The Beatitudes: Happy are the Merciful
The Beatitudes, eight short teachings found at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, lay the foundation for the rest of Jesus’ teachings and are fundamental to understanding Jesus. The Beatitudes not only give us the spiritual roadmap to true happiness, but they set out the character traits of citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. Character traits of the Kingdom of Heaven are set out in the first four Beatitudes and include being poor in spirit, mourning, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, and meekness. The fifth Beatitude flows naturally out of the first four. When a person recognizes their spiritual bankruptcy, mourns their sins, hunger and thirsts for God’s righteousness, and submits to the direction and control of God, then their character begins to change; it starts to reflect the nature of God. Mercy is an attribute of God’s character. The closer a person becomes to God, the more merciful towards others that person becomes. Mercy is the Greek word eleemon and means kind, compassionate, sympathetic, and merciful. Merciful people display compassion; they want to ease others’ suffering not just to appear “charitable” or to receive a benefit, but because they genuinely empathize with their plight. Like meekness, today’s world tends to view mercy as a weakness, as something undesirable. Our culture roots for the person who serves their enemies vengeance instead of serving them forgiveness. Our culture says, no mercy, you don’t deserve it, so you shouldn’t get it. Thankfully, the Lord is merciful. David said, “let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great. Do not let me fall into human hands.” 2nd Samuel 24:14 God’s Mercy The Old Testament describes God as merciful. Psalm 103:8 says, “The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.” The faithful love of the Lord never ends! “His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. Lamentations 3:22-23 We all need God’s mercy. We are all sinners. (Romans 3:23). We all deserve punishment for our sins. But because God loves us, He gave us a way to be forgiven of our sins. He sent His son Jesus who took our punishment upon himself. (Romans 6:23) Because of what Jesus did for us, we receive God’s mercy. Paul sums God’s mercy up for us in Ephesians 2:4-10 NLT, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them”. The more we understand our sinful condition, the more we appreciate the value of God’s mercy – mercy we do not deserve but that He gave us anyway because He loves us. His love lifts us from our sinful condition and seats us with “Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…” Mercy of Jesus Jesus being the image of the invisible God, was also merciful. He showed mercy to the poor, the outcast, the sick, the blind, the deaf, the dead, the tax collectors, and prostitutes. Matthew 9:36 tells us that when Jesus “saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Another verse says, “Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” Matthew 14:14 Jesus also wants us to be merciful. Jesus twice quoted Hosea 6:6 “…show mercy, not offer sacrifices.” The first time was in response to the Pharisees questioning Jesus about him hanging out with “tax collectors and other disreputable sinners.” Jesus responded, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” Matthew 9:12-13 The second time was after the Pharisees protested Jesus’ disciples “harvesting grain on the Sabbath.” Jesus said, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ Matthew 12:7 Jesus took notice of the Pharisees’ tendency to care more about looking like good Pharisees than focusing on the more important aspects of the law – justice, mercy, and faith.” Matthew 23:23 In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus shows us what mercy should look like in the lives of kingdom citizens. Jesus told an expert at religious law that he must “love your neighbor as yourself.” The expert asked, “and who is my neighbor?” ” Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this
The Beatitudes: Being Happy, Hungry, and Thirsty
Finding true happiness. Many search for it. Many don’t find it. The good news is that Jesus gave us the spiritual roadmap to happiness in the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes describe spiritual qualities that operate within the Kingdom of Heaven, where we find true happiness. The Kingdom of Heaven is not just a future promise, but it is a promise for today and is found in the hearts of those who submit to the rule of Jesus, His followers. As we follow Jesus’ spiritual roadmap to happiness, we will need to make a few stops. First, we must stop at poor in spirit and then go to mourning over sin. Then we backtrack to meekness, the state Jesus calls the citizens of His Kingdom to visit so that God can use them to accomplish His plans and purposes here on earth. Then we move on to stop number four, where our hunger and thirst can be satisfied. Jesus said in Beatitude number 4, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied.” Matthew 5:6 But how can we be blessed and satisfied if we are hungry and thirsty? Hunger and Thirst Hunger and thirst are the two physical needs of man that, if not satisfied, will lead to certain death. Jesus was no stranger to hunger. He spent 40 nights in the desert with no food and water and understood the overwhelming desire and craving for that which can physically satisfy and sustain. Jesus wants us to have the same overwhelming desire and craving for God because only God can spiritually satisfy and sustain us. However, instead of hungering and thirsting after God, people hunger and thirst after all the wrong things: money, possessions, power, and pleasure. They passionately pursue these things with the belief that when they gain them, they will be satisfied. But when they finally get everything they thought they wanted, they realize that these things cannot satisfy them and will not sustain them, so they begin their fruitless pursuit of all the wrong things again. Money & Possessions Many of Jesus’ teachings were warnings against the pursuit of money and possessions. He said, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroy them, and thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Matthew 6:19-21 He also said, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” (Matthew 6:24). He also said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” Luke 12:15 And finally, “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul.” Matthew 16:26 Power Even the disciples hungered and thirsted after wrong things. In Luke 22:24-27, the disciples “began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them.” They desired power. Jesus quickly set them straight about what was important in the Kingdom. He said, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.” Pleasure Jesus in the “Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed” refers to the pleasures of this life as thorns that can choke out the Word of God, hindering the believer from growing to full maturity and producing fruit. Luke 8:4-15 The disciple John says in 1st John 2:15-16, “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father but are from this world.” The One Right Thing Instead of hungering and thirsting after all the wrong things and ending up unsatisfied, Jesus calls His followers to hunger and thirst after the one right thing: the righteousness of God. Righteousness in Greek means the state of being in right relationship with God, justified, the act of doing what is in agreement with God’s standards. Jesus invites us to partake of his righteousness by thirsting and hungering after Him. He says that anyone who drinks the water He offers “will never be thirsty again.” That His water “becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” John 4:13-15 He says that He is “the bread of life” and whoever comes to Him “will never be hungry again.” John 6:35 We are made right through Jesus, who never sinned. