Matthew 5:1-11 - The Beatitudes

The Beatitudes' juice is worth the squeeze!

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Gospels: Week 4 - Kingdom Teaching and Parables

Matthew 5:1–11 (NASB95)

¹ When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.

² He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

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

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

⁵ “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. 

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 

⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 

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

⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

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

Canons of Dordt

Point 1, Article 12: The Assurance of Election

Assurance of their eternal and unchangeable election to salvation is given to the chosen in due time, though by various stages and in differing measure. Such assurance comes not by inquisitive searching into the hidden and deep things of God, but by noticing within themselves, with spiritual joy and holy delight, the unmistakable fruits of election pointed out in God’s Word—such as a true faith in Christ, a childlike fear of God, a godly sorrow for their sins, a hunger and thirst for righteousness, and so on.

Summary

Matthew 5 marks the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. This extended series of teachings touched on numerous spiritually relevant topics for the time, yet they remain just as relevant today.

The common cultural practice was for teachers to sit down while teaching. This is what we find Jesus doing at the opening of Matthew 5, he climbs the mountain and sits down in preparation for a time of teaching.

There is debate amongst scholars over whether Jesus is beginning one long teaching or a series of smaller sermons. Regardless of the number of teaching sessions represented in Matthew 5-7, we are blessed to still have access over 2000 years later to such a complete set of Jesus’ teachings.

The first teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is the Beatitudes, which are a series of “blessed are” statements. In today’s usage, being blessed is thought of as a state of gratitude, such as a picture of one’s family on social media with a #blessed in the description. While we are called to be grateful, the type of blessing described by the Beatitudes deals more with God’s approval and one’s spiritual well-being than a feeling of gratitude.

  Dig Deeper  

There is a great amount of humility demonstrated by those who are the recipients of the blessings described in the Beatitudes. For example, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Besides Jesus, everyone is prone to sin and therefore spiritually destitute. It is, however, those who recognize their spiritually impoverished state who will be blessed.

Likewise, Jesus teaches that those who mourn are blessed because they will be comforted. While in isolation these words might appear to speak of a person mourning the passing of a loved one, reading the Beatitudes together and in context leads to a different conclusion. By recognizing themselves as being poor in spirit, those who mourn over their sinful state will be comforted and blessed.

What is described in the Beatitudes are the characteristics of those who belong to the kingdom of heaven. Those who recognize and agonize over their sin. Those who are humble, merciful, and pure in heart. Those who are peacemakers, who endure persecution and false accusations. While these challenges will be faced by those who seek to enter the kingdom, Jesus’ promise is that they will likewise be blessed.

There is a saying used when determining life decisions, “is the juice worth the squeeze”. Is what you get out of it (the juice) worth the effort that you put in (the squeeze). Looking over this list of blessings, I would conclude that the juice is absolutely worth the squeeze. The blessings that God bestows upon those who by faith repent of their sin and live according to Jesus’ teachings are beyond anything you can find in this world.

If you find yourself in a time of struggle or hardship, remember the Beatitudes. Remember how God blesses those who struggle for their faith. While the struggle may be real, when it comes to Jesus “the juice is worth the squeeze”.

AAA Prayer (About)

• ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who through His Son perfectly shows us how to live a blessed life;

• ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that your life will be patterned after Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount;

• ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

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