The Beatitudes
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. – Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how…
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” – Matthew 5:9 The word “pax” in Latin means peace. In the English language, we get the word “to pacify” or “pacifist” from it. Yet when Christ speaks of those who are “peacemakers” here, he does not mean those who are passive or…
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” – Matthew 5:8 Jesus has wonderfully spoken of blessing after blessing thus far in the Beatitudes. His words have been so encouraging and comforting, haven’t they? As we come to the sixth beatitude, many may be frightened by it. It’s indeed marvelous to hear…
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” – Matthew 5:7 Mercy is the mark of a good man. Such has been said for thousands of years, and such is true. Man’s nature is to seek vengeance, to seek to be the one to deal out death and judgement. Yet our Lord is the…
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6 Hunger and thirst are common, daily experiences for us. When we are hungry and thirsty, we may put up with it for a time, but there’s a desire to leave those feelings, to leave that temporary state of being…
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” – Matthew 5:5 As we continue to consider God’s blessings in the Beatitudes, we come today to His blessing of those who are meek. It’s common today, when we read or hear a person described as “meek”, to connect that with “weak” in our minds,…
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 These Beatitudes, these “blessed are those who…” sayings are perhaps the harder part of the Sermon on the Mount to interpret. They seem almost cryptic, like proverbs or saying that take a bit of pondering. Of course, in one sense that is what…
And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:1-3 This week, we will begin a new devotional series in…