Summer Blessings: Introduction to the Beatitudes

The Beatitudes, in Matthew 5:1-12, introduce the Sermon on the Mount. 

After his baptism and subsequent testing in the desert, Jesus has begun his ministry proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”   Repent is translated from the Greek word metanoeo {met-an-o-eh'-o} meaning to turn around, to see from new point of view, to walk in a different direction.   And why should we turn around?  “The kingdom of heaven is near,” says Jesus.  Kingdom is translated from the word basileia {bas-il-i'-ah} which means having the authority and power to reign over or to rule.   The Sermon on the Mount is all about the kingdom, or more accurately understood, the Reign of God.

Jesus has called the disciples to be “fishers of people.”   He has traveled throughout Galilee teaching, preaching, and healing.  Great crowds have begun to follow him.  He leads the disciples up on a mountain and is joined by crowds … where he delivers the Sermon on the Mount.

The word Beatitude is translated from the Greek word makarioi {mak-ar'-ee-oy}.   The literary form of the beatitude had been around for a long time when Jesus created these teachings.  In the Old Testament, we find beatitudes most commonly in wisdom literature, such as the psalms and proverbs.   Modern translations today translate the word, makarios {mak-ar'-ee-os} as “blessed” which evokes the sense of the deep joy of God’s presence, even in circumstances that are less than ideal.  

In Matthew’s beatitudes we find a sense of irony through which Jesus challenges us to see from a new perspective, a “reign of God” perspective, which emerges from the spiritual realm rather than the worldly (materialistic) realm.    The focus of the beatitudes is not on any gift we receive but the Giver who gives! 
Each of the beatitudes is composed of a statement of who is blessed followed by a statement of why the person is blessed.  The main body of the beatitudes was written with a special symmetric order or pattern called a chiasm, which is a form of parallelism. 

There are 8 verses in the main body.  These 8 verses can be divided into 2 sets of 4 verses.  The first set emphasizes our vertical relationship to God (Love God), and the second set emphasizes our horizontal relationship to people (Love others as self).  

‘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 receive mercy.
‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
‘Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.
‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Notice the kingdom of heaven is mentioned in the first and last verse of the passage.  They are the bookend verses which hold the teachings of the beatitudes together and alert us to the theological purpose of the Sermon on the Mount overall and of the beatitudes in focus.  This purpose is centered on the reign of God.   *Please note that verse 11 is an expansion of verse 10 and does not introduce a new blessing. 
Jesus calls us and challenges us and empowers us to live in the kingdom of heaven … under the reign of God as a way of life.  The way of the world is domination and social hierarchy.  The way of Jesus is humility and egalitarianism.  

Marjorie Thompson says, “Deep inside the spiritual wisdom of the Beatitudes lies a paradox that runs through the heart of the gospel:  The power within and behind the entire universe does not assert itself as raw power; it is, rather, revealed in self-effacing humility and love.  Jesus shows us the transforming power of the self-emptying love of God.”  (Companions in Christ: The Way of Blessedness, 23)