Beatitudes - Sermon on the MountSample

We discover the beatitudes in the book of Matthew in chapter five at the start of Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount. Jesus gathered His disciples and followers together on the side of a mountain and taught them what life is like in God’s Kingdom.

The Beatitudes are about God’s blessings. We all love to be blessed, right? We want to be blessed with days filled with sunshine, gourmet dinners cooked by a personal chef, a shiny red sports car, and free ice cream every day.

What kind of things do you think of when you hear the word blessed? When we think of blessings, things that benefit and help us often come to mind. Things we will receive or things that will make our own lives better.

In God’s Kingdom, things can seem back to front. Many things in God’s Kingdom are often the opposite of what the world would say. Jesus shares in the beatitudes that we’re blessed when we care for others. We’re blessed when we show kindness and mercy, blessed when we have a pure heart and blessed when we make peace with others. That doesn’t say anything about getting a SHINY NEW CAR! God’s blessings do seem back to front!

These backwards blessings are what the beatitudes are all about. Jesus taught that in God’s Kingdom, we’re blessed when we are needy, blessed when we are sad, blessed when we are humble because these are times when we rely on God, and Jesus taught that we’re blessed when we care for others - showing them mercy and making peace.