THE BEATITUDES ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE SURPRISING, UPSIDE-DOWN KINGDOM

Transcription

1 THE BEATITUDES ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE SURPRISING, UPSIDE-DOWN KINGDOM

2 MATTHEW 5: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

3 INTRODUCTION TO THE BEATITUDES The word beatitude is a Latin word which means blessed or the state of blessedness. This word has made its way into English usage from Latin versions of Matthew s gospel, where the opening verses of Jesus Sermon on the Mount begin with eight statements of beatitude or blessed. It is those eight pronouncements of blessedness that we will be studying and discussing over eight weeks on Sunday mornings and in our small groups. The Beatitudes are both exquisitely beautiful and extraordinary difficult. What is Jesus seeking to communicate in these eight statements? Are they a New Testament law that marks out entrance requirements for the Kingdom Jesus came to bring? If so, none of us--if we are truly honest with ourselves--have any hope of entering this Kingdom. But if they are an announcement of a new covenant of grace that Jesus came near to bring, how do they do that? What good news do the Beatitudes proclaim to use? And what do they call forth from us? In Matthew s gospel, the Beatitudes introduce the first extended section of Jesus teaching--what we know as Jesus famous Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). In many ways, they are parallel to Jesus first teaching in Luke s gospel where 3

4 4 THE BEATITUDES Jesus declares that--in fulfillment of Isaiah s prophecy--he has come to proclaim good news to the poor and to proclaim the year of the Lord s favor (Luke 4:17-21). In Jesus, the season of God s gracious, saving favor has begun. The blessing of God s new way in Jesus has begun. So, understood from this perspective, the Beatitudes are to be heard and received as statements of congratulations that effect what they announce. A knock on the door from the Publisher s Clearing House and word, Congratulations! would make the one who answers and receives the check a millionaire. Similarly, the one who hears in Jesus the announcement that a new Kingdom from heaven is available and receives that Kingdom by faith can be congratulated as blessed. Jesus announces that a new way of living that leads to blessing is now possible because he has come to overturn the normal order of things in this fallen world. And this announcement of good news comes bringing the grace to make this new way a possible reality. Grace is the operational power of God released into our experience. Grace is the God given ability to become what you couldn t become before you received the declaration. Also, to understand the Beatitudes as Jesus announced them, we need to understand that in saying these things, Jesus is declaring himself to be the long-awaited Messiah. He brings the life of the age to come into this present fallen world. One person at a time, one community of faith at a time, this new Jesus way is ultimately to be taken to all the peoples and nations of the earth (Mt. 28:18-20). Saving, transforming grace (released through Jesus death, resurrection and ascension) is what makes this way possible for any of us.

5 INTRODUCTION 5 Of course, the ultimate fulfillment of the Jesus Way will not be realized until the Kingdom comes in its fullness when Jesus returns. The Beatitudes, like all of Jesus ministry, declare that the Kingdom of God is breaking into our world now. This is another expression of the already, but not yet dimension of the Kingdom of God. Available now, we can access this blessed way of life by grace through faith. But the fullness of this blessedness for each follower of Jesus and for the world will not be seen until Jesus comes again. For personal reflection and for discussion in small groups, some brief commentary and a few questions are provided in these pages for each of the Beatitudes. Listening to the Sunday teachings prior to your groups will help you for those sessions of discussion. And, as is always the case, asking the Holy Spirit for help and illumination in applying these truths is essential. Congratulations! You are journeying in the Jesus Way that leads to blessing. NOTE: The insights for this introduction and the following pages come from many sources, primarily: Beauty will Save the World by Brian Zahad A Pattern for Life by A.M. Hunter The Sermon on the Mount by Robert A. Guelich

6 I. The Poor In Spirit M A T T H E W 5 : 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs in the kingdom of heaven. Try this paraphrase: Blessed are those who are not good at being spiritual or religious, but are desperate for help from heaven--the Kingdom of God is available for them.

