merely being happy.

The word blessing, when referring to God, means to cause to prosper or to make happy. I think of the Hebrew word “shalom.” While it is often translated as “peace,” it means much more than that, just as being blessed means more than just being happy. When someone greets you with shalom they’re wishing you peace, joy, and favor from God that brings a life of contentment. That’s what I think about when I think of desiring God’s blessing. It’s not wishing you a lot of money or a lot of stuff; it’s a wish for peace and contentment in life that only God can give. But how do we achieve that? Jesus describes those who are blessed in these verses.

As I mentioned, each of the Beatitudes begins with the word blessed. Jesus gives us a trait that is considered blessed, and then he says what the blessed person will receive. We’ll spend most of our time on the first part.

Many have pointed out a connection between the Beatitudes. Most believe Jesus gave them in a specific order, that one follows another, and they all begin with the first beatitude – being poor in spirit. I’ve heard two different word pictures that help to illustrate this idea. The first is a monkey bar. I don’t have any problem crossing monkey bars today (if you can find them on a playground), but when I was in elementary school it was almost impossible. I would climb the short ladder and hold on to the first bar. However, in order to reach the second bar I had to swing out. If I grabbed the second bar I had to immediately let go of the first so that my momentum would carry me far enough out to reach the third bar. If I failed to grab it or fell I had to start from the beginning. I couldn’t begin where I’d left off. The same is true with the beatitudes. One leads to the other and when we fail (and we will all fail), we must go back to the beginning.

Another picture is that of a ladder. In this picture we start at the top of the ladder. In this case the ladder has eight steps so it’s about seven feet tall. At the top of the ladder it’s a little precarious. It doesn’t take much to knock you off and if you fall it won’t feel very good. In this picture each of the beatitudes brings us closer to the ground and closer to stability and safety.

Let’s see what Jesus considers to be a blessed life.

1Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them. He said: 3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:1-3)

Who are the poor in spirit? The physically poor are those who don’t have a lot of money or resources. But being poor is more than just not having a lot of stuff you can hold in your hand. Being poor also means having a lack of options.

I didn’t have a lot of stuff when I was growing up, but I didn’t lack options. There were times when there wasn’t much food, but I never missed a meal. I may not have liked the cauliflower or Brussels sprouts my mother served, but there was always a meat and usually two vegetables. If I didn’t eat it was my own fault. We may not have had much but we always had choices, because if my mother hadn’t been able to put a meal on the table we could have gone over to my grandparents where we would have been fed. We always had options. Being poor is not just the lack of abundance; it’s the lack even of options. There’s nothing left and there’s nothing that can be done about it.

Jesus says that it’s the poor who are blessed; more specifically it’s the spiritually poor. They are the ones who will have peace and contentment because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

Jesus told a story that illustrates this; it’s the story of two men who went to pray: a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisees were the teachers of God’s word. They deservedly receive a bad reputation today, but back in the day they were the ones to whom the people looked to explain the scriptures. They were the religious heroes who were calling people to return to their faith in God. The tax collectors on the other hand, were people who obviously didn’t care about God, his word, or his people because they were siding with the Romans against the Jews. In this story Jesus says these two men went to the temple to pray. Once at the temple the Pharisee stood up and prayed:

11bGod, I thank you that I am not like other people – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get. (Luke 18:11b-12)

The Pharisee is telling God about all the good things he’s done. He’s boasting about his spiritual wealth. Have you ever done that? Have you ever thought that? Have you ever boasted about how good you are? At least I’m not as bad as my neighbor. You should just see some of the things he does. He’s a hopeless cause.

In contrast, the tax collector stood back in the shadows keeping his head bowed afraid to even look up toward heaven because he understood his spiritual poverty. He’d broken God’s laws and had no excuse. There was nothing he could point to in his life to commend himself before God so he prayed:

13bGod, have mercy on me, a sinner. (Luke 18:13b)

The tax collector was admitting his spiritual poverty. He had nothing to boast about and he had no options. There was not one thing he could do to impress God.

