Beatitudes

The principles of the Kingdom of heaven are radical, and challenge worldly thinking patterns. Jesus shared these counter-cultural teachings, more popularly known as the Beatitudes, on the iconic Sermon on the Mount.

The kingdom of heaven is a spiritual realm here on earth, where we can experience the presence and goodness of God. It is a fulfilling life in Christ, where we can enjoy his righteousness, peace and joy each day. The only thing that stands in the way is our own inhibitions. When we are poor in spirit, the kingdom of God is open to us. Poverty of spirit is not to be confused with financial poverty. A person of any financial status may be poor in spirit. It is characterized by a desperate need or dependence on God, where the earthly resources of the person fail to satisfy or meet the deepest longings of their heart. The poor in spirit are rich in the kingdom!

The way to find God in the midst of our suffering is through mourning. The sufferings we face, and the ones that we cause others (including God) can all leave us with a sense of loss. As we grieve over our loss, or experience guilt over our sin, God brings us the comfort of peace, forgiveness, joy, hope and renewed communion with him.

Meekness can sometimes be interpreted as a quality of weakness, but it is anything but that. A meek or humble person is someone who sees their strength, and also sees the infinite strength and wisdom of God, and chooses to yield their strength to the control of God. It is the meek who will inherit the earth, and be a co-heir with Christ.

Throughout the beatitudes Jesus is trying to tell us the ideal heart condition of a citizen of the kingdom, that attracts the blessing of God. Those who have an undying passion to see God’s purposes and plans fulfilled in their own lives, as well as that of others, shall be satisfied. This intense passion is like a hungry man looking for food, or a thirsty person searching for water. They will keep looking till they find it.

Mercy is to show kindness or let someone off the hook, when they have committed an offense or injustice against us. As imperfect people, we are constantly in need of the mercy of Almighty God, and the people in our lives. And Jesus shows us the way to receive that mercy in our time of need, is by being merciful to others.

A heart that is contaminated with the influences of sin, dims our vision of God. A pure unstained heart on the other hand, has the opposite effect of sharpening our spiritual vision, and we see God more clearly.

True peace comes from a right relationship with God. When we share the message of peace, through the good news of the Gospel, we are peacemakers. A peacemaker also has God’s heart, to pursue reconciliation in relationships with others, choosing the path of peace over conflict. Jesus calls peacemakers, as children of God.

Jesus’ teachings are pretty radical and counter cultural. This is because the principles of the kingdom of heaven (here on earth) operate quite differently from that of mainline society. Jesus’ radical teachings brought on hostility and opposition back in his day, and is bound to bring the same response even today. Knowing that this is to be expected in the kingdom life, keeps us from discouragement and losing the faith, but rather persevere till the end. Though not easy, we are to count it a privilege to be persecuted, for great is our reward in heaven.