In his book Desiring the Kingdom, Jamie Smith rightly notes that all of us have a certain vision of what human flourishing, or living life to the fullest, looks like. We have some kind of vision of the good life that we want to achieve. Perhaps it’s some vision of life where you’re wealthy, successful, and everyone around you speaks well of you. Maybe it’s some vision of life that you’ve seen in someone else’s Facebook photo so that you think, “If I just had that job, or that home, or that notoriety, etc. then all would be well.” This “good life” is what department stores appeal to, right? You don’t just have some mannequin modeling the clothes but a picture of some beautiful people in those clothes having a picnic in the back yard of some beautiful New England home, suggesting of course that these very clothes are essential for you having that vision of the good life they’re selling.
Smith calls this certain vision of what all of us picture as the “good life” as our kingdom. He notes that we are “oriented by and to a picture of what we think it looks like for us to live well, and that picture then governs, shapes, and motivates our decisions and actions. . . . Every one of us is on a kind of Arthurian quest for ‘the Holy Grail,’ that hoped-for, longed-for, dreamed-of, picture of the good life—the realm of human flourishing—that we pursue without ceasing. Implicitly and tacitly, it is such visions of the kingdom that pull us to get up in the morning and suit up for the quest.”
If we are honest with ourselves, I think we’ll acknowledge that Smith is right to a convicting degree. We probably all have some picture of life that we would consider “blessed.” And perhaps for many of us this picture of a “blessed” life doesn’t reflect the kind of life that the Lord calls “blessed.” There may in fact be no difference between the version of life that we are on our quest for and that version of life that our unbelieving neighbor longs for as well. But this does raise some questions. What does the life of one that God declares is blessed look like? Does the Bible hold up for us a picture of the “good life?” What should we be striving for our lives to look like?
We find the answer to those questions in Matthew 5:1-16, but perhaps surprisingly, Jesus’ picture of the good life (or the blessed life) is full of things that people in this world simply don’t want or long for. The blessed life as a citizen of his kingdom doesn’t look, in this age, like what the world tells us is desirable. But before we get to what Jesus tells us we should be aiming for, focusing on, expecting, and meditating on as we live in this age as citizens of the age to come, let me give you some preliminary notes about our text.
First, Matthew 5:1-16 is the beginning of what is known as the “Sermon on the Mount,” which runs all the way through the end of chapter 7. Therefore, over the next several weeks we will find ourselves focusing specifically on Jesus’ teaching in this sermon that Matthew gives us.
Second, Jesus speaks in our text about who is “blessed,” and this word probably needs defined for us. Some translations might say “happy,” but that might be a bit misleading in light of how we speak of happiness as opposed to joy, and it probably doesn’t communicate as well. The idea of being blessed by God is probably better understood in terms of being approved of by God or of being pleasing to God. So, these aren’t small statements when Jesus says “Blessed is the one who . . .”
Third, this section of Jesus’ sermon (and really the entire sermon) is focused on the kingdom of heaven. The beatitudes, or these statements of blessing, begin in verse 3 and go to verse 10. I think that verses 11-12 are just an expansion of verse 10, and you’ll notice that the blessing that comes with the first beatitude and the last beatitude is the same, namely, “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Now Jesus’ doesn’t repeat this with the last beatitude because he ran out of specific rewards to think of and just rolled back around to the beginning. Rather, this is a stylistic literary device known as an “inclusion,” that tells the reader that this is the theme for everything that comes between these brackets. So, we can say that the theme of this section is the kingdom of heaven. And the picture that Jesus is giving is a certain way that one who will enter God’s kingdom and have eternal life on that final day is going to look and live in a certain way in this life.
Fourth, I think this section of Jesus’ teaching (and the sermon on the mount as a whole) is directed toward Jesus’ disciples. Now, some might say that this isn’t even worth nothing since the text says in verse 1 that Jesus sat down and his disciples came to him, after he seemingly went away from the crowds. However, the reason this is debated is because when you get to the end of the sermon on the mount in 7:28, Matthew will tell us that when Jesus finished these sayings “the crowds were astonished at his teaching.”
