The Beatitudes - Part 2
Scripture
Read Matthew
5:6-8
Study
Jesus went on
a mountainside with disciples to instruct them when he saw the
crowds. What he taught them the masses were likely unwilling to
accept. The Beatitudes are not for the spiritually immature but
they should be the standard for all true disciples of Jesus.
Those who
hunger for righteousness
There are
close similarities between those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness as to those who mourn. When Jesus wept, it was over
unbelief and unrighteousness. Likewise we should be upset when we
see the world falling apart at the seams because of sin. A hunger
for righteousness takes things one step further however. It is one
thing to be upset about something, it is an entirely different thing
to want to be a part of the solution. People who hunger for
righteousness aren’t content to just mourn the poor situation that
they’re in, they will go out and do all they can to bring about
change. This can be done in a number of ways: through politics,
civic organizations, or simply preaching the gospel.
It is easy to
recognize and complain about the problem – a true disciple hungers
for the solution and will work to see righteousness achieved.
The
merciful
It has been
said that mercy is for the weak but Jesus tells us just the
opposite. If we expect mercy, we should be merciful. This is much
the same way as we should be forgiving if we want to be forgiven.
Perhaps this could be considered a corollary on the golden rule.
That said,
mercy is also a spiritual gift that some have and others do not.
Some are naturally more merciful than others. This does not excuse
those who do not have the gift of mercy from being merciful
however. Those who lack mercy usually want to see people “get what
they deserve.” This is a natural human tendency but we should all
remember what we really deserve. “For the wages of sin is death…”
Thank God for His mercy that the verse doesn’t end there but
continues with “… but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord.”
The pure in
heart
Who are the pure
in heart?
Of all the
beatitudes, the pure in heart are the most difficult to define. It
is perhaps the most “ideal” of all as well. We won’t always be
merciful and we won’t always be peacemakers, but it is possible to
be that way most of the time. Pureness in heart, that’s more
difficult.
Jesus taught
that the Ten Commandments were broken not just when a physical act
had been done but whenever an attitude of the heart was committed.
A murderer does not have to kill someone but may just have an
attitude of hatred in their heart. Purity in heart encompasses so
much of what we do that Jesus may as well have said, “blessed are
those who don’t sin.” How many sinful acts do we commit that don’t
originate in the heart? And would a person who is pure in heart
then commit those sins?
Fortunately
there is hope. It would be difficult to describe David as a man who
was pure in heart when you concentrate on the sins he committed.
Nevertheless, he was a man after God’s own heart. Once again it
comes down to attitude. Our attitude can be, and often is, sinful.
But even when that occurs we can then have a repentant attitude that
strives for purity. David committed horrid acts of sin but his
cries of repentance show that although the flesh wins the occasional
battle against the spirit, the person whose heart is pure will win
the war and they will see God.
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