7 WEEK ONE: THE POOR IN SPIRIT T H E P O O R I N S P I R I T This opening Beatitude parallels Jesus declaration in Luke 4:18, that he has come to preach good news to the poor. This, Jesus declares, is a fulfillment of Isaiah 61:1, a promise of the Messiah s ministry. In the Old Testament, the poor are often not only those economically disadvantaged, but those who felt their need for help from God. (cf Psalm 34:6, This poor man called, and the Lord heard; he saved him out of all his troubles. ) We could describe the poor in spirit as those who feel their spiritual need. Another appropriate synonym for poor in spirit is desperate. Jesus is not speaking of a desperation to do something unlawful or violent, but a desperation to stand open before God, without pretense. They are stripped of all self-sufficiency, self-security and self-righteousness. The blessing is that these are the very ones Jesus has come for and the blessings of the Kingdom are available to these very people who appear to have been forgotten by God. These are the very people to whom Jesus spent most of his time ministering. 7

8 8 THE BEATITUDES 1 Look at Matthew 9:9-13. What is Jesus accused of here? Why is he offending the religious leaders of his day? Why would Jesus choose Matthew to be one of the disciples? Could Matthew qualify as being poor in spirit (i.e. not good at being spiritual)? 2 How is it good news to you that Jesus is willing to bring God s Kingdom near to people who aren t necessarily good at being spiritual? At what point in your life journey did you feel most impoverished in your own spiritual resources? 3 Do you ever get offended when God blesses others who don t seem deserving or who might not even be seeking him?

9 WEEK ONE: THE POOR IN SPIRIT 9 4 Look at Matthew 9: How does the woman show her desperation and faith in this story? Even though not economically poor, how does the ruler demonstrate that he is poor in spirit? 5 How does a sense of your own brokenness or need make it harder or easier for you to receive a blessing or help from God or others? 6 In what part of your life do you most feel your own poverty of spirit? How can you begin to see this as an invitation for God s help?

10 II. Those Who Mourn M A T T H E W 5 : 4 Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Try this paraphrase: Blessed are those who mourn and grieve, for they create space to encounter comfort from God.

11 WEEK TWO: THOSE WHO MOURN T H O S E W H O M O U R N This second Beatitude, like the first, is proclaimed as fulfillment of Isaiah 61. The anointed Messiah, Isaiah proclaims, will comfort all who mourn. Those who mourn expresses the loss, pain and grieving that are experienced by those of us living in this world broken by sin and separated from the goodness of the Creator-Father God. This mourning covers a wide variety of losses experienced. It includes the grief of contrition over our own personal brokenness and sin before God. It also includes the grief over the seeming triumph of evil and injustice in the world. In Jesus day, it included the seeming eclipse of God s people (Israel) and God s cause in the world by the hands of yet another pagan empire (Rome). When Jesus declares they shall be comforted, he is making a claim to his own Messianic calling. It is as if he is saying, Yes, and I will be their comforter. This promise is fulfilled in Jesus ministry and through the cross and resurrection that secures forgiveness for those who seek it. Ultimately, the fullness of comfort the world seeks will be realized upon Jesus return. The restoration that brings true comfort comes from beyond ourselves; our hope is in the comforter himself. 11

12 12 THE BEATITUDES 1 What does it mean to mourn? What are some occasions in your life that have been occasions to mourn? I Corinthians 15:26 states that death is an enemy. Is there comfort in knowing that death is God s enemy? 2 What comfort was availed to you during times of mourning for you? What comfort eluded you--or were you unable to receive? 3 Have you even been touched by a death that caused you to lose faith or hope? What comfort is there in Jesus Kingdom for such a grievous loss?

13 WEEK TWO: THOSE WHO MOURN 13 4 Have you ever mourned over your own sin or personal brokenness? What comfort have you found from the Lord in such seasons? 5 Have you ever mourned over some social condition or some tragic event that did not necessarily touch you in your immediate sphere of life? What comfort is there to be found in the Kingdom of God for such needs in the world? 6 Can you think of a time where you mourned over a loss suffered by a friend? Were you able to be a source of comfort to your friend? How may you have sensed the Lord working through you during that experience?

14 III. The Meek M A T T H E W 5 : 5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Try this paraphrase: Blessed are the gentle and trusting who are not grasping or clutching, for God will personally guarantee their share when heaven and earth become one.

