Matthew 5:1-2

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:”

It’s nice to know that Jesus’ first big public sermon began with the word “Blessed” …but I wonder if we really grasp what He means?

When you tell someone you feel blessed, doesn’t that usually mean things are going well? You are happy? Satisfied? Feeling good? God is doing some cool things in your life? That’s not what Jesus was talking about. In the original language, the word is “makarios” which simply means “a condition that exists.” It doesn’t exist because you feel a certain way. It isn’t based on your circumstances. It just…well…IS.

Pastor John MacArthur writes that “makarios is a divine pronouncement, the assured benefit of those who meet the conditions God requires.” So, the Beatitudes only apply to those who are in the family of faith. They are statements of spiritual fact based on spiritual conditions and point to spiritual prosperity! Additionally, they all fly in the face of what the world would call “good” or “profitable”, but remember: Jesus’ Kingdom is not of this world (Jn 18:36).

So, as we venture down the road of these 9 Beatitudes, keep in mind that they are statements of fact. When you have the right heart attitude, like “poor in spirit”, then God declares that you will receive His blessing. I love how the great bible commentator William Barclay sets up these Beatitudes:

“The world can win its joys, and the world can equally well lose its joys. A change in fortune, a collapse in health, the failure of a plan, the disappointment of an ambition, even a change in the weather, can take away the fickle joy the world can give. But the Christian has the serene and untouchable joy which comes from walking for ever in the company and in the presence of Jesus Christ. The greatness of the beatitudes is that they are not wistful glimpses of some future beauty; they are not even golden promises of some distant glory; they are triumphant shouts of bliss for a permanent joy that nothing in the world can ever take away.”