THE BEATITUDES (1)

Matthew 5:1-12

Introduction

 

          When we hear the word “beatitude,” our minds are immediately drawn to the beatitudes spoken by Jesus as He opened His Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:1-12).  Jesus proclaimed eight of them to His disciples.  Over the next several weeks, we want to examine these eight beatitudes and make application of them to our lives.  However, in this article, we want to introduce the subject of beatitudes.

          The word “beatitude” is not found in the Bible.  Beatitude comes from late Middle English.  It is derived from the Latin word “beatitudo.”  The Latin word means “perfect happiness.”  Each beatitude begins with the word “blessed.”  The Greek word is “markarios.”  Strong defines this word as “supremely blessed; by extension fortunate, well off.”  Thayer simply defines the word as “blessed, happy.”  Vine reveals that it comes from a word meaning “large, lengthy, or long.”  By extension, therefore, it came to mean “to pronounce happy.”  Vine also tells us that these qualities are those that bring the highest good to the lives of those who possess them.

          Jesus wants His followers to have a blessed and abundant life.  In John 10:10, Jesus states:  “…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”  The Greek word for life is “zoe.”  It means a life that is full and animated.  The beatitudes are the foundation for such a life.  The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus’ first sermon to the masses as He begins His ministry.  Jesus wants His followers to be blessed.  He wants them to be happy.  He wants them to be fortunate and well off.  He wants their lives to be lived to the highest good.  Thus, He starts with “The Beatitudes.”  Here is an interesting thought.  Those who refuse to internalize the beatitudes will never live a life of ultimate happiness, joy, and fulfillment.  The devil will try to convince them otherwise, but Jesus knows what is best for us.

          These are not the only beatitudes found in the Bible.  Psalm 1 begins with a beatitude.  “Bless is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinner, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night” (Ps. 1:1-2).  Verse 3 notes the fruitfulness of the person who will put this beatitude into practice.  “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also doth not whither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”  This is just one of fifteen beatitudes contained in the Book of Praise (Ps. 2:12; 32:1, 2; 33:12; 34:8; 40:4; 41:1; 65:4; 84:5, 12; 89:15; 94:12; 112:1; 128:1). 

          The Revelation also contains seven beatitudes that are beneficial to man.  The first one is found in Revelation 1:3.  “Blessed is the he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein:  for the time is at hand.”  Most believe the Revelation is a difficult book because it is highly figurative.  Thus, many refuse to study it.  Too, the interpretations of the book of Revelation are many.  Again, this causes individuals to shy away from the book.  God must have anticipated these reactions.  Therefore, He pronounced a blessing on those who read and keep the things found within the book.  There are six more beatitudes sprinkled throughout the remaining twenty-one chapters (Rev. 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14).

          The beatitudes set forth by Jesus have to do with the heart of man.  The heart is the control center of man.  The wise man once said:  “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Prov. 4:23).  It is this aspect of man in which God is interested.  “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him;  for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7).  Jesus understood that if a man will develop his heart in a righteous manner, the rest of his actions will follow suit.  He also understood that if the heart is evil, even though the outward actions appear to be right, the individual’s life is vain and empty.  It is a life of lies and hypocrisy.  The eight beatitudes proclaimed by the Master Teacher establish the heart upon a good foundation.

          The beatitudes of Matthew 5:1-2 stand in stark contrast to the thinking of the world.  The world exalts those who are proud and haughty.  It seeks to obtain as much happiness as possible.  It longs to eliminate what man believes to be negative and exalt everything that man sees as positive.  Power is important to the world.  The world engages in all types of sin and vice.  The world is filled with strife and vengeance.  The beatitudes run contrary to every one of these concepts.  It is beneficial to be poor.  It can be productive to cry.  Power must be tempered.  We should seek peace instead of strife, if at all possible.  If we are persecuted for the right reasons, we can rejoice.  The world appreciates none of these things.

          The beatitudes also all come with a promise.  These promises give individuals very good reasons to put the beatitudes into practice.  Some of the promises are received in this world.  Others will be obtained in the world to come.  The promises, however, are of great reward.  The world does not understand the magnitude of the promises, but the practitioner of the beatitudes does.  He relishes each promise Jesus has made.  He realizes their significance.  Too, he can trust that the promise will come to pass because of the Faithful One who made the promise (See Rev. 19:11).

          The beatitudes.  These are some of the most popular teachings of Jesus Christ.  Our hope is that each reader will come to understand the beatitude, put it into practice in his life, and cherish the promise that is attached unto it.  Truly, blessed are they that sow, water, grow, and maintain these precious qualities in their daily lives.