We’re told Jesus addressed this story to those “who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else” (Luke 18:9). Jesus told this story to those who thought they were spiritually wealthy. They didn’t have any spiritual needs.

You may not consider yourself financially wealthy, but are you spiritually poor? The blessed are those who understand their spiritual poverty. They know they have nothing to boast about or any good thing to bring before God and there is nothing they can do about it. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Matthew 5:4)

Recognition of our spiritual poverty will lead is to mourn. We realize that poverty is the result of our sin. Jesus says we will be comforted.

What do you think of when you hear the word comforted? Maybe you think of the first tenor solo in Handel’s Messiah. Maybe you think of the word comfortable, as in you have several chairs at home but only one that is the most comfortable.

The word Jesus used for comforted is the same word Jesus used to describe the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would come along side us to encourage, strengthen, and comfort us. The Holy Spirit is a comforter.

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Hopefully you have experienced that kind of comfort from people in your life in times of trouble. Hopefully your friends are not like the ones Job had when they told him all his suffering was his fault. That’s not the kind of comfort that God gives.

God’s comfort is more like the comfort Ruth gave to her mother-in-law Naomi who insisted on staying with her mother-in-law even when it meant leaving home and family to travel to a distant land. Ruth was a companion to Naomi as she traveled back home. When they arrived in Bethlehem it was Ruth that worked to provide food for them. Ruth was a comfort to Naomi.

In the same way, God comes along side us to strengthen and encourage us. Paul wrote to the Corinthians:

3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

We can know that God is with us no matter what we face and the he is able to give us a peace in the middle of those struggles that the world can’t understand. God is a God of comfort. And who does he comfort? Jesus says that God comforts those who mourn.

Like with the first Beatitude though, we need to understand who Jesus is talking about. It’s not just the poor who are blessed, it is the spiritually poor. And is Beatitude it’s not just anyone who cries that receives comfort. Not all mourning is the same. There are three kinds of mourning: natural, sinful, and spiritual.

Natural mourning is grieving for someone or something you have lost. There has much mourning after the massacre in Las Vegas. That’s not what Jesus was talking about. We know because in the beatitudes Jesus describes qualities that we should pursue and desire to have. No one desires this. The second type of mourning is the sinful mourning. This is a pining for something God hasn’t given us. Consider 1 Kings 21 where we read the story about King Ahab who wanted the field that belonged to his neighbor Naboth. When Naboth wouldn’t sell the land to him Ahab told that he went home “lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat” (1 Kings 21:4). That’s a sinful type of mourning. The third type of mourning is spiritual. This is a sorrow over our sins against God. This is the type of mourning for which Jesus says will be comforted. Paul writes about this kind of sorrow in 2 Corinthians 7 and compares it to a worldly or sinful mourning.

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)

Godly or spiritual sorrow brings us to repentance. There will be comfort for those who mourn with a godly sorrow. How will they be comforted? Their sins will be forgiven.

5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5)

What do you think of when you hear the word “meek?” It rhymes with weak and I think that’s what comes to the minds of many. Someone who is meek is thought of as being soft spoken and won’t stand up for themselves. Maybe the word the word that might describe them is timid. Here’s the definition I found for meek in the dictionary:

The adjective meek describes a person who is willing to go along with whatever other people want to do, like a classmate who won't speak up, even when he or she is treated unfairly.

Does that sound like someone you would admire or look up to? Does that sound like the person you want to be? Whatever word or definition that comes to mind for meek it’s usually not positive. Therefore, we probably don’t understand what Jesus was saying. After all, we’re told that Jesus was meek and he was none of the above. Jesus wasn’t weak when he turned over the tables of the money changers and cleaned out the temple. He wasn’t afraid to stand up for himself when he said to Peter, “Get behind me Satan.” And he wasn’t soft spoken about what he thought about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees when he called them “white washed tombs.” If we want to be blessed and Jesus is saying the meek are blessed then we should want to be meek. But what does it really mean?