So, which is it? Is he teaching the crowds or his disciples? I think the answer is that he’s teaching his disciples, perhaps more than the twelve, but his disciples nonetheless. And the main reason I say this is because Jesus speaks in the second person, saying, “You are the salt of the earth,” for example, which he wouldn’t have said to the crowds. Now, obviously the crowds gathered around him as he taught his disciples, but his teaching is aimed at those who were following him. So, with that said, what is it then that Jesus wants his disciples and us to understand in 5:1-16?
When Jesus begins to name what kind of person is blessed by God, he is giving us a description of what should characterize those who are part of his kingdom. What that means is that this list of beatitudes should characterize all of us who profess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus provides for us what is the good life, what is the blessed life. So, I think it’s helpful for us just to walk through this list and evaluate whether or not these characteristics are descriptive of us.
Poor in spirit
First, Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (v. 3). Our problem with this first beatitude may simply be understanding what it means. What does it mean to be poor in spirit? The idea, I think, is that we recognize that we’ve got nothing to offer to the Lord in order to be in good standing with him. That is, we recognize the poverty of our condition before God when based on ourselves. This is the man in the temple coming to God, saying, “Be merciful to me, a sinner.” This is the man who knows in his spirit that he is nothing apart from Christ.
And Jesus says of this one that his is the kingdom. That is, we will not know eternal life, being part of his eternal kingdom, apart from recognize the poverty of our condition before God. We come to him empty-handed, understanding that we have nothing to bring, and only then do we have the kingdom. This is the starting point for what must characterize Jesus’ disciples: poverty in spirit. Second, we are told that we will be those who mourn.
Mourn
Jesus adds in verse 4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (v. 3). Now, this clearly isn’t simply a statement of approval from God for all mourning. After all, we can mourn in sinful ways. I could mourn because you got something I wanted, and that’s clearly not applauded here. It seems, rather, that we’d be in a better place to see this condition building on the previous one. That is, one who understands his own poverty of spirit, being well away of his own sinfulness, will be one who mourns. And perhaps we will mourn not only for our own sin but for the sins of others. James instructs those who see sin in their own lives and all around them to mourn and weep (James 4:9).
Our response to our own sinfulness and the sin of others should be mourning. This doesn’t mean, of course, that we are all the time sad, but it does mean that in a world where we see our own sin and that of others, we will appropriately mourn. We will mourn that the Lord’s will isn’t being done on earth as it is in heaven, and that this sinful rebellion brings so much pain and death. Christ’s disciples should be a people who mourn in the face of sin – others’ and our own. Perhaps if that were more regularly our response, then we would communicate more clearly to ourselves and others the horrid nature of sin.
And for this one, the Lord says that he will be comforted. If we mourn at our sin in this life, then know that we will have an eternity of knowing comfort from the Lord himself. Do we then, mourn, at our sin? Third, we must be meek.
Meek
Again, Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (v. 5). Now, meekness isn’t a word we use too much, and consequently might not be too familiar with. To be meek has to do with not be proud or arrogant, being content, not forcefully going after what you think you deserve, not being self-promoting. The meek man doesn’t tell everyone on Twitter how great he is or his accomplishments are.
The meek man delights at seeing others lifted up and their interests pursued. This doesn’t mean that he’s weak or a pushover, but he’s content enough not to have to fight to advance himself in the eyes of others.
This, perhaps, is most lacking in our day. The world around us tells us that we must be self-promoting. Even in Christian circles, we are told that it is good to advance by puffing oneself up in the eyes of others. We even baptize our self-promotion in the notion that the Lord wants us to have a greater influence.
But the meek man trusts the Lord. And though he’s not fighting to get all he can, the Lord tells us that the meek man will inherit the earth. Ironically, he is content not to get what is his in this life, and he gets the whole world.
