Day 13 · Year 1 · The Story of Scripture
Jesus blesses the wrong people
The Sermon on the Mount opens with a stunning reversal.
Today's passage
Matthew 5:3-10
3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Berean Standard Bible · public domain
Reflection
If you wrote a list of who is doing well in life, you would not pick the poor, the mourning, the meek, or the persecuted. Jesus does. The kingdom of God works by a different physics. People who know they are spiritually bankrupt are the ones who inherit. People who hunger for righteousness are the ones who get filled. The Beatitudes are not a checklist to climb; they are a description of the kind of people Jesus calls blessed. Where you feel weakest today may be exactly where his kingdom is closest.
From the great tradition · paraphrased
John Chrysostom · Latin & Eastern Doctors · 4th–5th c. · Antioch/Constantinople
John Chrysostom preached through the Beatitudes carefully, insisting that Jesus is not romanticizing poverty or grief but pointing his hearers to the kind of hearts the kingdom actually reaches.
Paraphrase only. Scripture, not any teacher, is the authority.
Think it through
- Which of the eight 'blessed are' statements feels least intuitive?
- What does Jesus promise to each group?
- Where do you feel weakest right now, and how might Jesus call that blessed?
A prayer to pray
Bring your weakest place to Jesus and ask him to make it the place where his kingdom comes nearest.