College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

Matthew 5:3-12

A. THE CHARACTER AND BLESSINGS OF THE WISE AND GODLY MAN

(Parallel: Luke 6:20-26)

TEXT: 5:3-12

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled,

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God,

10. Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness-' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11. Blessed are ye when men shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you,

THOUGHT QUESTIONS

a. Why do you suppose Jesus began this sermon this way?
b. Why does Jesus describe this type of character as blessed?
c. Is there any difference between the Wise and Godly Man and heathens who share some of these qualities? If so, what?

d. What is the antithesis in Jesus-' mind as He lists each of these qualities? This is one of the best ways to discover what He meant. e. What is the relationship between the salvation by grace of very undeserving sinners and the receiving of rewards on the basis of certain qualities one possesses, or on the basis of suffering for Jesus-' sake? If a man is saved without any regard to his personal merits (Romans 3:19-26; Ephesians 2:8-9) just because he accepted God's gracious offer, how is it possible to harmonize the idea of rewards?

f. Why is it always a mistake to overestimate one's sense of worthiness? The Pharisees thought that THEY, if anybody, should be the first to enter the kingdom, due to their obvious righteousness, But Jesus describes a character completely different from theirs. Where did they go wrong? (Cf. Romans 12:3; 2 Corinthians 10:7-18)

g. Why do you suppose the meek, the gentle, courteous, unassuming people are usually more highly esteemed than the selfish, calculating status-seekers?
h. In what way are the Beatitudes the description of an ideal Christian?
i. Summing up the rewards promised in the Beatitudes, what is the great reward Jesus is promising? Would you say that this reward would satisfy?
j. Is it possible for the natural man, that is, one who is not a disciple of Jesus, to be all that the Beatitudes require? How is it possible for the Christian to be everything that Jesus mentions here?

Since each of the Beatitudes mentions an attitude of heart, how does Jesus intend that these Beatitudes shall be understood and applied?

What are the real motives for my actions? Are there two motives behind each of my good deeds: the reason I want others to know, plus my real motive? What makes me do what good I do to others?

(1) Is it hope for financial gain or reimbursement (Cf. Acts 24:24-26; Luke 9:57-58)

(2) Is it applause, thanks or praise that I seek? (Colossians 3:22; John 5:44; John 12:43; Luke 17:7-10; Matthew 23:5-7)

(3) love of self display (3 John 1:9; Matthew 6:1-18; Luke 14:7-11; Luke 11:43)

(4) Maintaining my social respectability? (Matthew 16:1; Matthew 21:23; Luke 14:12-14; John 11:48; John 12:43)

(5) To gain a sense of superiority over others who would not stoop to such a humble task?

(6) Self-righteous pride? (Cf. Luke 18:9-14)

(7) Hopes of national glory? (Matthew 16:21-22; John 6:14-15)

Is self-defence or the defence of one's family, one's country or of a threatened portion of fellow humans forbidden to the peacemaker? Must the peacemaker allow the basest, most brutal men rule the world by beatings, torture chambers and mass execution?

PARAPHRASE AND HARMONY

How well off are you who know that you are poor in spiritual things, as well as materially (Luke 6:20): the kingdom of God is yours!

How blest are those who know what sorrow means, because they are in a position to receive consolation and courage!

Happy are those of a gentle spirit, who claim nothing of their own rights, for the whole earth will belong to them!

Blessed are you who are hungering and thirsting for that character which is God's own righteousness: you shall be fully satisfied!

How happy are you that weep now, for you are going to laugh!

How blest are they who show mercy to others, for they will have mercy shown them!

Happy are those whose hearts are pure, those who are completely sincere, for they shall see God!

Happy are those who work to produce peace in human society, peace between God and man and peace with man himself: these will be known as God-s sons.

How blest are they who have suffered persecution for the cause of righteousness! The kingdom of God belongs to such as they.

Indeed what happiness will be yours when men hate you and turn you out of their company, when you suffer insults and persecution, when they slander you and despise all that you stand for, because you are loyal to the Son of man! Accept it with gladness and rejoicing, for your reward in heaven will be magnificent. This is the way men persecuted God's spokesmen, the prophets, before your time.

But alas for you who are rich, for you are in little position to receive further comfort! (Luke 6:24)

How miserable are you who have all you want, for you can only return to hunger! (Luke 6:25)

A curse on you who are laughing now, for you will learn sorrow and tears! (Luke 6:25)

Woe to you when everybody is saying nice things about you, for that is exactly the manner in which their fathers treated the false prophets! (Luke 6:26)

NOTES

Matthew 5:3 Blessed. In the introductory notes, see the special study: Jesus-' Purpose. The word (makarios) denotes: happy, blessed, fortunate and connotes: well off, thriving, prosperous, in good condition. Sometimes the word describes a pleasant state of feeling, on the part of the person thus described. But it will be seen that Jesus is talking about happiness from His ideal point of view. The conditions that Jesus represents as blessed are those which his listeners had always considered as curses. Thus, He clearly intends to surprise and whet their interest with these unexpected lightning bolts from heaven. The beatitudes are paradoxes in that they declare as being truly well off the man who, from the ordinary point of view and perhaps in his own opinion, seems to be most unfortunate. But Jesus refers to man's true well-being which can often be opposed to his apparent well-being. This surprising opening of His sermon secured to Jesus the attention to the whole message! Though these beatitudes are flat contradictions of the common world view, they demonstrate themselves in actual practice to be unquestionably true.

In saying where true happiness lies, Jesus is not suggesting that either pleasure or pain arc the true criteria of right and wrong. Rather He emphatically insists that the ultimate results of right-doing are ultimately pleasant, while those of wrong-doing are finally painful, even though the intermediate plight of the godly man may be torment and trouble and the case of the wicked nothing but sumptuous comfort. These blesseds are another of Jesus-' attempts to get man's eye off the glamor and glitter of this age that blinds him to the more concrete realities of the Kingdom of God in its practical aspects for this age as well as its promised delight in eternity. Jesus wastes no time: beginning by contradicting all points of man's basic philosophy, or world-view, He lays down the challenge, Whose world is real? He immediately marks Himself a blind fool, at worst, or an idealistic dreamer, at best, if He cannot really see beyond the limits of this epoch and declare with divine authority the true outcomes of the contradictory ethics of this world-life. While many of the beatitudes have present joys attached to them, yet most of them have double intent that reaches beyond this life. But flatly contradicting the common world-view, Jesus is announcing: Only my world is real. That human world-view is mistaken which declares as happy the rich, the oppressors, the proud, the arrogant, the self-centered, the fully satisfied! How beautifully James (James 3:13-18) makes this point!