A better definition I’ve heard for meekness is “strength under control.” And the popular illustration is that of a horse. Imagine a horse in the Roman army. The horse had to be strong. While traveling, it had to carry the soldier’s armor, weapons, bedding, food, and water long distances. In battle, it had to start quickly, move fast, turn on a dime, and stop immediately. It took a lot of strength and the strength had to be under control. But who was in control of the horse’s strength? The horse had yield control of its strength to the soldier. Meekness isn’t weakness, but strength under control. The opposite of that is wild and out of control.

In Isaiah we read:

This is what the Lord says to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. (Isaiah 8:11)

What does it mean for God’s hand to be upon someone? If they are following God and are submitting themselves to God then God will direct their way and give them success. But what if God’s hand is upon them and they are rebelling against God then they are going to have trouble.

The Latin word for meek is made up of two words: “used to” (accustomed to) and “the hand.” When referring to a horse the word refers to a horse that is used to be guided by a human hand and is able to be controlled by its master. When we become Christians we not only accept Jesus as our Savior, but also as our Lord. That means we allow him to tell us what to do. But it’s hard because everything within rebels against being told what to do. By nature we are like an unbroken horse insisting on having things our way. But as we grow in Christ we learn to submit to God because meekness will bring peace to the soul and order to the chaos in our lives. You may be in a very difficult situation right now, but in meekness as you submit to God’s leading you will be able to say as Paul did:

11b. . . for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:11b-13)

Paul could be content because he submitted himself to God’s leading trusted God to provide.

And what happens when we are meek? Jesus says the meek will inherit the earth. We usually think of the meek as only getting run over. The meek are made fun of. The meek never get their way. The meek lose their place in line. But Jesus says that everything they may have taken from them by the world that takes advantage of them will be returned to them by God. I don’t know about you but I would rather have what God can give me rather than what I might be able to get by scratching and clawing my way to the top.

Spiritual poverty leads to mourning and mourning leads to meekness. We realized we’ve not done right and we submit to God’s authority in our lives.

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6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Matthew 5:6)

Have you ever had this problem, you’ve been hungry, but didn’t know what for? You know you want something to eat but nothing sounds good. You look in the pantry and in the refrigerator, or maybe you open a left over container to see what’s in it. You’re just looking for the right food, the right taste that is going to satisfy your hunger and you just can’t find anything that looks satisfying. The problem with hunger is we know we want something, but we don’t always know what we’re hungry for. Plus, even when we eat enough to be satisfied we get hungry again a few hours later and the process starts all over.

Of course Jesus is talking about a spiritual hunger. Are you spiritually hungry? Jesus says the blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Righteousness is a word we hear about, but may have a difficult time explaining. The dictionary defines righteousness as “behavior that is morally justifiable or right.” But we are held to higher standard than what we believe to be right or wrong. One day everyone will stand before God to give an account for their lives according to his laws. With that definition of right and wrong the Bible says that no one is righteous because no one has kept his laws. So aren’t you glad Jesus didn’t say, “Blessed are the righteous,” but “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” Blessed are those who desire righteousness and are hungry for a right relationship with God.

Here are three quick observations about hunger.

First, hunger is a sign of need. You’re physically hungry when you’ve gone without food. As this relates to us spiritually, a hunger for righteousness is the realization that we don’t have righteousness. The ones who are blessed are not the ones who think they are righteous, but the ones who realize how desperately they need righteousness. If you ever wonder why as a Christian you never feel like you’ve arrived this is the answer. Your discontent and desire for more of God should be a sign of encouragement.

Second, hunger is a sign of life. You don’t have to teach children to be hungry. Where there is life there will be hunger. That means we need to question ourselves if we have no spiritual hunger. Hunger is the result of the Holy Spirit working in us. Therefore, it is a sign of spiritual life and you should thank God for it.

Third, hunger is a sign of health. When you are sick you don’t feel like eating. You aren’t hungry. Losing your appetite is a sign that something may be wrong physically or emotionally. If you have a deep longing to grow in Jesus, that is a sign of your spiritual health.