This has become one of my prayers for myself this week in light of how strong I feel the pull to go away from meekness. God, let us be meek. Next, the Lord tells us that we must be a people who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Hunger and thirst for righteousness
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (v. 6). I remember a story from when I was in college that a friend told me about his philosophy professor asking the class why there was such a thing as hunger. Now, immediately, someone answered, “Because we go without or don’t have food.” But, quickly, the professor corrected the student’s understanding of the question, saying, “No, I’m not asking what produces hunger but why God even allowed the condition of hunger to exist in the world. He could have done otherwise.”
Well, I don’t think this is the full answer to the question, but one answer to why God created the condition of hunger and thirst is so that we might have a category for understanding longing. To be truly hungry and thirsty is a longing that goes beyond what we typically experience. I might go through my day longing for a caffeine boost in the afternoon or a nap on Sunday afternoon, but none of those longings compares to hungering and thirsting. To go without water for a long period of time creates a longing beyond what we know in other arenas and produces a desperation that realizes this is a life or death issue.
And Jesus tells us that we should be hungering and thirsting for righteousness. That is, we should be hungering and thirsting to have our thoughts, actions, and words in conformity to God’s will. Is that you? Are you hungering and thirsting for your life to be characterized by righteousness? Or are we hungering and thirsting for riches, someone’s praise, or some prize that we treasure far more than righteousness.
This is what Jesus tells us should characterize us. We should be a people who hunger and thirst for righteousness. We want righteousness more than any passing pleasure that sin holds out for us. And if we do, we will be satisfied in his kingdom with far greater satisfaction that any sin can bring. O God, let us be a people who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Merciful
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (v. 7). To be merciful is to show compassion and love to others, especially to those who are helpless and miserable. Does this characterize us, or do we simply look down on those who seem miserable and helpless? Mercy should flow from the one who is poor in spirit, mourns over his own sin, and is meek. After all, such a person knows that he himself is in desperate need of mercy. Consequently, the one who is merciful will indeed know mercy from the Lord’s hand. So, are we patient and compassionate to those who struggle? Do we deal gently with those who may struggle in areas that we don’t struggle? May we be a merciful people.
Pure in heart
Next, Jesus adds, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (v. 8). The one who is pure in heart is not a man with agendas. What he does externally matches what is going on internally. There is no mismatch between his words and actions and his heart. He is not fake. He is not one for cover up. He doesn’t speak well of you to your face and poorly about you behind your back. His heart isn’t corrupted or stained. He doesn’t declare the Lord’s greatness with his mouth and secretly delight in sinful rebellion against the Lord behind closed doors. This is what God demands of his followers, and this one is promised that he will see God.
Peacemakers
Next Jesus declares, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (v. 9). Believers should love peace. Peace is a fruit of the spirit. Consequently, the believer isn’t himself contentious and tries to bring peace between those where there is tension.
Now, this isn’t an easy task. Typically, we are told to stay out of situations where there is warring tension between others. After all, you’re bound to be wounded when you step into a battle. But Jesus says that the one who loves his neighbor enough to be a peacemaker, not elevating his own well-being above others, will be called a son of God. You may be willing to lift up the well-being and good of others above yourself, but the Lord himself will consider you on that final day.
Those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake
Finally, Jesus adds, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (v. 10). Jesus understands that the one who lives in accord with these characteristics of the kingdom will bring persecution. Now, why? Why would people have a problem with someone who is poor in spirit, mourns over his sin, is meek, hungers and thirsts for righteousness, is merciful, is pure in heart, and is a peacemaker? The reality is that this man in a world of sinful rebellion brings conviction to those who walk in darkness.
Have you ever found yourself in a sinful state of heart, hearing someone else doing something good and then instantly tempted to speak evil of that person? It’s like you hear that someone takes off a day just to spend time with his son, and you respond, “Well, I bet he’s not as good of an employee as I am. I mean, some of us end the year with vacation days not taken.” What? What that is, is the overflow of a heart that speaks from condemnation. When we deal with guilt from our own failures, we feel the need to attack those who do good. This is why Paul says in the text we heard read earlier that the sons of the slave woman will always persecute the sons of the free woman (Gal. 4). That is, those who live under condemnation will always attack those who live under God’s justification. It’s what condemned people do.