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let his good life give practical proof of it by deeds wrought with the meekness born of wisdom. But if there is bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast or deny the truth, for this is not a wisdom that comes down from above. Rather, it is earthbound, physical (as opposed to spiritual) and diabolical. For wherever you find jealousy and selfish ambition, you will also have disorder and all kinds of evil practices. But, on the other hand, the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, rich in mercy and good fruits, straightforward and unhypocritical.

He merely seconds Jesus-' remarks by stating that true wisdom lies in being everything Jesus described in these beatitudes.

From the first word of the beatitudes to the last resounding illustration, Jesus-' message draws black-and-white contrasts between the true nature of the expected Kingdom and true righteousness, and the popular expectations and views arising out of the Mosaic system and the Pharisaic philosophy.

The most striking contrast with the Mosaic system can be seen by remembering how important the rite of circumcision is to any adequate concept of the system. (Cf. Acts 15; Romans 2:25-28; Romans 4:9-12; Galatians 5:3-6; Ephesians 2:11-12; Colossians 2:11-13) But circumcision is completely ignored by Jesus as completely incongruous with the entire plan of God for His kingdom. No Jew could have imagined the Messiah's leaving out such a beatitude as: Blessed are the circumcised, for no uncircumcized persons shall enter the kingdom of heaven, Not one external rite is ever brought forward. Jesus-' silence is most

significant.

But the most remarkable collisions occurred when Jesus-' religion collided with the current views of the Pharisees, Before raising the standard of acceptable righteousness to the level of absolute perfection (Cf. Matthew 5:48; Romans 13:8-10), far beyond the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus pronounced as blessed at the very outset those who were not perfect: the spiritually bankrupt, the mourning, the humble, those hungering for righteousness. The Lord could just as easily have said, BLESSED ARE THE SINNERS, for they shall see God, receive mercy, enter the Kingdom and be called God's sons, Such a beatitude, while completely expressive of the genius of Christianity, yet might have scandalized the audience because of its apparently contradictory nature. This beatitude shocks because it refutes all other religions which bless those fortunate few who have struggled up an endless number of steps toward perfection by the strength of their own moral energies. But Jesus, in blessing the imperfect, destroys all hope for the self-righteous. Here Jesus is teaching the doctrine most offensive and unacceptable to the world: good men are going to hell, but wicked wretches God can save! (Study Revelation 3:17-18) A man is never so well off as when he admits to himself that he is poor, blind, naked, destitute and morally wretched, because only then can he learn what God can do with him.

Blessed are the poor, not only in spirit but also in purse! (Cf. Luke 6:20) Woe to you that are rich! (Luke 6:24) Jesus well knew that it would not be wealth as such that would hinder the entrance of the rich into His kingdom, but its religio-ethical effects upon their character. (Cf. Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 12:41-44; Luke 12:13-21; 1 Timothy 6:6-10; 1 Timothy 6:17-19) But naked poverty as such does not automatically bring the destitute into the kingdom either. However, actual poverty, sorrow and hunger have real religious and ethical effects upon the poor, if they be taken as opportunities for the exercise of internal virtues. Jesus is not pronouncing a blessing upon an economic situation where people have not enough food to eat or are forced to live in slums. Rather, He encourages those in that unfortunate condition to be assured that they ARE the objects of God's concern. Both Matthew and Luke emphasize this extreme destitution by not using the usual word for a poor man (penes or penichros) who is so poor that he must struggle to exist on his scanty daily wage. Instead they use a word (ptochos) which may mean simply poor, but commonly signifies dependent upon others for support. It speaks of one deeply conscious of his need.

This opening salvo fired by Jesus at one of the most popular expectations of the Jews, that in the messianic kingdom all would be wealthy, must have dumfounded the audience, They had learned to think that wealth was the peculiar demonstration of God's blessing and favor. Here, however, Jesus is exclaiming, The highborn, the wealthy, the privileged are not necessarily the favorites of God. Nor do they have first rights to the kingdom before others. Too often they are oppressors, exploiters, worshippers of mammon, proud, idle, vain, self-indulgent, self-centered, cruel and callous. (Note James 2:1-7; James 5:1-6) To those of this character God's Kingdom is closed! Even if genuinely good people, the rich have the temptation to put their wealth before their allegiance to Jesus. (Cf. Matthew 19:16-22) Here and there Jesus found a Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10), a Joanna (Luke 8:3), or a Joseph of Arimathea (Matthew 27:57) who were willing followers, but more often than not the rich proved to be His enemies (Luke 16:14) and oppressed His followers (James 2:6; James 5:1-6).

James puts this beatitude in these terms: Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like the flower of the grass he will pass away. (James 1:9-10) By putting it this way, James emphasizes the spiritual relationship of wealth and poverty upon man's spiritual welfare. This explains why Jesus said (according to Matthew), Blessed are the poor in spirit. The man who is really well-off in Jesus-' estimation is he who knows that he is spiritually bankrupt. He has plumbed the depths of his heart and found nothing there that had any real value. This man has reached his own point of despair: he has realized his own utter helplessness, Only he can be helped who knows that mere things are quite incapable of bringing him happiness and security. How deep is the poverty of soul of the rich man when he must face the sudden realization that he has no treasure in heaven and is not rich toward God. But wealth tends to hide from the rich man his true spiritual condition to the point that he will never come to Jesus for the true wealth. This explains Jesus-' warning, Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation, you have all that you are going to get! (Luke 6:24)

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Jesus is trying to GIVE away the Kingdom to those who want it on His terms (cf. vv. 10, 20). But His terms demand that all comers admit their deep spiritual poverty and their dire need of His wealth (Luke 12:32-34), their need to start all over by receiving from Him (John 3:1-5). This way, proud, self-righteous spirits would not be at all suited for the kingdom (Matthew 18:3-4; Mark 10:15), In fact, look who accepted the gospel: people who realized their destitute condition and were ready to listen to the Lord and accept His gracious help on His terms. (Cf. 1 Corinthians 1:26 ff) This is the beginning of faith and the power behind true repentance.

