Lessons From the Beatitudes
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The Beatitudes
The Beatitudes were taught by Jesus when He came back from the wilderness after fasting for forty days an being tempted of the devil. Matthew wrote them in the gospel which he wrote.
Matthew 5;1. And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2. And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
Poor in Spirit
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Poor in spirit to me means those who are broken, beaten down, bruised, etc. . . Not because of how they live, but because of their belief in Jesus Christ. Those who believe in Jesus will be broken and bruised by those who do not believe.
They are blessed because they are believers in Jesus Christ. He is the Way, the truth and the Life. He is the one who brings the kingdom of God to men.
Mourning
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Anyone who mourns will be comforted, but only if they know Jesus and receive Him according to the Word of God. Many try to make their own way and in doing so, they're actually saying their way is better than God's way.
Jesus told His disciples just before He went up to meet the cloud, to go into the upper room and wait there until the Comforter comes and endues them with power. There is comfort in the Holy Ghost, just as there was comfort in Jesus before he ascended back into heaven.
Mother Theresa
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Meekness to me means quiet strength. This is one subject I really fall way short on. I have trouble at times keeping my mouth shut and it causes problems much of the time.
From this we can learn to be quiet. Silence is something that cannot be misquoted. Jesus stood seemingly helpless and weak before Pilate. Strength is not in overpowering another person, it is overcoming the agony, fear and pain of death.
Jesus taught self denial, and denied Himself by keeping His mouth shut while they judged Him a sinner.
Mother's Love by Judah
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Righteousness is the faithfulness of God concerning His children. It is the justification of all who do accept God on His terms. It is of God and Him alone. There is no righteousness outside of God.
We must long for the righteousness of God so much so that we feel that we may not make it without it. This is the hunger that we need to have each and everyone of us. Without it, we will simply just dry up.
Eating disorders are commonplace in the time that we now live. People with Anorexia and Bulimia are among the most talked about. Bulimia is the act of causing one to regurgitate food after eating. Usually it is done after binge eating.
Anorexia is caused by starvation of oneself. Most of the time it is due to the fact that the person thinks they are fat. The image stays with them even after they are down to skin and bones. There is a line where a person with Anorexia is unable to eat or hold anything down. If they do not go into a hospital they will just starve to death.
What I learn from this verse of scripture is that I must long for righteousness and the goodness of God. If I stop hungering after Him, I will dry up and die spiritually.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Have mercy upon me my Lord!!! God is merciful. In fact His mercy endures forever. A christian must be merciful in order to receive mercy from God. Many have different ideas of what mercy really is.
Mercy is showing compassion upon someone who in actuality doesn't really deserve it. Jesus had compassion upon many who were undeserving of compassion. I, myself, am one of those many.
There also were some who don't receive the compassion or mercy of God. Mercy can be given, as it can also be rejected.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Pure in heart is impossible for man to be on his own. The heart of man is deceptive, dark, full of micheif and evil. It takes God to make one pure in heart. It is the only way to be pure in heart actually.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
There is a peace that surpasses all understanding. It is the peace of God that is upon those who receive Him. True peace cannot come about by man's own strength. There can be an image of peace, but not real peace.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Persecutions come and go constantly agsainst the Church of God. Sometimes I get persecuted but there is always someone somewhere being persecuted simply because they believe God and have received Him.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
I am reviled by many. I am hated just as the world hates Jesus. I cannot overcome these feelings I have at times on my own. It is hard to sit back and let people talk evil about you.
When all is done.
After everything is finished, it comes down to one single point. Submission to the will of God. One cannot be any of these things until their heart is given completely to God through acceptance of Jesus Christ.
Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
One must receive Jesus in order to be called a Son or daughter of God. I have received Him personally. I am not all of the things which are listed above, I have merely begun my journey to become them. I am reminded daily to take it all slowly and diligently. One day at a time just as the song says.
One day I will be able to say say that I am perfect in the Lord Jesus Christ. Until that day, I will be a perfect example of imperfection.
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Thank you for answering my request. This is a great hub.
Thanks for the comment Dawg.
That's all you have to say about this one Sweetie? No debates or rants or anything of that sort?
Thanks for the comment. :P
"I must long for righteousness and the goodness of God. If I stop hungering after Him, I will dry up and die spiritually." I know this to be true from my own experience and I've learned that if we stop hungering, it becomes easier to fall into wrongdoing. Good hub!
I am a Christian, why would I rant about something like this :). Also, I happen to love the Beautitudes and I knew you would write about it very well.
A beautiful hub on a beautiful Scripture!
Thank you talented ink for the great comment. I also have been there before, so it is an actual lesson for me.
Sweetie, I was only kidding about the rant, debate.
Thank you, Wbisbill, for the comment also.
I know :P
:P @ Sweetie
Thanks for this one!
"Silence is something that cannot be misquoted."
Good line, SirD.
Beautiful hub to read again and again.
Do you think it's possible to be beaten, bruised, etc. but still have good spirit? I do.
Thanks for the comment newwoman. I appreciate your reading of this article.
Paraglider, I heard that saying somewhere and have no idea who said it. It was a long time ago. I appreciate your reading and comment.
I am very glad you like it Sweetie. Thanks for requesting it.
glassvisage says:5 minutes ago
Do you think it's possible to be beaten, bruised, etc. but still have good spirit? I do.
SirDent: Yes I do believe that. Sorry I missed your comment. I was posting the above comment when you posted yours.