15 WEEK THREE: THE MEEK T H E M E E K As in the first two Beatitudes, the roots of this declaration of good news lie in the Old Testament. Psalm 37:11 states that the meek will inherit the (promised) land and enjoy great peace. Jesus is again declaring that he has come as Messiah to fulfill this promise. It sounds as if Jesus is promising the meek mastery of the world. But was this really Jesus meaning? First of all, gentle and trusting in God conveys the sense of the Greek word (praus) here translated meek. Secondly, worldly political or economic dominion is not the good Jesus is putting forth here. What does Jesus mean? The hope of inheriting the earth is another Old Testament expression for the initiative of God s Kingdom coming into history and ultimately prevailing through a Savior who is a suffering gentle servant and a people who follow his example. This Beatitude is more focused on the future ( shall inherit ) fulfillment of the promise. The Jesus Way is never the way of raw power. Evil is overcome by good. Trusting in God and being gentle allows room for God to work on our behalf. Yet, the Jesus Way is never a way of passivity either. The balance between trusting gentleness and proactive faith and obedience is modeled by Jesus for his followers. 15

16 16 THE BEATITUDES 1 In the face of it, how does this statement about the meek seem absurd by everything we know of history and experience in this world? 2 Look at Psalm 37:11. How is this statement by Jesus rooted in Israel s faith and hope? What kinds of qualities does God commend here as the ways he blesses? 3 Now consider Revelation 11:15. How does Jesus come to inherit the kingdoms of this world? What role does the cross play in this victory? Does Jesus ever employ the usual means of kingdoms or empires to accomplish the purposes of reclaiming the world and its peoples for God? What does this say about the Jesus Way for me as his follower?

17 WEEK THREE: THE MEEK 17 4 Why do you think the Crusades continue to be a stumbling block to so many people of the earth? Does this part of the history of Christendom seem to exhibit the Jesus Way? 5 What is the difference between a weak, cowering or codependent approach to an abusive situation at home or work and the strength of gentleness and patience that does not allow you to be run over, but which brings real change? 6 Read Matthew 11:11, 12. How was John the Baptist both forceful and gentle and trusting? How was Jesus? How are you to be forceful in going after the things of the Kingdom? How is that compatible with being gentle and trusting?

18 IV. Hungering & Thirsting After Righteousness M A T T H E W 5 : 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Try this paraphrase: Blessed are those who ache to be set right with God, and to live in a way that is healthy and right, and who ache for the world to be made right. For them the governance of God will begin in your own experience and will ultimately satisfy your desire for a just order.

19 WEEK FOUR: HUNGERING & THIRSTING AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS H U N G E R I N G & T H I R S T I N G A F T E R R I G H T E O U S N E S S The key concept in this Beatitude is the strong desire for righteousness. The promise is that those who desire this righteousness will be filled. Righteousness is a rich biblical term. It s basic meaning in Matthew s gospel is to be set right with God; that is, salvation. Jesus is not extolling a self-based righteousness that the Pharisees practiced, but a hunger for a saving work of God that would set one right with God. Simply put, Jesus is preaching the gospel here, Those who want to be right with God can now experience salvation because I have come. And my gospel of grace makes a way that produces right living. We also hunger and thirst for things to be put right in this broken world where injustice so often prevails. God is concerned for this as well as for individuals to be put right with him. God s plan for accomplishing both of these desired ends has been through the cross and resurrection of his Son. The promise of salvation for anyone who hungers and thirsts for it as the ultimate good news. So too, is the promise that God desires for this world to be set right once again. 19

20 20 THE BEATITUDES 1 How does this understanding of righteousness as described on the prior page change your perception of what Jesus is saying here? How does this inform your perception of the goals of God s redemptive Kingdom? 2 If we think of righteousness as God s saving work to set us right, this has a different flavor than mercy. How does our being set right with God lead to right living and right relationships? What role does our desire for these things play in the fulfillment of the promise Jesus gives us in this Beatitude? 3 Can you think of an area in your life where God s help is needed to make something right? Would you say that you are hungering and thirsting for this to happen? How does your desire express itself and partner with Jesus promise in this Beatitude?

21 Week Four: Hungering & Thirsting After Righteousness 21 4 How does this Beatitude relate to this petition from the Lord s prayer: Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven? How does our desire for things to be set right in the world and partnering with the Lord in prayer and action to see specific wrongs made right connect to this Beatitude? Why do you think the Lord instructs us to pray in the manner?