Matthew 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn. The ability to mourn is a mark of character, Remember Peter after he denied Jesus (Matthew 26:75); Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:35); Jesus in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37-38); Isaiah and Jeremiah at the sins of Israel (Isaiah 22:4; Jeremiah 9:1; Lamentations) and countless others. Men mourn because they have loved deeply and lost, Woe to him whose heart is so selfish that it is incapable of feeling grief! The tearless eye and the thoughtless heart are themselves causes for deep mourning. This explains Jesus-' gladness to see a man weep. (Study Ezekiel 9:3-6; Amos 6:6)

Within what frame of reference does Jesus pronounce this blessing? The whole impact of the Sermon commands the merely interested to become Jesus-' disciples, if they would enjoy the true righteousness and the happiness He offers. Therefore, the two keys which open this blessing to our understanding are the recognition of the true origin of sorrow and the recognition of the true source of the blessing. Sin causes all grief, by one means or another, among both disciples and non-disciples alike. That is, mourning might be animated by the recognition of sin in one's self or by the shock of what it does to God and one's fellows. It could be the heartbreak, the shattered dreams that come from the sins of others. But hopeless, unrelieved grief will never find comfort, only death. (Cf. 2 Corinthians 7:10 b; 1 Thessalonians 4:13) Further, the grief or mourning that is meant must be understood in a sense consistent with Jesus-' ethic. It cannot be the frustrated distress of the man too old or sick to continue his revelry, nor the anguish of the robber who learns that he overlooked more than he stole, nor the shabby penitence of the man who got caught in the act of some sin but cares little about the moral consequences of his deed.

Jesus offers Himself and His message (cf. Matthew 11:28-29) as the only true source of hope and blessing to those who grieve. It may well be that they have yet no adequate concept of the true cause of their grief nor of a remedy for its comfort. But before Jesus will relieve them, He incites in their soul the consciousness of sin and the deep need to repent. Out of their encounter with Jesus will come such earnestness, such eagerness to clear oneself, such indignation and alarm, such zeal and correction of sin that the sorrowing will put themselves in a correct position to be comforted by Jesus. Those who fail to regard sin rightly will also have little regard for Jesus-' method of dealing with the sorrow.

Another paraphrase of this word of Jesus might be: Blessed are those who are ripped and torn by their struggles with human sorrow, for they are in a position to be encouraged. It is not the man who lives in a state of constant joy or receives all of this world's comforts that can know what true strengthening is.

They shall be comforted! This was Jesus-' business (Isaiah 61:1-2), for He came to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable. (Cf. James 4:9) Not all the comfort is realized in the next world (Revelation 7:17; Revelation 21:3-4), but is intended to empower us to face this one. Comforted (paraklethesontai) does not mean that the sorrowing shall be anesthetized to the point that they will not feel their suffering or pain. Rather, it means that they will be strengthened, braced up, encouraged or cheered up to face the situation worthily as a disciple of the Lord.

Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep! (Luke 6:25 b) This is the other side of the coin. There were undoubtedly clever ones who sought their amusement in ridicule of Jesus and His followers. There were others who would not take Jesus seriously, but they would not get the last laugh! (Note Psalms 2, esp. Psalms 2:4; Psalms 37:12-13) Then there are those who are so shallow of character as to have no conscience. They cannot feel it in them to mourn about anything. To them, life is one grand comedy of laughs. Nothing is to be taken too seriously. The tragedy is that these clowns will mistake the one serious issue of all of life: what to do with Jesus.

Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek. Other translations for meek (praus) are gentle, humble, considerate, unassuming, courteous. It indicates that forbearance and consideration for others that is willing to waive its rights if by so doing the good of others can be advanced, Obviously, it is the opposite quality to arrogance and violence which seek to dominate others because of an insatiable drive for power that is willing to crush any and all opponents in the drive to realize that goal. Men are haughty and proud because of what they think themselves to be, or because of what they think that they by rights must possess, Thus, they think it one of the necessary sacrifices of the struggle to trample upon the heads of others in their race for control. But men who are truly meek already know that they are poor spiritually and have little reason thus to presume. This beatitude, a paradoxical shocker, carries this message: not the violently self-assertive but the considerate and unassuming will finally have possession of the earth! To the humble man who is wise enough to see it, Jesus is pronouncing the end of the competition in that futile social climbing where the selfish elbow their way to gain their rightful place in the sun.

But the meek are not weak by any means! To hold one's emotions in check while the rest of one's society battles its way to the top in that heady contest, is not child's play. Often more strength is required to stay out of these rivalries than to join.

This word of Jesus does everything but cheer the hopes of those fierce nationalists who were itching for Roman blood in the realization of their dreams of a messianic kingdom that would proudly dominate the entire non-Jewish world. But even the cooler heads could not envision any other interpretation of the old prophets than this: Blessed is my people Israel: for they shall dominate the earth by right of inheritance. The Gentiles were created merely to serve Israel.

O the wisdom of Jesus-' words!-' Has it not ever been true that the most enduring power over men's hearts has been gained by serving them in that selfless help that frees the oppressed and raises the fallen? What masterful sway Jesus holds over men today just because He chose not to rule the world by cold steel and an iron fist! He chose rather the path of gentle courtesy and unselfish giving and how many would not joyfully accept the plundering of their property or public abuse and affliction for His sake? Jesus was meek (Matthew 11:29), and the earth became His to rule. (Philippians 2:5-11; Ephesians 1:19-22)

But meekness does not always require the surrender of one's rights. Jesus and Paul both asserted their rights, without trampling upon those of others. (Cf. John 18:19-23; Acts 16:37; Acts 22:25 ff) Other examples are Paul's not demanding a salary (1 Corinthians 9:1-18; 2 Corinthians 11:7-10); Peter before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4); Stephen before that council (Acts 7); and, Moses as he stood before Pharaoh and before Israel (Exodus 4 to the end of Moses-' life; Numbers 12:3).

Those who fall heir to the earth are and always have been those that God could teach. Without real humility a man cannot learn, since the prerequisite of learning is the admission of one's own ignorance. For other study of meekness compare: Romans 12:3; Romans 12:10; Romans 12:12; Romans 12:16-21; 2 Corinthians 10:1; Galatians 5:22-23; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:12; 2 Timothy 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; James 1:21; James 3:13; 1 Peter 3:4; 1 Peter 3:15-16; 1 Peter 5:6.

For they shall inherit the earth. If earth (gen) be translated land, the beatitude better adapts itself to the Jewish association of ideas. A study of Psalms 37:9; Psalms 37:11; Psalms 37:22; Psalms 37:29; Psalms 37:34 will demonstrate that this phrase is almost a proverbial expression for the highest of blessings, although, literally, any Jew would quite readily and rightly have understood it to mean the promised possession which was the land of Palestine. (Cf. Genesis 15:7-8; Genesis 28:4; Exodus 32:13; Leviticus 20:24; Deuteronomy 16:20; Psalms 25:13; Psalms 69:36; Isaiah 57:13; Isaiah 60:21; Isaiah 65:9; Ezekiel 33:23-29) But only the blindest would fail to see that the whole tenor of such Psalms emphasized the truth that man's highest joys are realized only in God's presence. This means that man must be ready to move with God from His revelation of a --promised land, which might mean a small tract of land on the eastern Mediterranean coast, to His revelation of a promised earth. (2 Peter 3:13) So, as Jesus makes this announcement of the true and appropriate disposition of the Father's goods, He holds out no hope for the crass, carnal dreams of the majority of His people. Yet He justified to the letter the keen spiritual insight of the true Israel.