But Jesus tells us not to worry about being persecuted when we are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. He actually says more than that. He says, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (vv. 11-12).
We should rejoice when persecuted for obeying Christ in this world because it’s a reminder that the kingdom is ours. It’s a kind reminder from the Lord that we are approved of by God and will enter his kingdom when we find ourselves persecuted, not for being contentious or annoying, but for righteousness.
So, let’s just ask ourselves, “Do these characteristics characterize us?” If not, perhaps this is an opportunity for us to pause before the Lord, repent, and ask him who has approved of us not because of our good works but because of the finished work of the crucified and risen Lord to aid us as his children in being characterized in these ways. After all, don’t you want to be the person described here? Doesn’t your heart long for this picture of the blessed life? If not, it may be a sign that you don’t know the Lord.
And if your heart does, then it’s helpful for us to fix our eyes each day on the age to come. We’re too easily sidetracked by wanting the kingdom that this age offers, the satisfaction that this age provides, the blessing and approval that man gives. We far too often hunger for the approval of others than the approval of God. But as we set our eyes on eternal comfort, the inheritance of the earth, satisfaction and mercy from God’s own hand, seeing God, being called God’s son, and having the kingdom, it can free us from the longing to want cheap and passing imitations of these things in this world.
Then, as Jesus ends this opening section, he reminds us of one other crucial reason why we should be characterized in these ways. He reminds us that:
Again, going back to last week, we remember that Jesus calls us to himself in order that we might make disciples of our neighbors and of the nations. But there are two things we can do that will sabotage that mission. We can fail to be distinct from the world or we can remove ourselves from the world. Jesus speaks against each of these. First, Jesus warns us against losing what makes us distinct.
He says in verse 13, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.”
I think what he’s saying here makes sense. What makes salt good is its distinctive saltiness. Salt, as long as it’s salty, is helpful. If it’s not salty, then it’s good for nothing. In the same way, those characteristics listed in verses 3-10 are the Christian’s distinctiveness. As long as we’re characterized in this way, we will stand out in the world. We will be different. But if we’re not characterized in these ways, then we’re just like the world, and we’ve sacrificed our witness. We no longer are useful in drawing attention to Christ’s transforming gospel work. We’re just like the world.
Now, in my upbringing, this was always stressed in terms of not doing certain things, and perhaps we should focus on those things. But if I did that, we might easily kick into the mode of thinking, “Yes, that person needs to change.” So, let me stick right with the text. When you are I aren’t meek, we’re not distinct from this world. When we don’t hunger and thirst for righteousness, we’re not helpful in being a witness. When we don’t hear of sin and mourn, there’s nothing different about us than those who don’t know Christ. Therefore, let us fight for holiness so that we might be distinct in this world.
And the other error we could make is to remove ourselves from the world. But Jesus warns against that. He says in verses 14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
After the supreme court ruling that decreed a reality known as homosexual marriage, there were some Christians who called for us to remove ourselves from society and recover monasticism. Maybe we could go off and make our own little villages and towns, apart from this sinful world.
Jesus compares that to turning on a lamp but then putting it under a basket. He’s made us to be the light of the world, and that’s not mean to be hidden. Yes, it’s hard. Yes, the persecution it invites is painful. But we’re to go live before the world as those who are pure in heart, mourn for sin, are poor in spirit, who make peace, are meek, hunger and thirst for righteousness, and are merciful, letting our light shine so that people might see our good works and glorify the Lord for whom we were made. Therefore, let us pray this morning that the Lord might give us grace to be characterized in these ways. Let us even now simply take a moment of silence before the Lord to pause in prayer in light of the Lord’s words here as we prepare to come to the table. Amen.