BEATITUDES

“Now when he saw the crowds,
he went up on a mountainside and sat down.
His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:”
Matthew 5:1-2

Jesus taught them what we commonly call the Beatitudes, a term which comes from the Latin beatus which means happy, fortunate or blissful and is an exclamation of the inner joy and peace that comes with being right with God.  They have also been referred to as the “Be-Attitudes” or “Be-Actions” that are to “be” true in the life of every Christian and are greatly contrasted to the worldly notion of “blessedness.”  The list of beatitudes is found in Matthew 5:3-12 and also Luke 6:20-23 and is one of the most quoted passages of the Bible.

Each of the 8 Beatitudes consists of two phrases: the condition or current state of well-being in the midst of our trials and tribulations in this world as well as the result or promise of a future reward in the Kingdom of Heaven.  They are familiar phrases from God’s word, but Jesus elevates them to new teachings which focus on mercy and compassion.   They follow a simple proverb-like pattern and show us the inner spiritual character of righteousness that Christ cares about plus teach us to match our attitude and actions with His.

The list of Beatitudes can be divided into those that illustrate how to relate to God (v 3-6) and how to relate to one another (v 7-12).  Taken together they give us a picture of the perfect disciple of Christ who is a joint-heir of God’s promises.

                                                                                 Joyce