How do the meek inherit the earth?

1. They enjoy it more fully in this life. Why?

a. Because, more than any others, they enjoy whatever God sends. The wicked, in their rush to possess, usually miss or overlook the best of this world, or else, having seen it, they refuse to pay the price to gain it, or having gained it, they are miserable,

b. Because their character guarantees to them a greater measure of peace and stability. Their calmness allows time for better judgment, their contentment assures their safety under law, and their sense of justice builds confidence.

c. Because they are stable of character, they can become the wise advisors to rulers who listen, (Cf. Daniel and his three friends, Daniel 1-3; Daniel 6:1)

They will inherit the new earth. (2 Peter 3:13) This promise means the end of the present competition with the greedy, the cruel, the proud and the selfish, for all that they sought to amass for themselves for eternity will finally be the true possession of the humble.

The irony is complete: they who struggle most feverishly, in the end lose it all, while they who cheerfully, generously and humbly seek the good of others inherit it all!

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they who are hungering and thirsting after righteousness. Observe the present participles (peinontes, dipsontes) for they probably express a continuing, constantly-felt longing. Jesus challenges our real desire for goodness: Are you so intensely and sharply pained by your need of true righteousness that you would die unless you get it? Just how badly do you want to be righteous? (See Matthew 13:44-46) Such questions criticize our satisfaction with partial goodness, half-way accomplishment and partly-kept promises to be good. Jesus cannot leave men in peace if He is to convert them. The self-sufficient, the smugly self-complacent and the self-righteous are the only people on earth beyond the help of God. Jesus bestows the favor of God upon those who are bitterly dissatisfied with themselves, discontent and broken by their sense of need for righteousness. A full man feels no need to eat or drink (Luke 6:25). This is why Jesus expressed His horror of that self-contentment that inevitably deals a death blow to any possibility of development or improvement. A man's moral health and personal righteousness really depend upon whether he thinks himself to have arrived at a satisfactory perfection: if he has arrived, he has not! A classic example to study: Luke 18:9-14.

They shall be filled. Here is a hint at the most basic doctrine of Christ's religion: justification by faith. If righteousness be so desired as hunger and thirst seek their respective satisfactions, then the seeker's imperfections and need for righteousness are confessed. Such a tormenting hunger for a right character or right standing before God must, by its nature, admit the faulty character and dangerous position of those thus tortured. This beatitude also hints that the blessing of filling comes from without and is unconnected with the relative merits of the recipient. How can that man who is already righteous in his own eyes, already filled and perfected by his own strength. find joy in Jesus-' promise? God is glad to impute righteousness to the man who comes to Him for filling (Romans 4:23-25; Romans 5:1-11), but he who thus comes will be one humbled by his continuing and increasing sense of need.

Paradoxically, this beatitude promises satisfaction in a matter in which satisfaction seems impossible: can we ever get to be righteous enough? But Jesus promises satisfaction, not satiation which destroys interest or desire. Since, elsewhere in the Sermon, Jesus defines and illustrates the true righteousness of God, that may reflect back on this beatitude, suggesting that Jesus means here: Those who seek my kind of righteousness will actually find it. He who trusts himself to my leadership will arrive at his destination, which, if he follows the best of modern scholarly opinion on the subject, he will never see! Jesus Himself is God's answer to our deepest need for righteousness. We must come to Him as empty pitchers to a full fountain to be filled. God's ability to supply always exceeds our demand, but He supplies in proportion to our demand. Thus, God judges us by the dreams that drive us, quite as much as by our few accomplishments. If we keep our zest for godly living, our enthusiasm for being His and doing His will, He will see to it that we have the strength and opportunity to be truly righteous, and best of all, His forgiveness when we fail. Thus, His filling is in a large measure based upon our putting ourselves in a position to be filled.

There is a sense in which it might be said that the entire world is hungering and thirsting for righteousness because of its obvious need. But the world is not blessed until it comes to Jesus (John 4:13-14; John 6:27 ff; John 7:37-39; Romans 10:1-4) who is all the righteousness that is needed (1 Corinthians 1:30).

Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful. What a contradiction of the dreams of the Jewish freedom fighters whose aspirations offered little mercy to the enemy! How this dashed the plans of the self-aggrandizing who sought prestige, wealth and power at the expense of others! How this unmasked the hypocrisy of those who show mercy only to friends or family but are basically unsympathetic to human needs beyond the limited circle of those who can easily reciprocate this mercy! (Luke 10:25-37)

Again, this beatitude tends to shake the self-confidence by delivering God's sentence against every concept of heartless legalism. The man who regards his relationship to God as a matter of piling up merit by doing a certain number of religious acts with a view to his purchase of heaven, may well be treating his fellow man with that same, exacting, pound-for-pound justice, Is it not a structural weakness of the extremely pious also to be utterly pitiless in their dealings with others? At least the self-righteous tend to show this fatal defect of being exceedingly critical of others who have not arrived at their superior standard, so critical to the point of considering it as rendering service to God to show no mercy to them! (Cf. Matthew 18:21-35; John 16:2; James 4:11-12; also Matthew 9:13; Matthew 12:7).

But God condemned all unmercifulness, because it assumes a position of absolute righteousness and perfect justice, a position which a sinner does not occupy, An unmerciful sinner is just a hypocrite. Unmercifulness shows itself in partiality (Luke 6:32-37; James 2:1-13), selfish orthodoxy (James 2:14-17; 1 John 3:16-18) and harsh judgment (Matthew 7:2).

Service most pleasing to God is not merely outward ritual, in which the unmerciful legalist may pride himself, but godlike dealing with our weak, sinful fellow humans. God commanded certain rituals to enable sinners to partake of His merciful forgiveness. But by these rituals God has always intended that man should learn to BE merciful. Any religionist, who can be unmerciful with those who have not his same apprehension of the rituals or his understanding of the doctrines or his own religious stature, possesses a FALSE religion, according to Jesus. (Matthew 9:9-13; Matthew 12:1-14) It should be no wonder that Jesus views deeds of true mercy to others as done (or not done) to Himself (Matthew 25:34-46; cf. Proverbs 19:17).

How does mercy itself?

