Blessed As we begin this morning, let s read from the first Psalm. How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path (or way) of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD knows (Or approves) the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish. (Psalm 1:1-6 NASB) The beginning of the collection of psalms quickly speaks of blessings to those who do not walk in the counsel of the wicked and who in His law he meditates day and night. The idea of being blessed or receiving blessings is one that appeals to us. If we are in public and sneeze, we hear people wishing a bless you in our direction. At the checkout, the clerk will offer our receipt, change and a have a blessed day. What does it mean to be blessed? The word blessed, in various forms, appears in the Bible more than 500 times. 1
There are several words that are translated blessed found in the scripture. For example, there are two Hebrew words: א ש ר esher (eh'-sher): happiness, blessedness Basically, this word connotes the state of prosperity or happiness that comes when a superior bestows his favor (blessing) on one. In most passages, the one bestowing favor is God. (Vine s Complete Expository Dictionary barak (baw-rak'): to kneel, bless When expressed by men, a blessing was a ב ר ך wish or prayer for a blessing to come in the future. A prayer for prosperity on others (as children). In the New Testament and in the Septuagint (Greek Translation of the Old Testament), the Greek word μακάριος, α, ον Makarios (mak-ar'-ee-os): blessed, happy; to pronounce happy and blessed. All of these words convey a similar meaning. Blessed is either a prayer or wish for someone to receive happiness or contentment. They also indicate that a superior (regent, parent, or God) has given favor to an individual. The supple shade of meaning must be determined by the context. Blessed also carries the idea of rest and comfort as we find in Matthew the 11 th chapter. In this chapter, Jesus talks about John the Baptist and his role of preparing the way for Jesus. Jesus then speaks of how John was not accepted. He then tells the crowd that the doomed city of Sodom would have repented if it had seen the miracles that Jesus had done in the region. Jesus then prays (Matthew 11:25-27) and invites people to come to Him. Come to Me, all who are weary (Or worked to exhaustion) and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My 2
yoke is easy (Or comfortable or pleasant) and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30 NASB) For many, the idea of finding rest for our soul is something we truly seek. That rest and comfort is a blessing from God. Jeremiah was trying to call the children of Israel back to God and uses the exact phrase that Jesus used in the passage we just read. Look in Jeremiah 6:16. Thus says the LORD, Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your souls. (Jeremiah 6:16 NASB) Jeremiah speaks of blessings and curses for people based on where they place their trust. We find this in the 17 th chapter. Thus says the LORD, Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the LORD. For he will be like a bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes, But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt without inhabitant. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, 3
And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit. (Jeremiah 17:5-8 NASB) Again, the idea of blessings being a gift from God and those blessings bringing a refreshing supply of relief and comfort. Everything that we have considered so far is leading up to our main scripture this morning. Turn with me please to the 6 th chapter of Luke. We will begin reading at the 17 th verse. Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured. And all the people (Lit. crowd) were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all. Jesus had begun to call His disciples. He was healing the sick and infirmed and the Pharisees were upset because the crowds were looking to Jesus as a religious leader. He had gone up onto a mountain to pray and we are told that He spent the whole night on the mountain. Jesus and His apostles came down to a level place and the crowd pressed in to be healed and to hear Him. We continue with verse 20. And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, Blessed are you who are poor (Lit. the poor), for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger (Lit. the hungry) now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for 4
behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. Woe to you who are well-fed (Lit. having been filled) now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way. (Luke 6:17-26 NASB) The first blessing is pronounced on the poor. In Matthew, we may read similar message in the Sermon on the Mount. Luke s account has been labeled as the Sermon on the Plain. Scholars are mixed in their opinion as to whether these are two separate sermons or two differing accounts of the same message. Matthew uses the term poor in spirit. To be certain, Matthew was writing for a predominately Jewish reader while Luke is geared for a Gentile reader. Some commentators suggest that poor in spirit is addressing those who are not spiritually arrogant (like the Pharisees). Luke singles out the poor. Poor people usually have the least power in political circles. They are not even considered. In our country, the earliest voters had to be land owners thus the poor were denied any participation in shaping a kingdom. Here, Jesus has declared that they (the poor) had a place in the kingdom of God. Next, Jesus pronounces a blessing on the hungry. Again, those who are poor may have difficulty securing sufficient food to satisfy their hunger. As we read in Jeremiah, God provides for those whose trust is in Him. He will ensure they have the life-giving waters to feed them and produce their fruit. The third blessing listed in Luke s account is on those who weep now. Jesus promises a time when they will laugh. 5
The fourth blessing really ties all of this message up into statement about serving God in truth. Blessed are you when men hate you. Most of us spend a lot of time and energy forming friendships and striving to be liked by many people. Here Jesus is telling His followers that it is better to be hated because of following Jesus. Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. We live in a world where serving Jesus is becoming more and more a reason for ridicule. Trials, persecution and hardships typically lead either to strengthen our faith and resolve or to turn us away. Turning away may be gradual so that we don t notice or it may be a sudden decision to throw in the towel. Either achieves the same end- we are allowing persecution to rob our joy. In Luke s account of the message concerning blessings, we may find much to ponder about the nature of blessings. We may compare the messages found in Matthew and Luke to find similarities or differences. We may even decide that living a Christian life no longer leads us to blessings. If this is where we find ourselves, maybe we are confused about what a blessing is. Maybe we are looking for wealth, release from health issues, freedom from debt. God is speaking to us to let us know that His blessings are spiritual and we enjoy those blessing only when we accept them in that context. I found an essay written by a student in seminary that examines the beatitudes. Here is a paragraph that was in his summation. Above all, the beatitudes teach us that as disciples we have both privilege and responsibility; we must have total confidence in the God who provides and have the responsibility to take actions of a standard befitting those called into the kingdom living out humility, meekness, hunger and thirst, mercy, purity and 6
peacemaking in a world which will reject and revile us for the name of Jesus Christ. (From an essay by Nathaniel Killick) We began this morning by looking at the definition of the various words used for blessed and found that the words are either a prayer or wish for someone to receive happiness or contentment. The world s definition looks for material gain rather than happiness and contentment we receive from God. We need to remember the invitation that Jesus extends: Come to Me, all who are weary (Or worked to exhaustion) and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy (Or comfortable or pleasant) and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30 NASB) 7