“Blessed”
A Sermon Based on the Beatitudes, Matthew 5:1-12
Pastor Deb Troester, STHPC, January 29, 2023
The word Beatitude comes from from Latin beatus “blessed.” In Greek “blessed,” Μακάριοι, means receiving divine favor, fortunate, well off, happy. But somehow “happy,” or “fortunate” doesn’t describe those who are poor in spirit or mourning, at least to our human way of thinking. Is there more to this word “blessed”?
John Pilch, in his book The Cultural World of Jesus, sheds a bit of light. He writes that in the Mediterranean world of Jesus, honor, its central value, drives all behavior. Honor is a public claim to worth and a public acknowledgment by others of that claim…Rather than “happy,” “fortunate,”or “blessed,” the first word in each beatitude should more correctly be translated “truly honorable” or “highly esteemed”…In Jesus’ view, true honor and esteem are determined and bestowed by God, very publicly, for all to see. And the things that God considers truly honorable and worthy of praise are almost always the opposite of what human beings of any culture think.”
Bishop Mike Rinehart has this to say: “Although it seems sometimes like God sides with the rich and powerful, Jesus has good news: God cares for those who feel like they have lost in the game of life. So, good news, you who are hungry. God is with you. When you are grieving, God is near.”
Let’s look at these beatitudes and see if we can make any sense of them. The first four beatitudes relate to people who are not usually considered “blessed” by human standards, people who are suffering or down-trodden. The rest relate to people who are trying to do God’s will and help those in need.
Jesus begins with “blessed are the poor in spirit.” While we might think of “poor in spirit” as those who are depressed or discouraged, Jesus probably meant those who were not only poverty-stricken, but who had lost hope; the dispossessed, abandoned, and despondent. God cares about those who suffer. Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn”: those who have experienced heart-breaking losses of all kinds. God will comfort them.
“Blessed are the meek”: the “humble, non-violent, gentle, or kind.” In Hebrew, the word translated as “meek” also means the homeless poor, so it could refer to the unhoused, or those who have been denied basic human needs, the powerless. Jesus says that they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” “Righteousness” can also be translated “justice.” Often we interpret this beatitude to refer to those who truly long to do what is right, but it can also mean those who have been denied justice, and long for it, like the widow in Jesus’ parable who kept pleading before the unjust judge until finally he granted her what she was due. God will satisfy both the hunger for justice and righteousness.
Looking at these first four beatitudes as a group, we hear Jesus saying: “Blessed – even held by esteem by God - are the dispossessed, abandoned, poor, mourning, meek, humble, powerless, those who have been denied basic human rights, who long for God’s righteousness, justice and vindication. Heaven and earth belong to them. They will be satisfied and comforted. God loves them.
Jesus is not idealizing poverty. Being so poor as to have no hope or being unjustly treated are not virtues to be aspired to. Rather, Jesus is saying that God is on the side of the vulnerable and weak. In the next five beatitudes he goes on to say that blessings are in store for those who help them, those who do what God requires.
He continues: “Blessed are the merciful,” the compassionate ones who act on their compassion. Later in Matthew, Jesus says, “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’” Jesus teaches that it is more important to show mercy and compassion rather than to obey laws such as not working on the Sabbath, or eating with sinners. Those who show mercy will receive God’s mercy.
Next, Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart.” The Israelites had a different understanding of “heart” than we do in our modern context. They thought of the heart as the place where you think and make sense of the world—where you feel emotions and make choices. Your heart is your innermost being. For example, to forgive from the heart is to truly forgive. A pure or clean heart is one that is turned to God, and God’s commandments. Perhaps it means that our words, actions, and thoughts are congruent. That’s the definition of integrity. Those who are pure in heart will someday see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers.” In Hebrew, the word for peace is shalom – not just an absence of conflict, but the presence of wholeness, well-being, and flourishing of life. The word for peacemakers can refer to rulers who establish security and socioeconomic well-being for their people. Peacemakers are those who work for the restoration and wholeness of all people. They shall be called Children of God.
Later in the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus says to leave your gift at the altar and make peace with your brother or sister, or reminds us to love our enemies, he is talking about being a peacemaker.
Finally, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness.” Again, the word “righteousness” can also be translated justice. We are called to do what is right, what is just. If in doing so, we are persecuted, we are blessed – ours is the kingdom of heaven. Seek the well-being of others, seek to do what God requires, and let God take care of you. Jesus is warning his disciples that participation in peace-making and justice-making brings with it persecution. Of course, early Christians did face persecution, but we still have martyrs to justice even today. Think of Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday we celebrated earlier this month.
One way to look at the beatitudes is as a statement of what is valued in the Kingdom of Heaven. First, the poor, the suffering, the humble, and the oppressed are given special attention from God. Latin American theologians, such as Gustavo Gutierrez, have called this “God’s preferential option for the poor.”
Put simply, that means that we, as Christians, “are called to look at the world from the perspective of the marginalized and to work in solidarity for justice…The option for the poor does not mean pitting one group against another, but rather, it calls us to strengthen the whole community by assisting those who are most vulnerable.” Over and over again scripture teaches that God cares about how the poor and powerless are treated – the widow, the orphan, and the stranger. Jesus was born into a poor family, and proclaimed that his mission was to bring good news to the poor. Last week we reflected on how Christ will judge the nations based on their response to the hungry, the thirsty, the prisoner and the sick. It is precisely those who suffer now from injustice whom God will comfort and care for. Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
God values mercy, compassion, integrity, and peace-making. Those who work for justice, even to the point of being persecuted, are honored by God. Theirs is also the Kingdom of Heaven. The values of the Beatitudes are not the values of this world. Maybe Paul had that in mind when he wrote: “For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.”
Showing mercy is often seen as weakness. Integrity is left behind in the struggle to get ahead, to make money, to gain power. Those who call for peace, who refuse to use violence, are also viewed as weak. Many people in Paul’s day thought it absurd to follow someone who had met death on a cross. Crucifixion was something shameful – a punishment for criminals. In Christ, God turned this world’s values upside down. In God’s kingdom the first are last and the last shall be first. “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
Long ago God spoke through Isaiah: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways. The Beatitudes remind us that what the world values is not what God values. The Beatitudes show us that a better world is possible – the world as God envisions it. The Beatitudes help us to know the heart of our loving God and give us hope that the Kingdom of Heaven is closer than we imagine. Blessed are you! Amen.
Pilch, John J. The Cultural World of Jesus: Sunday by Sunday, Cycle A. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1995.
Rinehart, Michael. “The Beatitudes: Jesus’ First Sermon.” [Accessed January 28, 2023.] https://bishopmike.com/2023/01/24/the-beatitudes-jesus-first-sermon/
University of Notre Dame Center for Social Concerns: “The Preferential Option for the Poor and Vulnerable.” [Accessed January 28, 2023.] https://socialconcerns.nd.edu/content/4-preferential-option-poor-and-vulnerable#:~:text=As%20such%2C%20each%20Christian%20must,work%20in%20solidarity%20for%20justice.
Deborah Troester © 2023