Introduction to the Beatitudes

http://biblehub.com/parallelgospels/The_Sermon_on_the_Mount.htm

Today’s post is going to be a little different.  As I meditated on the portion of Scripture we call the “Beatitudes”, I kept going back and forth as to how to handle this iconic passage.  To be honest, I spent so much time just thinking through the structure of the passage and comparing both Matthew’s and Luke’s version of this part of the message; by the time I came to a decision on how to handle this my time for writing was just about gone. 
My first inclination was to write about each one of the beatitudes dedicating a day to each of them.  However, I decided against that because I felt like it would turn into a topical approach and I didn’t want to dig so deep into each area that the overall structure of the text became invisible. 
My next inclination was to Look at the entire passage from both Matthew’s and Luke’s perspective.  The outline would have been something like: HOW WE SHOULD BE, WHY WE SHOULD BE, WHO WE SHOULD NOT BE.  I decided against this option because there is just too much to write about in one day and I didn’t want to just skim over the surface of the text and miss the profound teaching Jesus gave.
Then I noticed that while Matthew talks about nine “beatitudes” Luke only mentions four so I began to look to see if Luke was summarizing the list into general categories.  It seems that the first area Luke mentions is a summary of the first three phrases in Matthew that all center around humility.  The second area Luke mentions seems to describe the second three phrases in Matthew that center more on our character.  The last two areas Luke mentions seem to coincide with the final three phrases in Matthew that focus on persecution.  I almost decide to cover all the “beatitudes” in one post with an outline something like: THE HUMBLE, THE HOLY, THE HURTING.  But once again it just seemed like too much to tackle in one post and would end up being too superficial.
I finally decided to spend one day on each of the three categories above so my next post will be all about the three sides of humility Matthew portrays then we will look at being holy and then look at hurting.  The next day will be about the rewards associated with “being” who Jesus teaches about and then we will wrap up this section with a post about the warnings Luke gives at the end.  I hope this strikes a proper balance.  I decided to write about my process in looking at the passage because I thought it would be helpful to see the overall structure of the text.

Beatitudes are instructions from God as to how we should “be” in order to “be” happy or spiritually prosperous.  People all over the world are pursuing that elusive goal of being happy.  The problem is that they are looking in all the wrong places and in all the wrong ways.  Jesus gives us a road map to happiness in this text.   As we read through the list we find statement after statement that take us by surprise because they go against the natural way that we think.  My prayer is that our journey over the next five days will lead us to “being” more like Jesus.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 1:3-7

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not   to teach any different doctrine,   nor   to devote themselves to myths and endless   genealogies, which promote   speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.    The aim of our charge is love   that issues from a pure heart and   a good conscience and   a sincere faith.    Certain persons, by   swerving from these, have wandered away into   vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law,   without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.   There will always be false teachers that come into the church attempting to distract people from the truth and destroy people’s faith.  When this happens, it is the job of spiritually mature leaders to confront these false teachers and correct their teachings.  However, it is important that this correction be accomplished with the right motives and methods. 
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more