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says that “God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin so that we would be made right with God through Christ.” This righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. (Romans 3:21-26) Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross covers our sin so that God sees us as He sees Christ: perfect and unblemished. Once we are justified, the Holy Spirit begins to work in us to make us look more like Christ, and the more we look like Christ, the more we hunger and thirst after the one right thing! Spiritual Diet Do you hunger and thirst after God? Do you want to hunger and thirst after Him more? If you fill yourself up with too much junk
The Beatitudes: 5 Ways to Be Meek Not Weak
Jesus tells us in the third Beatitude that those who are meek are happy, and they will inherit the earth. The world associates meekness with weakness and thinks that only the strong can be happy and inherit the earth. Once again, Jesus’ teaching turns the world’s views upside down. In Welcome to the Upside Down, we talked about the blueprint for happiness that Jesus set out for us in the Beatitudes. We learned that the first step to finding true happiness is to be “poor in spirit.” To be poor in spirit, we must forget our self-interests and crown Jesus the king of our hearts. In Happy are the Sad, we discovered the second step to finding true happiness is to mourn our sins and choose the path of godly sorrow, which leads to salvation and comfort. The third step to finding true happiness can only be taken after accomplishing steps one and two. Jesus calls us to meekness. The Greek word for meek is “praus” and means gentle. In Matthew 11:29, Jesus described himself as “humble and gentle at heart,” in other words, “meek.” Not only did Jesus describe himself as meek, but He constantly displayed His meekness by yielding His power to the control and purposes of God. Jesus had power but chose not to exercise it. Meekness is Not Weakness By studying Jesus, we see that meekness is not weakness; it is power under control. A wild horse is powerful but cannot be used to accomplish the purpose of its master until it submits to the master’s direction. Just because the horse submits doesn’t mean that it is weak, only that its power is under control and can be wielded to accomplish the purpose of its master. Jesus calls the citizens of His kingdom to meekness so that God can use them to accomplish His plans and purposes. When we follow our own plans and purposes without submitting to the direction of God, we won’t accomplish God’s plans and purposes, which always far exceed our own. Blueprint for Meekness We understand that Jesus calls us to meekness, but what does meekness look like for a kingdom citizen? Psalm 37 is most likely the Old Testament teaching that Jesus was referring to when he said the meek would inherit the earth. Psalm 37 describes character traits that a person must have to be meek. To be meek, you must: 1. Trust in the Lord Meek people do not worry about God coming through on their behalf but trust the Lord with all aspects of their life. Jesus tells us in John 14:1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.” Jesus continued to encourage His disciples to trust God by teaching them to pray this way: “Give us today the food we need.” (Matthew 6:11). Notice Jesus didn’t pray for God’s provision for tomorrow, only for today. He wants us to trust God day by day and not worry about tomorrow. Jesus tells the disciples in Matthew 6:25-34 not to worry about what they eat or drink, or what they wear because God will provide for them just as he does the birds and the lilies in the field. He says that these worries “dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.” He goes on to say, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Finally, He says “don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries…” 2. Delight in the Lord Meek people delight in the Lord above all else. To delight in someone means to take pleasure in them, to make them the most important thing in your life. If you delight in someone you want to please them. Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:10 to “Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.” God has set out all we need to know about pleasing Him in His Word. The Word tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). It tells us that we please God when we are spiritually, not worldly-minded (Romans 8:6-8), and when we “do good” (Hebrews 13:16). Jesus delighted in God and God delighted in Jesus. In John 8:29 Jesus said of God, “For I always do what pleases him” and in Matthew 17:5, God said of Jesus, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The Father and Son delighted in each other. Jesus is our perfect example of delighting in the Lord. 3. Commit Your Ways to the Lord The Hebrew translates the verb commit as to roll or roll onto. Meek people roll their ways onto the Lord. Peter summed this up when he said, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (1st Peter 5:7). The idea is that we should trust that God will take care of all of our worries and cares. 4. Still Yourself and Wait Patiently for the Lord Meek people are still before the Lord and wait patiently for him trusting that He will take care of them in His own time. Waiting on God means recognizing that He is God and that everything worth waiting for comes from Him. David understood this well. In Psalm 62 he said, “I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken…Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.” God promises us that when we wait patiently on Him that he will “renew our strength” (Isaiah 40:31) and that we will be blessed (Isaiah 30:18). 5. Refrain from Anger and Turn from Wrath The last characteristic of a meek person is the ability to refrain from anger and turn from wrath even in the face of adversity, persecution, and injustice. The meek can do this