David Bahn – Reflections

Matthew 5:2-11

²And [Jesus] opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

³“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

⁷“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

⁸“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

⁹“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for^(R) theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

The list in Matthew 5 of those who are blessed highlights a truth that is important for us at all times – whether we are discouraged, depressed, in pain, or urgently seeking for some good thing, or when we are well-fed, happy, content and on top of the world. The truth is this: God exalts the humble and brings down the exalted. Mary recognizes this and expresses that same truth in her song of praise to God, “he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate” (Luke 1:46-56).

Often we think of God’s blessings being bestowed 0n us from above – like water flowing down over a waterfall. Truly God does bestow blessings from above; this is a true and valid biblical image. Though we know God is present everywhere we think of Him as being “up there” somewhere, and His blessings flowing down from on high.

But there is a truth in these verses from Matthew worth considering: God’s blessings spring up from the foundations of reality as He created it. In other words, when He declares it, it simply is true that they are blessed who are poor in spirit, who mourn, who are meek, and so forth. Indeed God looks down from heaven and sees someone who is meek and says, “I’ll bless that person”. But there is an intrinsic blessedness in being meek, poor in spirit, pure of heart, and the like – by God’s declaration. They exist in a state of blessedness, for when God speaks light is created, worlds are formed, stars are flung into the sky.

Because this is a state of being, “blessed are…” it is also a call to faith: Jesus promises that “they shall…” be comforted, inherit the earth, see God… It is a future hope and consummation of God’s promises and blessings to which these people look.

During Jesus’ ministry He taught about people who had received their reward in full. He calls His disciples to look beyond the honor of people, the justification of our own doing, and the short term gains of this life to an eternal blessing of God’s justification and glorification (Romans 8:30).

Sometimes we may be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good. But seldom is that the case; we’re earthbound to a fault. We have accustomed ourselves to happiness here and now. Today Jesus is calling us to look beyond our outward circumstances to the foundational blessings of eternal consequence. There is a peace in that which the world cannot give and which the world desperately needs.