Reading the Sermon on the Mount With John StottSample

Happy Is the Person . . .

One other topic that has to be addressed before we examine the beatitudes individually is the blessing that Jesus promises. Each person who exhibits the quality commended by Jesus is called “blessed.” The Greek word makarios means “happy,” so the translation of the New Testament you are reading may say, “How happy are those who are . . .” Several commentators have explained the beatitudes as Jesus’ prescription for human happiness.

No one knows better than our Creator how to bring happiness to human beings. He made us and he knows how we work best. But it is seriously misleading to translate makarios as “happy.” Happiness is subjective, while Jesus is making an objective judgment about these people. He is declaring not what they may feel on a particular occasion (happy), but what God thinks of them and what they really are: they are blessed.

The second half of the beatitude spells out the blessing enjoyed by those who exhibit these qualities. They possess the kingdom of heaven and they inherit the earth. The mourners are comforted and the hungry are satisfied. They receive mercy, they see God, they are called the children of God. Their heavenly reward is great. And all these blessings are enjoyed together. Just as the eight qualities describe every Christian, so the eight blessings are given to every Christian. It’s true that the particular blessing promised in each case is appropriate to the particular quality described. At the same time it is surely not possible to inherit the kingdom of heaven without inheriting the earth, to be comforted without being satisfied or to see God without receiving his mercy.

The eight qualities together constitute the responsibilities, and the eight blessings the privileges, of being a citizen of God’s kingdom. This is what the enjoyment of God’s rule in our lives means.

From Reading the Sermon on the Mount with John Stott by John Stott with Douglas Connelly.