22 V. The Merciful M A T T H E W 5 : 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Try this paraphrase: Blessed are those who, out of receiving mercy from God, show mercy to others; for they will continue to reap a harvest of mercy in this life and the next.

23 WEEK FIVE: THE MERCIFUL T H E M E R C I F U L We could define mercy as not receiving the judgment one deserves. Mercy is an attribute of God himself and something Jesus exhorts his followers to live out: Be merciful as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:36) At first glance, it might seem that this Beatitude appears to reward specific behavior as a claim upon God s mercy: Show mercy or do merciful deeds and you will merit God s merciful forgiveness. This, however, would be contrary to all of the gospel and to our human condition. We all are in need of mercy before a holy God. Our need of mercy and finding that from a merciful Father is why Jesus came. His declaration of blessing is to those who receive the mercy he came to bring and demonstrate that by extending it to others. The petition in the Lord s Prayer: Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us (Matthew 6:12) demonstrates this same principle. Namely, mercy and forgiveness received is to transform us to keep the flow of mercy and forgiveness open to others. The future dimension of the Beatitude is seen in our experience now. Those who will receive mercy at the Last Judgment are those who have experienced it and been transformed by it through God s work in Christ. 23

24 24 THE BEATITUDES 1 Mercy is an attribute of God himself, as Jesus reminds us in Luke 6:36, Be merciful even as your Father is merciful. How does Jesus demonstrate God s mercy in his actions with people? How has he demonstrated mercy in your life? 2 Does mercy give us a license to sin? 3 Why is mercy so important in this broken world? Why are both mercy and righteousness important values of the Kingdom? How do they operate together? Is it possible to live right and be right in relationships without mercy being operative?

25 WEEK FIVE: THE MERCIFUL 25 4 We can safely assume that Jesus is not saying, Do merciful deeds and you will earn a claim on God s merciful salvation. That is a contradiction of mercy. So how does showing mercy toward others open us up to receiving mercy in our own lives? Can you think of a time when showing mercy to others released greater mercy in your own experience?

26 VI. The Pure In Heart M A T T H E W 5 : 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Try this paraphrase: Blessed are those who can see simply and through a clean lens, for they will perceive God when and where others miss him.

27 WEEK SIX: THE PURE IN HEART T H E P U R E I N H E A R T This Beatitude echoes Psalm 24:4-6, which describes those who can enter the Lord s sanctuary. Those who have clean hands and a pure heart, who do not lift up their soul to what an idol or swear by what is false. Purity of heart does not speak of sinlessness, but of a single-minded, sincere desire for relationship with God as he truly is. Such honesty and transparency before God can never be self-generated. It can only come by having already been encountered by God s grace and mercy through Jesus Christ. Such an encounter begins to clarify our perception of what God is really like and enables us to see him even more clearly. In this Beatitude, Jesus declares that he has come to make God known to all who desire to see. To see God is not a matter of optics, but of real spiritual fellowship and relationship with God. The ultimate fulfillment of the promise of this Beatitude is found in Revelation 22:4, when in the age to come the redeemed shall see God s face. Between then and now, the invitation is to seek God more and more. Those who pursue this invitation with sincere intentionality are blessed to know him more and more intimately. 27

28 28 THE BEATITUDES 1 If you read this Beatitude on its own, does it tend to evoke from you more hope or despair? 2 If this Beatitude is read with the first one, blessed are the poor in spirit or the desperate for God to save them, how does this change your perception? Can you think of times in your life when a more desperate need of God led to a greater singleness of purpose in seeking Him? What was the result of that search? 3 How has Jesus helped you to see God better? (See John 14:9) What other experiences or beliefs have needed to be cleared out of your sight (perceptions of God) in order for you to see God as Jesus reveals him to us?

29 WEEK SIX: THE PURE IN HEART 29 4 Look at Luke 6: Have you ever had the experience of seeing that your heart is not as pure as you thought by some of your own words or behavior? How does such an experience invite us back to Jesus?

30 VII. The Peacemakers M A T T H E W 5 : 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Try this paraphrase: Blessed are the peaceful bridge builders in a conflict riddled world, for they are God s children working in the family business.