By gentleness with sinners (Hebrews 4:14 to Hebrews 5:3; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 5:32), or with those who Christian convictions are different (Romans 14:1 to Romans 15:7; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; 1 Corinthians 10:23 to 1 Corinthians 11:1), or with those whose religious tenets are wrong (2 Timothy 2:24-26), or with those whose religious connections are merely different (Mark 9:38-41; Acts 11:19-24; Acts 9:26-28)

By helpfulness to those who need help (Psalms 41:1-3; Psalms 37:21; Psalms 37:25-26; Luke 6:34-36; Luke 6:38; Luke 10:37; Luke 14:12-14; Acts 11:27-30)

By forgiveness (Proverbs 19:11; Genesis 50:17-21; Numbers 12:1-13; Matthew 18:15-35; Luke 17:3-4; Acts 7:60)

Can you think of other ways in which we can be merciful?

But beware of substitutes for Christian mercy! Godly mercy cannot mean connivance with sin. Mercy becomes only sentimental softness or careless indulgence when it ignores justice. Justice and mercy are not mutually exclusive. (Cf. Matthew 23:23; Romans 3:23-26) Christian mercy must justly condemn sin in order to save the sinner. The most merciful act one can do for a sinner is to cause him to acknowledge his sin, break his heart and lead to repent. Analyze Nathan's strategy when he compassionately applied the divine scalpel to David-s heinous sin. (2 Samuel 12:1-15) Mercy that slurs over the cruelty and the wrong which men afflict on others, as things merely to be forgiven and forgotten, is a grotesque, immoral caricature of the genuine thing. Christian mercy involves compassion for the sinner, but severity to the sin.

Another substitute for Christian mercy is mere pity, that natural tenderness of heart which may be but an unreasoning impulse. Christian clemency is actuated by principle, not merely emotion, and must be just. Because mercy is the right hand of love, it always seeks intelligently to do what is in the other person's best interest, fully knowing that they may be ungrateful and selfish, unjust and evil (Matthew 5:45; Luke 6:35).

For they shall obtain mercy from God and their fellows. Showing mercy to others tends to awaken the same spirit in them, stimulating them to be lenient. The merciful man does good to his own soul; but he that is cruel troubles his own flesh. (Proverbs 11:17) Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry, but shall not be heard. (Proverbs 21:13) The unmerciful cannot expect but the same treatment in return. (Luke 6:32-38)

The stunning truth of Christianity which makes it a unique religion is that, according to Jesus, God lets man determine the rigor with which the standard is to be applied! God will deal with us just as we would treat others. (Matthew 7:2; Matthew 6:12; Matthew 6:14; Matthew 10:40-42; Matthew 18:35; Matthew 25:31-46; cf. 2 Timothy 1:16-18; 2 Samuel 22:26; Psalms 112:4-6; Psalms 112:9) There is absolutely no way for man to be merciful to God. Man must show himself compassionate, lenient, generous and forgiving to his peers, God will mitigate or intensify the demands of absolute justice with the individual on the basis of his conduct in this very matter with his fellows. What a terrible prospect of merciless judgment faces him who has shown no mercy! But to him who has been merciful, even the unchanging demands of perfect justice bow to the mercy of God. (James 2:13) For the delight of your spiritual life and a model of devotional excellence, ponder that great hymn to the mercy of God, Psalms 103.

This beatitude is another hint at the grace of God. Jesus speaks as though men are going to NEED mercy, suggesting that none will really be able to earn their right to God's kingdom. Happy is that man who admits .to himself that he is a sinner and never arrogates to himself the position of unrelenting Judge, but is continually liberal with his compassion, intelligent with his leniency, ready to forgive, for God enjoys forgiving that kind of man.

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart. Whether the Jews caught the point of the beatitude may be questioned, but a moment's reflection reveals that Jesus is attacking all purely external religion. He is combatting the most cherished ideas of the Pharisees and cannot help but arouse their antagonism by such speech. These are fighting words which will be repeated with increasing intensity and frequency. (Cf. Matthew 5:20; Matthew 6:2-18; Matthew 7:15-23; Matthew 12:33-37; Matthew 15:1-20; Matthew 23:1-36) Ceremonial purity, secured by numerous washings, by avoiding contact with certain contaminating objects such as corpses and non-Jews, by abstinence from certain foods, does not qualify for fellowship with God anyone whose HEART is contaminated! (Proverbs 15:8; Proverbs 21:3; Proverbs 27; 1 Samuel 15:22; I Psa. 51:16-17; Isaiah 1:11-20 Micah 6:7-8) Those who shall be permitted a ready audience of the King Himself, are not those who punctiliously perform but those who are personally pure. (Psalms 15:1-5; Psalms 24:3-6; Proverbs 22:11) Jesus-' challenged to His and any age is simply: HOW very badly do you want to see God? Are you willing, then, to open up your inmost thoughts, your best-hidden desires, your secret designs for the inspection of God? How happy is that man who so lives that at any moment he could bare his heart to the eye of God without shame. Who is willing to pay this price to enter the kingdom? Jesus is keenly interested in the quality of a man's inmost being. (Cf. Matthew 5:28; Matthew 6:21; Matthew 13:1-9; Matthew 13:18-23; Matthew 15:8; Matthew 15:18-19; Mark 3:5; Mark 11:23; Luke 16:15; Luke 21:34)

But the corruption and filth of the human heart does not permit such an exposure to those who are honest with themselves. We often have two motives behind each of our good deeds: the one we want others to know and the real one by which we profit from the deed. And, try as we might, we cannot quite succeed in living on that level where all our actions exactly represent our true desires. But Jesus did not leave man to grovel in his impurity, for He provided the means by which man can be reborn (John 3:3-5; Titus 2:14; Titus 3:5) and become a completely new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). By cleansing the heart by faith. Jesus arrives at a moral condition that no legal system, governing merely external conduct, could produce. (Cf. Acts 15:9; 1 Peter 1:22). Jesus aims His teaching at the selfish sentiments, the distorted conscience and the obstinent will, for everything else emanates from these sources. (Proverbs 4:23; Matthew 12:34-37; Matthew 15:8; Matthew 15:18-19) (Cf. Psalms 51; John 15:3; 1 Timothy 1:5; 1 Timothy 3:9; 2 Timothy 1:3; 2 Timothy 2:22; Titus 1:15; James 1:27;

Happy is the man whose heart has been cleansed! Hebrews 2:17-18; Hebrews 4:14-16; Hebrews 9:14)

How does purity of heart manifest itself?

Chastity of a mind so clean that lust cannot live (Matthew 5:28)

Basic honesty so well-known that oaths are unnecessary (Matthew 5:33-37) and worship and service becomes real (Matthew 6:1-18)

Intelligent love so perfect that hate, anger, contempt (Matthew 5:22 ff), personal retaliation (Matthew 5:39-42) and partiality (Matthew 5:44-48) have no place in the pure heart.

