Matthew 5:4-12
Silence and stillness before God (2 minutes)
Scripture reading
Scripture reading:
Matthew 5:4-12
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Devotional
Society in the first century was heavily influenced by greek culture. The Romans were in power but they and the Jewish rabbi’s had all been effected by the all pervasive hellenistic or Greek culture. Plato, who followed Socrates had taught how to live a virtuous life. This was a common question asked by thinkers of the day. Who get’s to live the truly good or virtuous life, as in who get’s the good life? And this was followed by an associated question; who is truly good? Who gets the good life and what would being good look like?
Jesus answers this question with a twist. He takes Plato’s goal of virtue and changes it to a more biblical idea of righteousness. Righteousness is a powerful word which means right standing with God and humanity, it also conveys strong ideas of justice. To be righteous in the New Testament is both the gift of God offered through the gospel and also a way of living the good life, made available through the life of the Spirit in a believer by faith.
Jesus begins with “blessed are ..” and then proceeds to list the most unlikely set of suspects for the blessed life. Blessed, in the bible means “more than happy”. Who is more than happy? In other words, who gets the good life? Jesus contents, anyone who is in the kingdom of the heavens, get’s the good life. We do a disservice to the Sermon on the Mount when we assume that this list prescribes who you have to be to be blessed. This is not the point - it’s not the meek who qualify for blessing because they are meek - it’s just that they’re unexpected to be blessed. Jesus is simply stating, you can be a perceived “spiritual zero”, a nobody in every way but you’re a somebody if you know the king of the kingdom.
It doesn’t matter if you are poor in spirit, you’re mourning, meek, hungry or persecuted. What matters is that you know the king of the kingdom. The gospel of Matthew, again and again highlights the unusual people to whom Jesus reaches out. The people who come in contact with the king, and receive him by faith—they are the happy ones, truly happy, blessed. Where the king is received, the kingdom comes in power, and the “good life” is found. It is the way of the master.
Question to consider
How would you describe your definition of the good life? How would living with Jesus’ teaching of the good life change your life today?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, you have watched all of human history unfold, the brilliance of the Greeks and the might of the Romans, but you Lord remain the same, all powerful, all knowing, all present. Thank you for your invitation to me to enter and enjoy the good life through your Son, the Lord Jesus. Father, please help me to remember who gets the good life by your free gift of grace. Thank you that I am truly blessed beyond comprehension to know you and be loved by you in Christ. Amen.
Conclude with silence (2 minutes)
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