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Few sections of Scripture force us to take a hard look into our hearts as does the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew’s account, the Sermon on the Mount was the first major event in Jesus’s ministry. Matthew 5:1-2 tells us that on this day, Jesus was teaching hundreds of men and women who followed Him and His teaching.
Right at the start, Jesus got to the heart of a question many people have today: What is true joy—and how do we find it? The Beatitudes Jesus spoke of (from the Latin beatus, meaning “blessed”) are eight attitudes that reflect the character of all true followers of Jesus Christ. The first four Beatitudes focus on our relationship to God, while the second four focus on our relationships with one another. The first and last beatitudes end with the same reward: “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (vv. 3, 10), indicating that the entire list deals with God’s kingdom.
In the Beatitudes, Jesus turned what we think we know about the world on its head and declared this new perspective “blessed.” Then He offered a promise with each paradoxical saying.
Before we look at each Beatitude, let’s consider what Jesus meant when He used the term blessed. Blessed is one of those Christianese words we use, often with little understanding of what we are saying.
The Greek word makarios, or “blessed,” doesn’t have a precise English equivalent, but it’s akin to joy—an inner contentment that is unshakable. It’s a joy that never falters and can never be taken away, just as Jesus promised: “No one will take your joy away from you” (John 16:22).
Happiness is a superficial emotion that depends on happenings, or circumstances. Joy is a deep, bedrock assurance that God is in control of the happenings of our lives and is using them for our good and His glory.
When you see the big picture of the coming kingdom of God, you can be joyful no matter what circumstances you face. More than that, those who are blessed are overcome with joy because they have found favor with God. When God blesses us, He approves of us. What could be greater than that?
How do we tend to use the word blessed in our culture and churches? How is this similar or different to its real meaning?
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About this Plan
In the face of loss or fear, we might wonder how we could ever be joyful. Jesus told his disciples about eight key attitudes that lead to joy, no matter our circumstances. This passage in Matthew, called the Beatitudes, includes some of the most familiar but misunderstood verses in the Bible. These verses can teach us to experience a joy unlike any other!
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