What are you hungry for today? What do you think will bring you satisfaction? We all go after satisfaction and the thing you think will satisfy you is what you’ll pursue. If you think money will satisfy you, you will go after money. If you think some achievement – like winning the World Series – will bring you satisfaction you will go after that. If you think retirement will bring you satisfaction you’ll go after that. You’ll set your calendar for how long it will take you to get there. What do you think will bring you satisfaction? Being loved? Getting revenge? A big house? A shiny new car? Whatever you think it is that will become your consuming drive.

Jesus tells us there is one and only one thing that will truly satisfies. He says those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be blessed for they are the ones who will be filled. They are the ones who are going to be satisfied.

When Jesus talks about being hungry for righteousness he isn’t talking about those who have a vague interest in righteousness, but to those with an intense desire that motivates action. Those who are really hungry will do whatever they can to get food. Are we hungry for righteousness? Spiritual poverty, mourning, and meekness lead us to a hunger for the righteousness of God.

7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (Matthew 5:7)

We desire mercy and Jesus says we should show mercy, but what exactly is mercy?

First, mercy is not receiving what we deserve. Sometimes mercy is shown when we don’t receive punishment, discipline, or correction for a wrong we’ve done. Have you ever bene pulled over by the police for speeding and only given a warning? That’s mercy.

And second, mercy is receiving what we don’t deserve. Mercy is shown when we receive something we have not earned. In the story of the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan helps the man he sees on the side of the road that had been beaten and left for dead. Jesus told the story to answer the question, “Who is my neighbor?” After the parable Jesus asked the expert who had been a neighbor to the man? The religious expert replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” The Samaritan showed mercy by giving the victim something he did not deserve. Jesus told the religious expert, “Go and do likewise.” Mercy is not simply feeling pity or sympathy for a person. Mercy requires much more than that. Mercy requires action.

So mercy is not receiving a punishment we deserve or receiving a gift of help we do not deserve. God shows us mercy when he forgives our sins and gives us the promise of eternal life – neither of which we deserve. God has shown us mercy and now calls us to show mercy on others.

What keeps us from showing mercy like we should? The simplest answer is a wrong focus. It is so easy to become self-centered. We get use too looking out for ourselves and our family that we don’t see those around us who need mercy. Or we are so busy we don’t have the time or energy to be merciful. That’s why Paul reminded the church in Philippi:

3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

You’ll remember when Jesus called Matthew the tax collector to follow him and become a disciple. Matthew responded by throwing a party and inviting all his friends to come meet Jesus. The religious leaders weren’t excited about those Jesus chose to be his disciples, but they were especially upset about this one.

11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:11-13)

The Pharisees were very religious, but they were lacking in mercy. We are called to be disciples of – followers of – Jesus. We have not been called to be rule enforcers. Neither have we been called to compare our righteousness with the righteousness or unrighteousness of others. As followers of Jesus we have been called to show mercy. Think about this challenge – if you show mercy you will receive it – which also means if you don’t you won’t. Make the choice to show mercy as God has shown you mercy.

As we are forgiven and filled we will show mercy to others.

8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (Matthew 5:8)

For me this beatitude sounds a little discouraging. With the previous beatitudes we might be able to say that we can do it. We can come to God poor in spirit, confessing we have nothing good in us. We can mourn over our sin. But can we say that we are pure in heart? Does anyone think that describes them? So what we need to know is that this is possible. If it weren’t possible for us to be pure in heart Jesus would never have listed it among the beatitudes. So what does it mean to be pure in heart?

First, the word “pure” implies being clean and unpolluted. We all like that. We want clean air and unpolluted water. Additionally, the Greek word implies that which is now pure wasn’t always pure. It refers to something that once was dirty and now has been washed out and cleaned up. In that way the word was used to describe dirty clothes that had been washed clean. So pure refers to something that once was dirty but has now been cleaned. That’s important when we think about our hearts being pure.

Second, the word pure also carries the idea of being “unmixed.” We might think of pure vanilla or pure olive oil. The word was used to describe metals that had been refined by fire until they were free from impurities or grain that had been carefully sifted to remove the chaff and all the impurities. Again, something that wasn’t pure but was mixed with other things is now made pure.