Singleness of mind so completely confident of God's provision that worry and materialism are impossible (James 4:8; see notes on Matthew 6:19-24)

It is that singleness of mind and purpose that owns only one Master (Matthew 6:22-24)

In short, it is that freedom from all thoughts, motives and intentions

behind conduct that defile man and cut him off from God's fellowship.

For they shall see God. (Cf. Hebrews 12:14; 1 John 3:2-3; Revelation 22:4; Psalms 51:7-11) Faith and a regenerated heart help man to see God (Ephesians 1:17 ff; Romans 5:1 ff; 2 Corinthians 3:12 to 2 Corinthians 4:6). We see only what we are able to see. By keeping our heart pure, we are now training ourselves to see God, or else if we refuse to submit to this discipline, we shall never be able fully to see Him.

This proposition is historically true: only those, whose hearts were bent upon doing God-s will, saw God in Jesus. The rest did nor. Yet, any who saw Jesus should have seen God. (John 10:30; John 14:9) Why did the rest fail to see Him? Because they already had their minds made up about what God had to be, say and do, So when God came walking among them in the person of Jesus, they frankly did not recognize Him. They had been unwilling to submit to God-s will, for they really served sin (John 8:31-47). Thus, they heard no echoes of the Father's voice in the tones of Jesus, because they did not really know the Father. (John 5:38-47; John 7:17)

What Jesus declares rings true psychologically: those who have not spent the whole of their life energies seeking God-s approval, would not be happy to see Him anyhow. Even admission into the presence of our glorious and holy God would be hellish torment to those whose hearts are contaminated. Therefore, God, in banishing the wicked from His presence forever, is but mercifully conceding them their last wish! The impure in heart shall not see God.-'-'

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers. To those arrogant Jews who expected God's Messiah to wage war, leaving all Gentile nations grovelling subjects of Israel, this beatitude must have come as a shock. Those who secretly nourished the hope that Jesus would help them realize all their fiercely nationalistic ambitions against the world must have felt keenly disappointed. (Note John 6:14-15) Jesus clearly announces a spiritual kinship to God which is not a question of nationality, social standards, economic position or bloodline descent. It is a matter of spiritual likeness to God. (Romans 8:14; Romans 15:33; Matthew 5:44-45) God's sons are not the warlike, yearning to assert their political supremacy over the rest of the world, but those who labor to create peace. Observe that Jesus said peacemakers, nor peace lovers. He wants His disciples to be active promoters of peace, not merely peaceable men. The peacemaker does not fold his hands, but he rolls up his sleeves. (Hebrews 12:14)

This beatitude is a trumpet-call to war, however to battle on quite another front than the usual one. Jesus is challenging the deepest commitment and the basic sincerity of each disciple: Are you willing to stick your neck out, to get involved in the troubles of others, to risk the loss of your personal tranquility? Are you so convinced of the value of human brotherhood that no cost is too high to bring about justice and peace in any situation where men strive with their fellows? The Lord is appealing to man's fighting heart, that hero in the soul of each of us, to get involved in this warfare for peace.

But Jesus-' peace corps volunteers are those who share His worldview and seek the peace on His terms. This means fighting with spiritual weapons against SIN (James 4:1-5), the real cause of strife, bitterness, hate and war. (Ephesians 6:10-18; 2 Corinthians 10:2-5) It means waging war not upon mere ignorance but rather ignorance of God (Hosea 4:1-2; Hosea 4:6), not upon mere poverty of purse but poverty of soul. It means not merely to seek to bring about an absence of hostilities, but to teach men to love one another. It cannot mean anesthetizing men into tranquil self-satisfaction in sin; it must mean bringing rebels to their knees before God, seeking to be reconciled to Him on His terms. In His peacemaking mission, Jesus lost His life (Ephesians 2:14-17) and, in the strife against sin, His disciple may not expect to fare any better (Hebrews 12:2-4; Matthew 10:34 ff). Obviously, the Christian cannot make his peace with the world without risking his peace with God (James 4:4), so he must not seek a peace at any price. Rather, he must sow for a harvest of righteousness. (James 3:18)

Jesus does not hereby justify mere pacificism, for this usually means opposition to war or to the use of military force for any purpose, or that attitude of mind which opposes all war and advocates settlement of every international dispute entirely by arbitration. He is, first of all, discussing His ideal disciple, not establishing rules for international control of nations or power-groups who do not acknowledge His authority. For Jesus-' disciple to refuse to take part in an aggressive war is in perfect accord with Jesus spirit here expressed. But Satan still commands enough powerful forces in the world to threaten world domination at the expense of the rest of humanity. For the Christian to adopt a policy of opposition to war with those tyrants who would suppress all opinions but their own, is to betray the rest of humanity into their hands. Paul, on the other hand, defends the right of governments to use force to maintain a just order; this he does on the basis of the declaration that God Himself has given that right (Romans 13:1-7). Not one centurion was instructed to forsake the army to demonstrate the reality of his faith in Jesus or the genuineness of his repentance (Matthew 8:5-13; Acts 10:11); likewise for the common soldiers (Luke 3:14). Even the attempt to arbitrate every international dispute by use of the conference table often fails, because of the unchangeable desire of one power to rule the world. The difficulty with idealistic pacifism is that it naively assumes that all men are inspired by the same high ideals. Is it loving one's neighbor to stand idly by doing nothing while another hacks him to pieces? (See notes on Matthew 5:38-48) Peacemaking, considered on the state or international level, is basically beyond the scope of this beatitude for two reasons: first, true peace on earth is impossible where sin reigns; second, the only effective means of removing sin is by conversion through the gospel of Jesus, and this can be applied only at the level of the individual, If the morality of Jesus, which He aimed at the individual, be applied on the level of unconverted society, the result will be disastrous: the structure of society will be destroyed by the unconverted who take advantage of the non-resistance offered by the rest of society, and the ethic of Jesus (thus wrongly understood and applied) will be either reduced to an ineffective whisper, or else laughed off the human stage as completely unworthy of further consideration.

How does one go about making peace?

