This week we’ll work through the Beatitudes, Jesus’ opening section in his sermon on the Mount. As we do, we’re looking for guideposts on how to live as citizens of God’s Kingdom. In the Beatitudes, Jesus gives us a list of qualities or behaviors of people at home in the Kingdom of God. He gives us a glimpse of how citizens of God’s Kingdom behave.
The Beatitudes are a list of nine qualities (the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, and so on.) Before each description, Jesus uses the word, we translate to mean ‘blessed.’ This ‘blessed,’ is rich with meaning – we’ll tease this word apart on Thursday! – but for now, know that Jesus was trying to convey a lot in this one little word. He was saying, “How good is life for the poor in spirit,” “How good is life for the meek,” and “How good is life for the hungry and thirsty.” Not because these qualities are necessarily good – many things in Jesus’ list are challenging and painful, but because these types of people are in a position to embrace the Kingdom of God. With empty hands and longing hearts, they are available for God’s Kingdom to advance through them.
The Beatitudes are Jesus’ commentary on what it means to live ‘the good life.’ What’s your picture of the good life? What types of things make up the good life in your mind? What kind of person would you point to, and exclaim, “that’s the way life should be lived?” Maybe the good life is a house filled with laughter and love. Maybe the good life is making a difference in a job you love. Maybe the good life is hair that doesn’t frizz in the summer humidity! Do you have a picture in your mind?
Now, go ahead, and read Matthew 5:1-12. How does your picture map onto Jesus’ picture? A person’s picture of the good life tells you a lot about who they are, what they prioritize, and what they value. What will it take for us to embrace Jesus’ picture of the good life? I don’t know about you, but for me, it will take an actual move of God for my heart to align with Jesus.
The Kingdom of God brings a total reversal of our value systems and our estimates of who is blessed. The logic of the Beatitudes depends on Jesus’ claim that he is bringing the Kingdom of God as it is in heaven. In the Kingdom of this world, there is nothing
blessed about being hungry, empty, powerless, and grieving. But if God’s Kingdom is as good and beautiful as Jesus promises, we are blessed to be so empty of this world’s treasures that we can grasp as much of God’s Kingdom as we can hold.
Lord, we are your children, citizens of your Kingdom. Help us to see your Kingdom moving and advancing around us. Change our hearts to reflect your heart, God. Fill us with your desires, and overwhelm us with a vision of your good, heavenly reality, so we can reflect your Kingdom today.
Elise
Related: Christian Standard of Living
