When Oscar Wilde arrived for a visit to the U.S. in 1882, he was asked by customs officials if he had anything to declare. He replied: "Only my genius." Fifteen years later, alone and broken in prison, he reflected on his life of waste and excess. "I have been a spendthrift of my genius...I forgot that every little action of the common day makes or unmakes character." Scripture references character traits a lot. One passage in particular is quite opposite of the world's standard for character, the Beatitudes.
Billy Graham called them the "Beautiful Attitudes." They are beautiful because they are attributes of how to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. They are not a requirement. It is not a list of actions for us to mimic. Rather, the Beatitudes are a list of the qualities that Kingdom inhabitants possess. They are also beautiful because they are descriptors of a connection with God. The Greek word makarios, here, is translated as "happy" but also "blessed." Happy simply gives a connotation of a feeling. Blessed describes a connection between two entities, here God and man. Blessed means to be approved. Blessed is the better translation because God approves the behavior of man when it coincides with traits that point toward God. How can a man be "happy" when he is mourning? When Christ gives him joy that passes all understanding! Look at verses 3 and 10, each has a characteristic (poor in spirit/persecution) and each has a promise/reward (the Kingdom of Heaven). This literary style is called inclusio - which means that the reward is applied to all of the verses between the two, i.e. the mourner receives the Kingdom of Heaven along with comfort. This goes back to the usage of "blessed" instead of simply happy. The mourner is able to experience joy in times of mourning because he knows he will receive comfort from Christ and that he has his reward of an eternity in Heaven regardless of worldly actions/circumstances. 1. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Poor in spirit does not mean poverty stricken only. Luke's account does lead us to believe the poverty stricken was the original intent, but Matthew goes a step further to suggest poverty of the soul, i.e. brokenness. Billy Graham - poor in spirit means that man realizes he can do nothing but lift his head to Heaven for help, a total lack of resources for life. The rich have a difficult time reaching the Kingdom because they cannot look past their own accomplishments. Christ calls us to look to him for all of our needs. God will supply meet our needs. And in order for us to look to Christ, we must first be broken. We must lose our sense of capability to realize that Christ is our only hope. The rich young ruler wished to enter the Kingdom. Christ said,"Sure, but sell all you have." The young man could not. The poor in spirit are those that are humbled before God. Those that have made it to the bottom and can look to Heaven for redemption. This is the first step toward God. 2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. It is not a coincidence that the second characteristic is someone that mourns. If we are broken, then more than likely we are in mourning. Mourning a lost loved one. Mourning a lost hope. Mourning a lost opportunity. Again, Billy Graham - when someone is broken, they are mourning their sin. They realize that Christ is their only hope but they can't get to Christ because of their sin. So, they mourn. But there is light at the end of the tunnel, Christ saves us. Christ erases our sin. Joy comes through the mourning because we are saved. We continue to mourn because we are intensely sorry for our sin but also because we are forever grateful for Christ's mercy. We might have lost something but we will be comforted, made whole. The broken, the mourners tend to feel as though they are on their own. This is false advertisement, Christ is always there. He has made a way for us to become free of our sin, to be redeem. And our tears become tears of joy. Blessed are those who are intensely sorry for their sin for they will be comforted, for they will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 3. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Meekness is not a characteristic held in high esteem. Meekness is mildness, submissiveness. Our world is exactly the opposite of meekness. Happy are the aggressive for they will get what they desire. Happy are the overly talented for they will reach a successful career. Happy are the rich for they will get every friend their heart desires. A meek heart gets you very little, yet Christ lifts the meek. Why? Because Christ views meekness as a willingness to be submissive to God. Moses was not a meek person by nature. Moses rose to the highest possible position in Egyptian culture by being aggressive. He was so aggressive that he killed a man. Yet with God, he was meek. He was submissive to God's will and look what he got. Through God's power, Moses parted the waters. In our schools, on the streets, and in our families, we have played down the importance of being submissive to God. We equate meekness with gentleness and weakness. We have amped up our savagery and barbarism. We have scaled back our respect, kindness, and morals. Men and women who are submissive toward God will be given the desires of their heart. Men and women who are broken before God, intensely sorry for their sin, and submissive to God will be given the desires of their heart. 4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Righteousness in a worldly attempt is futile. No one can be perfect, can be without sin. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Rom 3:23. God considers our righteousness as filthy rags. When we have become broken, intensely sorry for our sin, and submissive to God, the desire of our heart is Christ. Christ is our righteousness. We hunger and thirst for Christ. Living a life out of own ability does nothing more than leave a big, empty whole in our heart. We continue to look for the thing that will fill us. Money, sex, fame, knowledge, friendships. Yet that thing, that will fill our hearts, is Christ. Our hunger for Christ is spoiled by our sin nature, self-sufficiency, and secret sin. But through Christ's intervention in our lives, we can overcome. We can begin to live a life worthy of Christ's mercy and love. Happy is the one who thirsts and is hungry for Christ because he will be filled with Christ. Become a member of the Kingdom today. Allow Christ to fill that whole in your heart. The one that is reaching out to anyone, or anything, that will listen. You desire someone to help you through the tough moments of life - Christ is that someone. In your brokenness, do not mourn the lost opportunities, have tears of gratitude for the one that has shown mercy to you, the one that will bring you out of the darkness, for Christ! How to be Happy Part two still to come! |