He must first be a man in whom bitterness and strife cannot dwell and, in consequence of his character, a man whom men can trust to be fair. (Luke 6:35; 2 Timothy 2:24-26; James 3:13-17)

Then he can bridge the distance between the antagonists. (Matthew 18:15-35; Philippians 4:2-3; Philemon; Ephesians 2:11-18)

He can heal the break by rebuilding the human concern for one another. (Cf. Acts 7:26; Romans 15:25-31; 2 Corinthians 9:12-14)

He must be thoroughly impartial: perfectly just in seeking and removing the cause of estrangement but thoroughly merciful with the persons involved. (Galatians 2:11 f; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Philippians 2:1-10)

For they shall be called sons of God. Just as God got involved in the sin, pain, misery and strife of this wicked race, even so those who lay down their lives to make peace wherever their influence extends, will be recognized by the very spirit and image of their Father which they bear. So regardless of all their pretences to orthodoxy, warring factionists, by the very nature of the case, disprove their claim to be sons of God. If Jesus means the phrase sons of God according to the Hebrew idiom which means like God, then actual sonship, that relationship to God brought about by faith in Jesus (John 1:12-13), is not necessarily and immediately broken by such hatefulness. However, continued bitterness, unforgiven grudges and factional infighting do actually destroy that former connection with the Father. For the present, Jesus is saying, he who claims to be a son of God must act like God. (Matthew 5:45; Luke 6:35)

On the other hand, if Jesus meant sons of God in the sense that is developed in the New Testament, He is describing one of the essential characteristics of such a son, without which none can claim to be one of God's children. (Other passages illustrating this concept: Romans 8:14-21; 2 Corinthians 6:18; Galatians 3:26; Galatians 4:5-7; Ephesians 1:5; Ephesians 5:1; Ephesians 5:8; Hebrews 2:10; Hebrews 12:5-8; 1 John 3:10; 1 John 5:1-2).

5: 10-12. Because these three verses present basically the same beatitude, the various parts will be considered together with their parallels. This beatitude reinforces or puts character into those chat precede it, by warning that our humility must not degenerate into a cringing, submissive slavery, or our peacemaking abased to compromise of our convictions, nor our meekness lowered to sinful compliance. By these surprising paradoxes, Jesus is daring one to be His disciple whatever the cost.

Moral, if not physical, suffering is to be expected by the genuinely good man. Jesus pronounces as the truly happy those who are so anchored to their character or convictions that they cannot be bribed, cajoled or threatened into surrender of principle. To accept persecution, as a necessary sacrifice involved in standing for what one deems right, means that he has a conscience that is unyielding and exacting. Jesus has no use for the spineless, careless man without a conscience, for nobody can count upon him! The religion of Jesus is for the poor in spirit, the sorrowing, the meek and merciful, yes,- but these must be stout-hearted men who have the moral stamina to stand for the cause of Jesus.

The Jews expected the Messiah to bring total victory in the wars preceding the establishment of the universal reign of David over the world. They expected that even the lowliest Jewish citizen should rule many Gentiles. Those who were pinning their nationalistic hopes to Jesus-' campaigns must have received this last beatitude with hurt surprise and chagrin. Here are the first major indications of Jesus-' royal road to glory: His servants will suffer. What a warning lies just below the surface: Count the cost! How badly do you wish to be mine? I will be asking you, my friend, to be the conscience of the world, to praise where there is good and to condemn its wickedness. The world cannot agree with my judgment as to the nature of true righteousness, and you, my dear follower, as you represent this standard, will be caught in the cross-fire of these two standards. Jesus challenges the heroic in men, but He would have them be realistic, (Cf. Matthew 10:16-39; Matthew 16:24-27; Mark 10:28-30).

But what sort of suffering does Jesus mean? Persecution begins as a talking war of reproach (Matthew 5:11), or insults heaped upon the disciple of Jesus, with a view to curbing him socially, trying to intimidate him into abandoning his position, Another line of attack will be slander: all manner of evil said against you falsely. Luke (Luke 6:22; Luke 6:26) uses these terms: Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, on account of the Son of man!, ,, Woe to you, when all men speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets. The Christian must remember that praise is another form of social control and must be evaluated, The praise of the unqualified judge is no guarantee of true worth; rather, it merely indicates that he who has won it has not risen above the standard of him who gives it. Jesus-' servant must keep his head clear to be able to discern the true source of the praise he seeks or of the criticism he fears. (Matthew 10:26-33; Luke 12:4-5)

Where could persecution strike? Sometimes this oppression is religious, while at other times it attacks the social life of the disciple. Almost always it cuts into the family and home life, severing the nearest and dearest connections the disciple knows. (Cf. John 16:2; 2 Timothy 3:12; Hebrews 10:32-39; Hebrews 12:4; Hebrews 13:3; Hebrews 13:13; 1 Peter 1:6-9; 1 Peter 2:12; 1 Peter 2:19-21; 1 Peter 3:14-18 a; 1 Peter 4:12-19; 1 Peter 5:9-10) The apostles got a taste of this during Jesus-' ministry, but they felt its full force after He had gone, (Acts 4; Acts 5:17-42; Acts 7; Acts 9; Acts 12 etc. 2 Corinthians 4:7-12; 2 Corinthians 6:8-10; 2 Corinthians 11:23-33; John 15:18 to John 16:4)

What is the cause for which Jesus-' servants must face suffering?

For righteousness-' sake. The term righteousness must be interpreted in this context and in the larger framework of the New Testament, not forced to cover every civil rights cause that the unconverted, moved by humanitarian principles, might suggest, however just might be their particular plea. While those causes often seek proper ends in justice for minority or underprivileged groups, yet the righteousness Jesus is talking about involves faith and obedience to Him! (John 5:22-23; John 6:28-29; John 8:24; John 8:31-32; John 3:35-36) Righteousness, as Jesus intends it, is the very character of God required as the standard of judgment of the world and bestowed upon believers. In its practical manifestation, for which the follower of Jesus must be ready to suffer, it becomes equivalent to Christianity. (Note 1 Peter 3:14-18; 1 Peter 4:12-19) But why would the world persecute men for doing right? Because the world hates the conscience-like effect of the Christian life and testimony, for they must condemn the worlds sins. (Cf. John 3:20; John 7:7; John 15:18-21)

For my sake. What sublime originality! Jesus calls men not simply to suffer for conscience-' sake or only for sake of convictions or because of life's ordinary trials, but for my sake. There is a wide psychological difference between devotion to abstract principles or an impersonal cause, devotion to a Person. (Cf. Philippians 3:4-10; 1 Peter 4:13) Jesus does not say to rejoice when men separate you from their company because of your own folly or your own personal notions, but when they do it because you are MY disciple! No man can stand this loneliness and reviling for a creed, cause or conviction, but he can for Jesus! A man must be prepared to be lonely when he decides for His discipleship and chooses to know Jesus-' love alone.

