Check your beatitude
Understanding the kingdom of heaven, part 1
In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus kicks off his public ministry with a series of healings and miracles followed by what we now know as the Sermon on the Mount.
The message opens up with a simple series of nine “blessed are” statements, which we now know as the Beatitudes (a term that, if you’re interested, comes from the Latin beatitudenem, which means “state of blessedness”).
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“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.Matthew 5:1-12
These opening phrases of Jesus’ first public message set the scene not only for the rest of the sermon, but for his ministry as a whole. His audience isn’t blessed with the knowledge we now have of his true identity as the Messiah and Son of God; even his disciples are unaware of the true vocation of this new-to-the-scene rabbi who just called them to follow him as he healed people’s illnesses, shared the good news of the kingdom, and began teaching in synagogues.
The Beatitudes aren’t just a collection of pithy statements; they’re the first signal that the kingdom Jesus claims to be ushering in is topsy-turvy, unlike anything known to his audience (or anyone else in history, for that matter).
Here’s why the Beatitudes were revolutionary 2,000 years ago and why they remain so today:
The place
It’s traditionally held that Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount from a spot aptly called the Mount of Beatitudes. The mountain overlooks the Sea of Galilee, the same spot that Peter and Andrew were fishing when Jesus called them to follow him and become “fishers of men” instead.
But, there’s symbolic importance to the mountain, too. Think back to the story of Moses: after the Hebrews escape Egypt once and for all, God’s presence settles on Mount Sinai in dramatic fashion.
Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
Exodus 19:18-20
It is during this trip up the mountain that God gives Moses the 10 commandments and, in subsequent trips, the law code that the nation of Israel is to follow. Here and elsewhere in scripture, the mountain is a holy place where God meets with his people; consider that the temple in Jerusalem is built on Mount Zion.
The fact that Jesus delivers a sort of “law of the new kingdom” while on the mountain is significant. This is God in human form, meeting with his people, sharing his intentions for their conduct and telling them how life should look in his kingdom.
The people
Two central groups of people are mentioned at the opening of the sermon: the crowds and the disciples.
We’re told in the last verse of Matthew 4 that these crowds “followed [Jesus] from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.” We don’t have a demographic breakdown of the crowd following Jesus, but we can assume that it largely comprised Jews and others who were living under the oppressive weight of the Roman empire, the primary ruling authority in the region at the time.
Jesus wasn’t on the lecture circuit for noble families or delivering the keynote address to a Roman Senate meeting—though he certainly would have welcomed these audiences to listen in, too. His primary audience in this moment, though, was far from the ruling elite.
Additionally, Jesus’ disciples accompany him for this first public address. Though we don’t yet know much about them at this point in the story, beyond their faithful response to his invitation to follow him, they will be essential to the mission Jesus teaches about—bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth.
The message
What is the kingdom of heaven? The Beatitudes reveal that it’s not like any kingdom we might recognize. Its upside-down structure is evident from the very beginning:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
To be “poor in spirit” is to recognize one’s utter dependence upon God with complete humility. So, in this new way of life, it is not the proud, the high-born, the noble, or the powerful who will inherit the kingdom, but their antithesis. An odd message, indeed, for an ancient world enamored with might.
The later statements follow the same pattern, each blessing a fulfillment of the status of the person described:
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
“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.”
Next week, we’ll dig into each of the nine “blessed are” statements listed above. For now, spend some time mulling over the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount. How is the kingdom of heaven different from earthly kingdoms, and what are the implications?
