Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.   Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad:  for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Matthew 5: 11-12

In history Jesus has received mixed reviews. Ideas about him are called Christology and no summary of them is needed here.  Many of those ideas are simply folk lore with no factual basis.  One thing we do know for sure about Jesus:  He said you will have trouble because of him.  How can that happen to you?  What association will you have with Jesus that can cause you problems?  What will you two be doing?

The ninth beatitudes records that you will be “reviled”.  You are going to be reviled?  You?  Yes, you are going to be “bad mouthed” – taunted, upbraided, chided, grieved, harassed, and criticized.  For Jesus’ sake!   Are you ready for this?  Probably not, but ready or not, if you take Jesus seriously and report him favorably, you are in for that.

Why is this?  It is because he is grossly misunderstood by the masses.  They think Jesus came to shut down their party and turn out the lights.   The masses have no idea that Jesus came to start a real party, the biggest party the world has ever known, with lights so bright they light up the world.

But, if you take him seriously and stick to this course, when you graduate, he will give you a party.  There is something great in store for you.   Great is your coming reward.  You are soon to be blessed beyond measure.

Did you notice Jesus compares you to the prophets of old?  What does he mean? He means this:  when you meet our Abba God, and realize what he really did for you, you will become his energetic supporter.  You will be telling about Jesus; opening up God’s mighty works.  People who don’t like  to think about God, or Jesus’ message,  won’t like you.  Remember that feeling?

posted by RiverAngel42 \\ tags: Matthew 5:11-12, The Beatitudes Bible Study, The Reviled

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:10

Along with the good news comes some bad news. There had to be a catch somewhere, didn’t there?  Well, here it is in both the eighth and ninth beatitudes.   Blessings and rewards are still there, but persecutions are added.   Persecutions?  Who wants them?

In the fourth beatitude, Jesus asked you to hunger and thirst after righteousness.   Now he says you could be persecuted if you are righteous.  But he says, don’t worry about it.  You will be blessed with the benefits of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Let’s discuss persecution and also the Kingdom of Heaven.  The standard definition of persecuted means to be harassed.  Types and degrees of harassment can vary.   The fact is that some will seek to injure you in one way or the other because you are righteous.  They know they reflect poorly in your new light.

When you turn from worldliness and all that means, and seek a face-to-face relationship with God, you change.  Your outlook and goals become spiritual instead of material.   Now you are different.  This threatens those who don’t understand that life’s base is spiritual.

In the natural, people put goods first and God second.  Now you have put God first and goods second.  Your outlook seems to be crazy.  You are crazy, but you are crazy like the fox.  You now have the best of this life and the life yet to come.

You know that when God takes control of your life, he makes good things happen. Those blessings happen because of his love and grace, not because of your conniving or striving.  When God is in control, goods follow grace as gifts.  This is the Kingdom of Heaven.

posted by RiverAngel42 \\ tags: Matthew 5:10, Persecuted For Righteousness, The Beatitudes Bible Study

Blessed are the peacemakers:  for they shall be called the children of God. Matthew 5:9

This sounds simple enough.  Peacemakers are called God’s children. By whom?  When?  Why?  Where?  Will this buy bread?

Most people think peace is a good idea, as long as they get their own way.   When they don’t get their way, there is hell to pay.  Even the Soviets talked peace – “mir” – while they were the world’s leading terrorists, planning world conquest.

Peace, according to Jesus, starts within personal attitudes and behavior.   In the “Sermon,” Jesus detailed this project.  We are told not to return evil with evil.  We are to turn the other cheek, do what is asked of us, and forgive affronts.  We are to love unconditionally, always treating others as we would want to be treated if our roles were reversed.  We are to forget ourselves, never retaliate, and let hostilities stop with us.

Sounds impossible, doesn’t it?  It is, except for God’s promise that you will be blessed and will be called – known as – children of God.  What he asks you to do, he will empower you to accomplish.  His grace is sufficient.