When this definition is used of people it refers to having a singleness of heart and purpose. Or as Soren Kierkegaard put it, (3) being pure in heart is “to will one thing.” A pure heart is a heart that desires only one thing. Jesus speaks of this in this way later in the Sermon on the Mount: SLIDE 6

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Matthew 6:33)

Jesus wants us to have a pure heart. He wants us to be single-minded in our devotion to him and to his kingdom. You cannot seek to please him and please others. To try to do so will only drive you crazy.

A pure heart will have nothing to do with falsehood, it has only one focus, it’s not split in its devotion to God and to the world, and it will not operate out of false motives. That sounds good, but is it really possible? Is it possible for us to have pure hearts? The standard is very high. The disciples, when confronted with the high standards of Jesus asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus’ answer comes back now just like it did to the disciples.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

In other words, it is who God creates purity for us. God makes it possible for us to be pure in heart by what Jesus did on the cross and overcoming death. However, there is still something we must do. James writes:

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:8)

We need to be like David who says:

Create in me a clean heart, O God. (Psalm 51:10a)

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Is your heart pure? Do you live with a singleness of purpose striving to please God?

9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9)

In the over three thousand years of recorded world history the world has only been at peace 8% of the time. During the last three hundred years more than eight thousand peace treaties have been made and most of them have been broken. Since the end of WWII there have been eighty-five wars. That’s eighty-five wars in less than eighty-five years. Hearing those statistics it would be easy to believe like the cynic who says that peace is that glorious moment in history when everyone stops at the same time to reload. That’s the story of peace on the world stage. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of peace, but Jesus says that a Christian is a peacemaker.

We need to make a quick observation. There is a difference between a peacemaker and a peacekeeper. A peacekeeper simply keeps two people who don’t like each other from getting into a fight. They keep the peace. But a peacemaker is one that works at bringing these two people who don’t like each other together in peace so they no longer want to fighter each other. Peacemakers make peace.

When we speak about strife and conflict it speaks into the world in which we live because we have all faced it. But the promise we have from God is that he with us and that he will give us strength.

Thomas Watson gives a great word picture of what is happening when there is conflict, and I think this is especially true when there is conflict between two Christians. He says:

It is Satan who kindles the fire of contention in men’s hearts – and then stands and warms himself at the fire!

Can you see that picture in your mind? It is not God who causes contention between people. If there is strife you can be certain that Satan has a hand in it. We’re told that Jesus is the Prince of peace. He came into the world to make peace between us and God. The Spirit is a spirit of peace. When the Spirit descended upon Jesus after his baptism what form did he take? He came as a dove, the symbol of peace. And we’re told that God is a God of peace.

So how do we bring peace?

First, if we are going to be peacemakers for God we must experience God’s peace in our own lives. Peacemakers are people who bring peace because they have it themselves. You can’t give what you do not have. If you have not experienced the peace of God you will not be able to share the peace of God.

Second, if we are going to be peacemakers for God we must give up claim to our rights. If Jesus had demanded his rights he never would have come to earth. If Jesus had demanded his rights he never would have allowed himself to be arrested, beaten, and crucified. If God demanded his deserved rights we would all be condemned to hell. We live in a world of rights. You hear everyone demanding their rights. If you want to make peace you must give up claim to your rights.

Third, if we are going to be peacemakers for God we must move towards the trouble. Some people are drawn to trouble. That’s not what I’m talking about. But a peacemaker moves toward trouble. Isn’t that what God did? He sent his Son into the midst of the trouble. What this tells us is that peacemakers do not avoid conflict. In fact, you cannot make peace if you insist on avoiding conflict. You must face conflict. There can only be peace if conflict is dealt with. Too many people want to ignore it and hope it goes away. Jesus knew that in order for there to be peace he had to address the conflict. However, he also knew there would be some who would not appreciate it.

Fourth, if we are going to be peacemakers for God we must make peace by loving before we are loved. It is obvious how God did that when making peace. God didn’t stand on his rights. He moved toward the trouble even when it meant the death of his own Son. He demonstrated his love towards us long before we ever loved him.

Could you do that? Not unless the Spirit of Jesus resides in you.