31 WEEK SEVEN: THE PEACEMAKERS T H E P E A C E M A K E R S The term peacemakers occurs only here in the Scriptures. Its meaning is active, not passive as in those who seek to keep peace at any price. This Beatitude congratulates those who having been reconciled to God, now seek to bring peace into our conflict riddled world. This includes those seeking to reconcile with others and to bring peace between two conflicting parties. It also includes actively working to bring peace and wholeness among those who are alienated. The peacemakers, as the merciful in 5:7 are engaged in expressing to others what they themselves have come to experience in Jesus ministry. Again, to be called sons, or children, of God is not to be understood as having earned a place in God s family. But, having experienced being reconciled to God, his children follow in God s work. Jesus expands upon this further in 5: Making peace begins in our own relationships and extends to seeking to bring wholeness any where it is absent in our broken society. Paul states in Romans 8:14 that believers are sons of God by the work of the Spirit of God within. This begins with an experience of God s love that transforms our hearts and then shapes our behavior to be like our Father. 31

32 32 THE BEATITUDES 1 The Greek word Jesus uses here in verse 9 is active in the sense of peace-making. How can followers of Jesus be engaged in the work of bringing peace or reconciliation to those around them? 2 Look at Matthew 5: Have you ever had enemies that you have loved or those who hurt you that you have prayed for? What happened--in you and for them? 3 Look at II Corinthians 5: How does God bring peace or reconciliation to the world? How is forgiveness essential to establishing reconciliation which brings peace? How was it costly for God to forgive and bring about reconciliation?

33 WEEK SEVEN: THE PEACEMAKERS 33 4 Can you share a situation in which God used you to be a peacemaker? Were you conscious of the Lord working with you and through you in that situation? 5 Is there currently a situation in your sphere of influence where God is prompting you to work as a peacemaker? How should you begin? What would peace look like in that situation?

34 VIII. Persecuted for Righteousness Sake M A T T H E W 5 : 1 0 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Try this paraphrase: Blessed are those who are mocked and misunderstood for following the way of Jesus, for the Kingdom of heaven comes to earth amidst much resistance and persecution.

35 WEEK EIGHT: PERSECUTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS SAKE PERSECUTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS SAKE This Beatitude and the following expansion rounds off this opening portion of Jesus famous Sermon on the Mount. Righteousness here, as in 5:6, means God s cause of bringing salvation to this broken world. It is the triumph of God s saving purpose brought to earth in Jesus. The blessing is to be found in being identified with God and his purpose of bringing the Kingdom to this broken world. The Scriptures never state that suffering in itself is a blessing. It is the suffering of a world and people separated from the goodness of the Creator/Father that the Kingdom seeks to overturn, redeem and heal. But the way of the Kingdom of God has been and continues to be met with resistance in many forms. In many nations, this is physical persecution, even death. In our society, it can take the form of rejection by friends and family, ridicule or false accusation. In 5:11, 12, Jesus expands upon this eighth Beatitude by linking suffering for God s cause to the prophets of the Old Testament who suffered rejection and to a reward in heaven. This reward is for faithfulness to God s righteous cause at great personal cost. Jesus prescription for his followers to endure hardship is to rejoice. This takes the focus off the hardship and places it upon God s goodness and his good purposes. 35

36 36 THE BEATITUDES 1 Righteousness here means God s good cause as we see it embodied in Jesus. The Jesus Way or the Kingdom of God always faces resistance (see Matthew 5:11-12). Why is this necessarily so? How did Jesus suffer to bring in God s good cause? Who and what resisted him? 2 Look at Acts 14: How does what Paul says to the new believers echo what Jesus says in this Beatitude? What hardships have you had to overcome to make progress in the Kingdom of God? 3 Have you known Christians who have suffered some manner of social rejection or ridicule simply for being ingracious or obnoxious? How is this different from what Jesus is talking about in the Beatitude?

37 WEEK EIGHT: PERSECUTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS SAKE 37 4 What are some ways that you think the American church has conformed to the ways of the culture/world around us in order to avoid resistance rather than following the way of Jesus that would be counter-cultural? 5 Have you ever had to make a choice or take an action to follow Jesus that was costly to you in terms of relationships with your family, friends or at work? How did you navigate that season?

38 THE BEATITUDES MATTHEW 5: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.