2. The source of blessing and true happiness The American rock singer turned pastor, John Wimber, said, ‘Jesus is insatiable. Everything we do pleases him but nothing satisfies him. I have been satisfied with Jesus. He has not been satisfied with me. He keeps raising the standards. He walks in high places.’ In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus ‘raised the bar’ to the sky, not to bring us down but to lift us up: ‘Ive put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand – shine!’ (5:16, MSG). According to Jesus, true happiness does not come from all the things that society suggests. It does not come from celebrity, beauty, wealth and possessions. It is not about how you feel. It is not about what you have or even about what you do. The Greek word used in 5:3–11, ‘makarios’, means ‘blessed’, ‘fortunate’, ‘happy’ – the privileged recipient of God’s favour. Or, as the Amplified version puts it, ‘happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous, that is, with life-joy and satisfaction … regardless of their outward conditions.’ In the Beatitudes (‘beautiful attitudes’!) Jesus highlights eight unexpected situations in which we receive God’s favour and blessings. According to Jesus, true happiness comes from: Being spiritually desperate for God ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit’ (v.3a). The word for ‘poor’ means ‘begging … dependent on others for support’. Here, it means being brought low or weakened to come to the place of realising the need to depend on Jesus. ‘You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope’ (v.3a, MSG). The poor in spirit are blessed because, through what Jesus has come to make possible, ‘theirs is the kingdom of heaven’ (v.3b). Weeping over our condition ‘Blessed are those who mourn’ (v.4a). We mourn our own sin and the mess in the world around us. We weep with those who weep. Jesus’ promise is that those who mourn ‘will be comforted’ (v.4b). God’s comfort goes way beyond any kind of ordinary comfort. As Joyce Meyer writes, ‘It’s almost worth having a problem in order to be able to experience it.’ Being content with who you are ‘Blessed are the meek’ (v.5a). The Greek word for ‘meek’ means ‘gentle’, ‘considerate’, ‘unassuming’. It is showing kindness and love for others. It is the opposite of arrogance and self-seeking. It means ‘broken’, not in the sense of a broken glass that is shattered, but in the way that a horse is broken – tamed, strength under control. Through Jesus the meek are blessed – ‘they will inherit the earth’ (v.5b). You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are – no more, no less’ (v.5a, MSG). Being hungry for God ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness’ (v.6a). We need to pursue a relationship with God as our number one priority in life. Pursuing anything else for its own sake ultimately leaves us empty. But the blessing of a hunger for God and his righteousness is that we ‘will be filled’ (v.6b). ‘You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God’ (v.6a, MSG). Receiving forgiveness and being merciful ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy’ (v.7a). We are not to give people what they ‘deserve’, but to give them what they don’t deserve. The merciful are blessed because ‘they will be shown mercy’ (v.7b). Being completely sincere ‘Blessed are the pure in heart’ (v.8a). This is not just outward purity but integrity, openness, sincerity and authenticity. It is a purity that truly allows us to ‘see God’ (v.8b). A pure heart starts with our thoughts because our thoughts become our words, our actions and our character. ‘You’re blessed when you get your inside world – your mind and heart – put right’ (v.8a, MSG). Striving to bring peace ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ (v.9a). We are not to stir up conflict, but to make peace. Jesus, the Son of God, came to make peace for us on the cross (Colossians 1:20). Blessed are the peacemakers ‘for they will be called children of God’ (Matthew 5:9b). ‘You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight’ (v.9a, MSG). Expecting nothing in return except persecution ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness’ (v.10a). We are not to expect anything from the world in return except criticism. But God is with the persecuted church: ‘theirs is the kingdom of heaven’ (v.10b). ‘You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution’ (v.10, MSG). We see here the third way in which Jesus fulfils the Old Testament. We have already seen that Jesus fulfils the Old Testament history (Matthew 1:1–17) and how he fulfils the promises of the Old Testament prophecies (Matthew 1:18–4:16). Now, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus fulfils the Old Testament Law by revealing its full depth and meaning: ‘Don’t suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures – either God’s Law or the Prophets. I’m not here to demolish but to complete’ (Matthew 5:17, MSG). Lord, I long to live by the values of the Sermon on the Mount and be characterised by the Beatitudes. Forgive me for falling short last year. Help me to live like this in the year ahead. Help us as a community to live like this and to change the world around us.
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 22:21:13 +0000
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