10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12)

So far in the beatitudes Jesus has described qualities we should seek, the life that God calls us to pursue. If these are present we are blessed. And what else can we expect? Jesus says we will be persecuted.

Blessed are those who are persecuted. (Matthew 5:10a)

Jesus isn’t saying we might be persecuted, Jesus is saying we should expect to be persecuted. In John 15, after Jesus has washed the disciple’s feet in the upper room, he warns them that the world has hated him so they should not be surprised when the world hates them as well. Jesus is preparing them for the persecution that would come. And it did come. Excluding Judas who took his own life, only the apostle John didn’t suffer a gruesome death – though tradition does say he was tortured. The disciples were persecuted and Christians have continued to be to this day.

It’s been said that this beatitude describes two different kinds of persecutions we can expect.

First, there is the persecution of the hand. Persecution of the hand is physical. Jesus was arrested, beaten, and hung on a cross. We don’t hear about the physical persecution of Christians in America, but it’s happening to Christians today all over the world. It’s only a guess, but the guess is between 100,000 and 150,000 Christians are killed every year simply because they are Christians. Since we can’t be accurate, let’s take the low number of 100,000. If that number is true that’s 288 Christians a day or 12 an hour or one every 5 minutes. Somewhere in the world, every 5 minutes, one of your brothers, one of your sisters in Christ is not only suffering, but laying down their life. It is a sobering thought. Christians are the most persecuted people in the world.

The second persecution is of the tongue. Today we call it “verbal abuse.” It includes mocking, slandering, even intimidating, and tormenting. It is any kind of spoken persecution. This is closer to the persecution we might face, though the chances of receiving physical abuse are increasing.

When we seek to follow Jesus and obey God, when we seek to do what is right we will be persecuted. If that doesn’t quite make sense, if it’s difficult to understand why you would suffer for doing what is right, then think about the life of Jesus. What did Jesus do wrong? He followed God perfectly and it resulted in him being crucified. Jesus warned the disciples – and us – that we should expect the same.

You’ve heard of books that include letters to God from children. One child wrote,

Dear God, maybe Cain and Abel wouldn’t kill each other if they had their own room. It works with me and my brother.

The letter is humorous, but the truth is it wasn’t because they didn’t have enough space that Cain hated his brother. It was because Abel did was right and Cain hated him for that.

If people know you are a Christian, you are going to get some opposition, and it might be a lot. Satan has his eye on you, and he won’t give you a break.

To be poor in spirit is to recognize that before God that I do not have what it takes, and that all my good is in him. That leads to mourning.

I mourn over my own sins because I see their cost. I see what my sins cost me, the effect of my sins on others, and especially what my sins cost Jesus. But mourning is not just feeling bad about what I’ve done wrong; mourning moves me beyond feeling sorry to a place where I actually change. It leads me to submit to God.

That is meekness, submitting to the will of God, whatever the cost. Meekness is strength under control. I allow God to lead me and I follow.

These create a hunger and thirst for righteousness. There is a deep longing to do what is right and please God.

Out of this life will come a tenderness of heart from which flow mercy, compassion, and forgiveness.

Out of this life will come purity of heart—to will one thing, to move beyond the spiritual stagnation of double-mindedness that holds half to the world and half to Christ.

Out of this life will come a peaceable spirit. Peace in your own heart that makes it possible for you to be a peacemaker in this troubled world.

But not everyone will appreciate a peacemaker. Persecution will follow.

I remember one of my first sermons in preaching class. The assigned verse was from Psalm 73, a psalm by Asaph. In the psalm Asaph tells how he was jealous of the wicked who kept getting ahead.

4They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. 5They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills. (Psalm 73:4-5)

You may have noticed the same thing happening today. It seems like the wicked succeed while the righteous suffer. In the end Asaph says,

27Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. 28But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds. (Psalm 73:27-28)

The Beatitudes don’t make sense, at least not if we think like the world. But Jesus says that this is the life that leads to blessing. Blessed are:

the poor in spirit,

those who mourn,

the meek,

those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

the merciful,

the pure in heart,

the peacemakers, and

those who are persecuted because of righteousness

Let’s pray.