Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.
He said:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 5:1-12
Jesus, this is “blessed”? Really? Seriously?
Background
Over the next few chapters in Matthew, Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. The beatitudes above were the preamble. And He laid the foundation early in the discussion for a definition of those “blessed” in kingdom terms. And it made little sense for many. The poor in spirit. Blessed. Mourners. Blessed. The meek. Blessed. Those hungering for righteousness. Blessed. The merciful. Blessed. The pure in heart. Blessed. The peacemakers. Blessed. Those persecuted because of righteousness. Blessed.
Jesus’ blessing paradigm was never defined through an earthly lens. The clue to Jesus perspective is found in the last verse – “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven…”
This Christ-following formula for defining those blessed was through a heavenly lens. An eternal timeline. A broader timeline and perspective that brought greater sense and justice compared to the very narrower short-term timeline of our life.
Jesus was reminding us to live for heavenly rewards and blessings. Not earthly ones.
Reflections
Truly going all in for heavenly rewards and blessings. Not earthly ones. A mark of maturity.
The cultural gravity pulls us in. A comfortable house. Nice car – of course I need reliable transportation…Enjoyable vacations. Large tv. Nice clothes. Secure futures. Comfortable retirements. Fill in the blank.
But how many of us spend as much time seeking after the kingdom blessings referenced above?
Many of us want blessings to be sorted out and reconciled and delivered in our lifetime. Or our timelines. In our definition. Life following formulas are easiest to make sense of when connecting actions to results. Just like diets. Or workout schedules. Or marriage counseling. Put in the effort. Harvest the “blessing”.
We like to see a kingdom following blessing formula that yields fruit quickly. We want mourning and persecution and difficulty to be alleviated immediately. Right the wrong now. Bring justice immediately.
I do.
Sometimes He delivers on that timeline in our side of eternity. Sometimes He delivers on another timeline. A heavenly timeline. Sometimes the blessing is recognizable by the world. Sometimes it isn’t.
In either case, He can be trusted to deliver on His promise. And blessings. Always.
Lord, this world works so hard to define blessings. Their defined blessings admittedly often feel good in the moment. But you want to lift our perspective. Not with a temporal view. But a heavenly view. With a broader perspective. Please give me the courage to ask for your blessings referenced above. To be willing to seek “blessings” that could even invite mourning and persecution. To be patient and recognize that some blessings are identified here. Sometimes they aren’t. You are good. And can be trusted. I love you. Amen.
What if more of our thoughts were devoted to seeking heavenly blessings versus temporal ones?
What if we matured to the point where our spirits were even lifted in the midst of persecution? Because we could see the event through an upside-down kingdom filter?
What if... 