For my sake puts the right emphasis on one's suffering. For denouncing oneself to the Roman magistrates who were enforcing the persecutions, merely to seek martyrdom, is a selfish act. That is suffering for the unwholesome desire for suffering and death. or perhaps it is an escape mechanism to terminate the uncertainties of this life, a coup de grace to put an end to further Christian testimony that could be given! Again, those who receive persecution, because they cram their religious convictions down the throats of their neighbors, do not glorify Jesus, since their manners essentially differed from those of the Master.

Further, Jesus multiplies the sources of encouragement needed for the hours of persecution ahead: Remember God's servants the prophets! For so persecuted they the prophets who were before you. The world has always persecuted those who spoke to it in the name of the Lord. It seems that every age kills its own prophets, while building memorials to the prophets of former generations. (Note Matthew 23:29-36; Acts 7:51-53; 2 Chronicles 36:12; 2 Chronicles 36:15-16; James 5:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:15; Hebrews 11:32-38) Two striking lessons stand out:

1. The Christians are to bolster their courage in the knowledge that they will be treading the steps of God's mightiest, most fearless spokesmen of the past, and thus, they will be participating in God's crucial testimony to a degenerate age as they add their voices to the announcement of God's judgment, But the underlying implication is clear that Jesus, in placing His people on a par with those Old Testament worthies, is identifying service to Him with service to God. Their service to God not only resembled the suffering of the prophets (Matthew 5:12), but also was to involve powerful preaching (Matthew 5:14-16; Matthew 10:26-28) and a salutary influence upon their society (Matthew 5:13).

2. The Christians would be facing the same prejudices, the same perversity, impenitence, pride and the same deeply-entrenched and corrupt religious and political leaders. hey would face the same heartless, brutal force which stops at nothing to withstand the truth. Christians, like the prophets, would be unarmed, not using the ordinary weapons employed to force one's will, being able only to promote the truth by the demonstration of the Spirit and God's power. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6) But one can take a lot more punishment if he is sure he is part of a movement greater than himself. To see, with the eyes of faith. the unflinching prophets standing beside one as he faces his persecutors, is to draw upon sources of courage deeper than oneself. Jesus is saying, -When you suffer for me, you never stand alone as you give your testimony: the prophets have stood right where you stand.

The only way of enjoying the smiles of one's age seems to lie in playing false to one's God. (Luke 6:26)

Perhaps the only reason Jesus does not offer His own example at this time (for thus they will do to the Son of man), is that the resurrection had not yet occurred, giving power to His comforting words. Besides, His audience at this stage of their spiritual development might have been too scandalized. After the empty tomb, the apostles could shout to Christians, surrounded by fearful, relentless persecution, Remember Jesus! (2 Timothy 2:8; Hebrews 12:2-3)

The almost unbelievable part of this beatitude is the nature of its exceeding great reward. Jesus said, Blessed are ye! Rejoice in that day and be exceeding glad: leap for joy! (Luke 6:23) The blessing goes two ways:

Uninhibited joy in the kingdom of heaven now. This is not a morbid longing for or seeking persecution which makes pain and suffering ends in themselves to be sought at the expense of the cause of righteousness. In fact, happiness is very elusive in that it cannot be sought without being lost in the search. According to Jesus, true joy exists only when we seek God-s purposes. After all, is this not the essence of God's kingdom on earth? (Cf. John 5:11; John 16:22; John 16:24; John 17:13; Acts 5:40-42; Philippians 4:4; cf. Philippians 1:12-14; Romans 5:1-11) The devil has no happy old men, because all their lives they have sought happiness by evading the very service that brings the only real joy

The great reward in heaven for eternity. See article: The Reasonableness of the Redeemer's Rewarding of Righteousness. (Cf. 2 John 1:8; Revelation 11:18; Revelation 22:12)

What is the lesson here? Jesus-' words make us reflect: how long has it been since we felt the sting of hate-filled words aimed at us because we are Christian, Why is there little persecution experienced by the Church today? Could it be partly that the principles of Jesus have received such universal acknowledgement as being the right principles, even if so rarely practiced, that the world has been rendered more favorable or more tolerant toward Christians and Christianity? If so, this might hold the forces of evil at bay for a time. Or could the relative absence of persecution be due EO the Church-s growing lukewarm to its own message? I, as a Christian, could enjoy more comfort if I were more indifferent. But Jesus says, Happy are the persecuted for my sake! If this language strikes the modern reader as extravagant, it is because of the great difference between the twentieth century philosophy and God's will, and between the few glowing embers of modern Christianity contrasted to the roaring forest fire that was first century discipleship. How must this difference be accounted for? Most tend to measure the amount of happiness in their lives by the extent to which they escape trouble and suffering. But the only salvation from such a delusion is the realization that true happiness means being conformed to the image of God's Son who met His death on a cross! (Study 1 Thessalonians 3:3-4; Colossians 1:24; Romans 8:29; Philippians 1:27-30)

FACT QUESTIONS

Who are the spiritually poor? the spiritually rich?

How can mourning bring comfort?

What is the true cause of all sorrow? the true source of its comfort?

What kind of character is meek? Tell several ways in which the meek man is shown to be such.

What is the kingdom of heaven? How is this a particularly rich blessing to the poor in spirit?

What kind of comfort does Jesus promise to those who mourn? What does the word comfort mean, as Jesus used it here?

In what ways will the meek inherit the earth? What earth?

What makes a man hunger and thirst after righteousness? Explain this figure of speech and its implications.

What is implied in the phrase they shall be filled, with reference to righteousness? How will they be filled? What has this to do with the great doctrine of God's grace?

10. Who are the merciful? Name some of the ways in which Christian mercy shows itself.
11. From whom do the merciful obtain mercy?
12.

Show how mercifulness contrasts the legalistic spirit.

13. Name two attitudes often mistaken for Christian mercy.
14. Who are the pure in heart?
15. How does heart purity contrast with merely external religion? with good works done for public notice?
16. What is the difference between peaceful men and peacemakers?
17.

What kind of man must the peacemaker be?

18. How does one go about making peace?
19. Does Jesus justify pacifism movements that do not share His views?
20. Why should the peacemakers that Jesus was talking about be called sons of God? What d e s it mean to be called a son of God?

21. Jesus pronounces happy those who are persecuted for what two specifically named causes? (Matthew 5:10-11)

22. Why does Jesus bring up the prophets who were before you?
23. Name the two precious rewards that Jesus holds out for those suffering for His sake
24. Justify Jesus-' offering rewards to encourage people to seek God's kingdom and righteousness and suffer for Jesus-' sake.
25. Name each of the eight beatitudes, showing how each contradicts the popular views of Jesus-' day. How do they likewise refute those of our day?
26. Name the eight great rewards that indicate the true happiness of those bearing the named characteristics.

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