I tcan think of the time that Jesus was on the cross. He said, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do," This was just before His death, but He still had everyone else on His heart and mind. Now that's what I call a good spirit!!! ;)
I sent this hub to my friend because she likes to do the Bible studies like I was telling you about.
That's great Sweetie. I am in chat if you want to come for a short visit.
Okay I will meet you there
Right on, Brother, I look forward to meeting you in Heaven.
Thank you very much jedgrey. I look forward to meeting you there also.
Great thoughts. Thumbs up from a fan. I included your hub in my links moduels for:
List of the Beatitudes - Explaining the Beatitudes and other Spiritual Works of Mercy
http://www.squidoo.com/list-of-the-beattitudes
Grace and peace
I don't agree that 'blessed are the poor in spirit...etc' refers to christians who are being persecuted for their belief in Jesus Christ. I believe it refers to people who are depressed and feel an overwhelming hopelessness.
Well Molly if you disagree with the Word of God you disagree with God.
I agree with mollybonne on her understanding.
This is a wonderful hub Sir Dent, and thank you for coming to my page. I look forward to reading more of your works.
While you've offered an excellent perspective from a Christian's point of view, the Beattiudes can be fully and correctly understood through the understanding of Jesus' Jewish culture.
Check out my article on HubPages called 'Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus' for more.
I enjoyed your hub. I suppose alot of these teachings could have different meanings to different people, depending on what context you put them in and what state of mind or heart you are in. I thought "poor in the spirit" could also mean people who are beaten down by the flesh and come to God for help and that is where they find healing and Gods grace. I don't diagree with the word of God, I just suppose I was one of those who was beaten down and found the love of God and God ministers to us through his words. We all can find meaningful words through him. I also can see your definition and that makes me know that God give us what we need when we need it.
Tammy, I appreciate your input. When I wrote this hub, I wrote about what I had learned up to the time that it was written. For instance when I wrote about the poor in spirit I wrote what it meant to me at that time. The Word of God is alive and, though it never changes, as we grow we are able to see a little more as we go along.
I have learned more since I wrote this hub.
True true true. That is exactly what I meant because I am learning every day and appreciate those of you who write hubs on what you have learned so we can all share in the bounty of Gods word. What means one thing to you can mean something different to me, but still be the same and no less true!
SirDent, the Beatitudes were taught to me as a child and yet as we grow older and have different experiences, we come back to a different perspective.
Isiah 65:17 tells us "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind."
So, when the Beatitudes tells us the meek shall inherit the earth, perhaps this is what was promised.
Hi SirDent:
The Beatitudes are lovely, aren't they? They lead us onward, pointing the way to the understanding of God ..God is Love.
What keeps us from being loving...in loving as God loves?
Sin.
Many times as I've read the Beatitudes I've considered this ...sin attitude..this selfishness that keeps me from loving as God loves. Sin gets in the way. My own me-first attitude gets in the way. My will and my way get in the way.
A servant heart? What's that? Being willing to see the other person's need as...what? What can possibly make your need more important than my need?
The Beatitudes point the way.
The Rich have all they need. The poor are lacking. Add in the Spirit..The Rich are like the Pharisees..wealthy in Righteousness...capable of judging the sins of others.
The Poor are not so. They are humbled by their own unworthiness. The Centurion, asking Jesus to heal his servant, says, I am not worthy for you to enter my house.
In Proverbs, the Word says, a humble and contrite Spirit He will in no wise cast out. The humble are aware of their sin.
They who mourn...they are contrite concerning their sin. The sinner in the synagogue would not lift his face but beat his breast and prayed for forgiveness saying, I am not worthy. The haughty Pharisee prayed, I am glad I'm not like him..I do this and I do that and therefore he found himself justified in his own sight.
The meek...you said it well that they judged Jesus a sinner by His silence.
Hunger and thirst after Righteousness. Jesus said His meat was to do the will of His Father. And again He said, Why do you call me good. For there is one alone who is good, your Father in heaven. This then is the measure of Righteousness..the Father.
What is my righteousness....filthy rags.
I must have my Father's Righteousness. How? He must give it freely, by His own will...it can only be received as a gift...the inheritance we receive because our family member has died. It is the gift of God given by adoption into the Family of God. Does it make me good? Heavens NO!
It makes me rich, like a coat of many colors...ridiculous to the coarse hearts and a token of the Father's love to the rest.
HubCrafter
I came upon your page today SerDent through Holy Spirit guidance and was so moved by the clear demonstration of your love for the Lord through these scriptures and pictures that I have posted it to my facebook to encourage and enlarge knowledge to others of what Jesus was teaching to the masses.
May God bless you abundantly as you do His work excellently. Amen!
This is lovely, SirDent. But I might add one thing. I believe God made us SPIRITUALLY perfect, not humanly, but that the world has messed us up with false education as to who we really are as God's children. And Jesus came to wake us up to our true, good Christly nature. We are a bit like a dirty car that needs to be washed clean so that our true nature will shine! True, the washing can be work, but the fact is, underneath it all is a perfect idea.
I love it!
Very detailed hub you got here. Thanks for the share.
Sirdent,
Brother you are well into the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Many preachers today say we cannot be perfect as long as we are in the flesh.But remember that God commanded us to be perfect as he is perfect.The Beautitudes outline the personal tribulations and sufferings one has to go through to be made perfect as the apostles did.Read carefully and live it!Be doers and not just hearers.Jesus has given us the comforter to strengthen us as we need it daily in our walk through the desert of life.When we are perfect we are born again.Well done!
Thank you 4 answering my question it is great
hoverdawg72 3 years ago
Very nice and very true Sirdent. Good hub.