What does it mean to be called God’s child?  What would it mean to you if your father was President of the United States, or king of a great nation, or some famous celebrity?  You would be famous by association, privileged in many ways, and protected by his position.

So it is when you are a child of God.  God oversees your life, handles your retaliations in his own way, and protects your person.  He continually sends you blessings, both spiritual and material.  You get what you want and need by his grace, usually without even asking. Peacemaking brings peace and harmony into our lives.

posted by RiverAngel42 \\ tags: Matthew 5:9, The Beatitudes Bible Study, The Peacemakers

Blessed are the pure in heart:  for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8

No doubt the least visited discussion topic is purity. Can you remember the last time you had a good conversation about it?  Think about radio and television talk shows.  Have any of those dedicated a show to this subject?  And what about church sermons?  Can you recall a good window-rattling sermon on purity, and its cause and effect?

Jesus wants us to consider purity.  So the sixth beatitude of his Sermon is, “Blessed are the pure in heart:  for they shall see God”.  The very reason he wants us to think about purity is why we would rather not.  Purity takes some mental concentration and dedication.  He wanted us to be dedicated to God’s will and purpose.

Dedication to an unseen God, who rewards us in private, is outside our realm of experience.  That makes it difficult for us to concentrate on spiritual activity.   Yet this is the very activity that lets us “see” our invisible God.

Purity is to be free from taint or pollution.  It is to have unmixed desires.   In this verse, it does not mean you must be sinless before you can see God.   You must simply want to be pure in thought, word, and deed.  When you want to “clean up your act”, you have made a start on this beatitude.  You will become pure in the full sense only after God himself removes your impure thoughts and acts.  God purifies you.  Our job is to cooperate with him.

Here Jesus teaches that your heart – your thoughts, feelings and emotions – must concentrate on meeting God.  Knowing and pleasing God needs to be so important to you that it is your main desire.  When you make this your priority, God will come to you.   He will reveal himself to you so dramatically it is as if you have actually seen him.

Your face-to-face encounter with God proves his reality and nature. “Seeing” God and knowing him as Abba – your Daddy – is the blessing promised in this beatitude.

posted by RiverAngel42 \\ tags: Matthew 5:8, The Beatitudes Bible Study, The Pure In Heart

Blessed are the merciful:  for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7

No doubt the most popular short prayer in every culture is, “God have mercy.” Even when abbreviated simply to “God,” or sometimes “Oh, God” our petition is the same.  We ask God to be merciful with us, and hope he will.  This prayer expresses our instinctive human belief that God is merciful and “will have mercy on whom he will have mercy.”

Mercy is a compassionate attitude toward others, with a desire to alleviate their discomfort or distress. In times of disaster, compassion and concern for the distress of others seems to be our natural and normal behavior.  In such times many will put aside their personal interests and work for the common good as best they can.  Some might say Jesus’ mercy beatitude is unnecessary because we have some internal drive for compassion.

A close look at mankind’s history proves the opposite.  Man’s inhumanity to man has always been the ruling force of history.  The tragic story of our past is selfishness, inconsideration, and cruelty.  The continual result is political oppression, war, poverty, and slavery.  General indifference to social distress has generated mandatory government welfare programs addressing every human need.

So our core nature is not generous mercy but self-concern and indifference.  In this fifth beatitude, Jesus tied giving mercy with receiving mercy.   Here you are told God’s rule is for mercy, and the more mercy you give, the more you will receive.  That has always been a spiritual law, “as you sow, so shall you reap.”

God’s will for you is a merciful attitude that will bring about merciful acts.  He promises his mercy to you.  He asks you to be as merciful to others as you want him to be merciful to you.  “Blessed are the merciful:  for they shall obtain mercy.” Mercy is marvelous. Mercy brings its own rewards.

posted by RiverAngel42 \\ tags: Matthew 5:7, The Beatitudes Bible Study, The Merciful