One of the greatest teachings of all time was given by Jesus on a mountain overlooking the sea of Galilee, coming early in his ministry it is best known as the Sermon on the Mount or the Beatitudes, Beatus meaning "blessed" in Greek. Jesus sits, as was the custom for the Rabbis ( teachers ) at that time, his disciples gather around, he begins teaching and large crowds soon draw near to listen. Each part of the sermon begins with the words "Blessed are" almost as a form of congratulation, he then points to the attributes and attitudes a person might enjoy in the kingdom of heaven, outlining the nature of the kingdom and the rewards one might expect of being in communion with God. Blessed in Greek means "the happiness of" or "How wonderful is" and the whole sermon amounts to a spiritual promise, an optimistic picture that reflects the true nature of the law as being something other than just a rigid set of rules or regulations and that kingdom values are somewhat different to that of the world.
The teachings turn conventional wisdom upside down as we are urged to believe that the meek shall inherit the earth, the hungry and thirsty will be filled, the merciful will be shown mercy, those who mourn will be comforted, those who work for peace will become children of God, those who do right will attain the kingdom of heaven and that the pure in heart will meet with God. It would have been assumed at that time that the rich and powerful would have been far more worthy of these benefits in the eyes of God but Jesus is suggesting that the Kingdom is available to all and is to be found within you now, with all its attendant peace and happiness, as well as in the future (in you now and yet to come) and that your status in society as being deserving of these benefits is totally irrelevant.
In this sense the teaching is one of equality. Equal worth for all people in the sight of God with a spiritual rather than material reward. The use of the words meek and poor are not meant to represent a timid person who has no money but rather somebody who is humble, not interested in control or power over other people but drawing instead on the power of God in love.
When speaking about the hungry and thirsty Jesus is not just referring to those who had not enough to eat and drink but rather a spiritual emptiness, a gap at the centre of our being, for only God can truly satisfy the longing of the soul and only by a passion for righteousness can a person be truly filled.
When speaking of mercy Jesus suggests that the level of compassion and feeling that we show toward others will be reflective of the mercy we receive from God, blessed are those who mourn not only points to the comfort we receive from God when in grief but the feeling we may have for the plight of others, that we should also become comforters. This may encompass difficult areas such as forgiving those who have wronged us and understanding why a person is behaving in a particular way rather than jumping to negative conclusions and judging harshly. The idea that we may act without understanding or compassion and can be quite oblivious to the negative effect we are having on others is demonstrated when Jesus cries from the cross "Father forgive them for they know not what they do" In this way we should not be kind and merciful in order to receive mercy but rather because we have already received God’s grace.
This Grace and mercy was shown to us most dramatically when Christ died on the cross in what is a most profound expression of sacrificial love. When Jesus speaks of the pure in heart he is not referring to a perfect person but rather a process of transformation that begins when we 1) Declare our faith 2) Ask for forgiveness of our sins and 3) Invite Jesus into our lives through which we receive God’s grace. It is harder to be free from human error in our own strength as opposed to being humble and asking for Gods help. Righteousness holiness and purity of heart then are what conform us in our goal to become Redeemed and Christ like.
The Peacemakers in the sermon are not necessarily those who would win the Nobel peace prize or be great social reformers but those who are at Peace with God and pour out that peace to others both in word and deed. By spreading the Gospel as the source of true peace Jesus tells us we become sons of God. This is an inner peace even in adversity and when things around us are far from calm. It may seem a strange thing that we are to be blessed when we experience persecution, because when we are treated harshly we don't usually feel that way but this is a call for us to develop attitudes and attributes in adversity to prepare us for the inevitable trials of life. To avoid revenge or resentment, to work to serve others, to develop fortitude and resilience. It is the development of these characteristics that lay behind all our thoughts and attitudes and how we can reduce bitterness and the lowering of our own spirit. In this task we call on the Holy Spirit in prayer that we may be given the love and strength to attain the values of Gods kingdom. The Beatitudes state the nature of Gods kingdom and challenge us to form these characteristics to attain a state of being (in love) so that we may become doers (of love) The Beatitudes are to be lived out in life.
SOME THOUGHTS In modern cultures we tend to feel worth by perhaps the amount of money we earn, the status we acquire, maybe how recognizable and famous we become. The house we own, the car we drive, the holidays we enjoy. We are bombarded with media images suggesting what should make us happy and how we should look and behave. The cultural norms often through manipulative advertising are presented in such a seductive way that we are encouraged to spend the maximum amount of money possible or just live as we please but in doing so our inner lives are often at odds with our outer appearance. Many of our daily endeavours carry good intentions, are aimed at the common good and to some extent satisfy the self. Jesus however teaches us that we can only be truly at peace through the quality of our spiritual life, satisfied only by the quality of our relationship with God and through our love for one another. These beautiful attitudes are a challenge to us all.