… He said:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you
and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” Matthew 5:3-11 NIV
The Kingdom of Heaven is the main topic of the sermon of the Mount. Jesus’ listeners, including his disciples, his followers and the curious people of Israel and the Decapolis, were not looking for the kingdom that Jesus describes in Matthew 5-7. Jesus describes a counterintuitive kingdom.
The Tuesday morning women’s Bible study group studied the Sermon on the Mount using Jen Wilkin’s book several years ago. If you desire a deeper understanding of these topics, I highly recommend her study. She had some insights into this idea of the “upside-down kingdom” I think are worth sharing.
When we look at the beatitudes listed above, we see a description of the character of a person who is a citizen of the Kingdom of God. Those who are poor in Spirit, who mourn, who are meek and who hunger and thirst for righteousness describe how this character of a citizen of heaven takes root. Those who are merciful, who are pure in heart, who are peacemakers and who are persecuted because of righteousness display the fruit of the character of a citizen of the Kingdom of God.
This is not a list of things to do as much as it is a description of “how to be”. Jesus wants his listeners to understand that God is interested in our motives, our thoughts, our desires as much as our actions.
Our character takes root in acknowledging our need for God, our need for His salvation — this is the meaning of being poor in spirit.
Our character takes root in:
our honest appraisal of our sinful hearts;
our grieving over that truth; as well as
submitting ourselves to God’s will;
not insisting on our “rights”;
seeking God’s righteousness;
hungering and thirsting for the things of God; and
developing Godly character in ourselves.
Then, the fruit of our character can be displayed in our lives by showing compassion as God shows us. Our hearts begin to be purified, shaped and refined by God. He shows us how to bring reconciliation among men as we have been reconciled to God. We realize this world is not our home. Instead, we are identified with Christ, with His suffering, so we gain an eternal perspective in everything we do, everything we see and everything we think. It affects our decision making and attitudes. This is truly a kingdom worth belonging to.
by Grace Hunter
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