Blessed are you!

Matthew 5:1-12

Key Verse 5:11,12

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Today we would like to think about the blessedness of a disciple. In about a month we are going to have a discipleship Bible conference at Michigan State University. In preparation for this occasion and in order to further brace ourselves for the call to deny ourselves, take up the cross, and follow Jesus daily, we would like to study this passage so we would not miss out on all the blessings the Lord has in mind for his disciples. 

In the previous passage Jesus overcame the devil's temptations. Then he went out to the Sea of Galilee. There he called disciples such as Simon Peter. Then he healed many sick people. Seeing Jesus' miraculous power to heal the sick, many followed Jesus. Then seeing the crowds coming toward him, Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him. Then Jesus began to speak to them. So this passage was addressed specifically to his disciples. This was then the first message Jesus gave to his disciples. What did he teach?

First, the poor in heart (3)

Look at v. 3. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." This is the first utterance of his blessed words in his first message given to his first batch of disciples. Surprisingly Jesus' first subject had to do with the spiritual poverty. 

"Blessed are the poor in spirit." Here the poor in spirit refers to the one who is humble enough to recognize one's spiritual poverty. It is a terrible disaster to remain spiritually poor yet not recognizing it. If we are materially poor we immediately recognize it. Even as I stand here I know exactly how many greenbacks I have in my wallet. As of now I do not have any twenty dollar bills in my wallet. I have in fact one $5 bill and a couple of $1 bills. Each time I do not have any twenty dollar bill, I even can feel that my wallet is light. I walk around with my wallet in my pocket, and I feel empty. Then I open up the wallet, and there you go: I have no $20 bill. 

But the situation is not necessarily so with my spiritual condition. Unlike materials like money, spirit is incorporeal, and it is not easy for one to recognize much less appreciate one's spiritual poverty. And this is a very serious problem, for in Jesus' own words, flesh (or money in your wallet or bank account) counts for nothing (for the ultimate happiness of a man) but spirit gives life to man. Surely one can be a billionaire, but he can remain a spiritual pauper. And if this is the case he is indeed to be pitied the most. He is the poorest of all the poor. 

What is sad is that an absolute majority of people are not good in seeing their spiritual poverty. We find this to be the case with the majority of people of Jesus' day. Mr. Nicodemus is an example. We know the story about Nicodemus. One day, perhaps during the early part of Jesus' ministry, he visited Jesus at night. Then he asked Jesus, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." But surprisingly Jesus said to him, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." Wow! He must be born again?! What a surprise! This statement indicates that as he stood, Nicodemus was no good. The underlying statement is to say, "Mr. Nicodemus, you are so bad that I need to set you aside, and make a new creation out of you." But Nicodemus did not think so. He thought that he was the finest of all who are fine. So he talked back to Jesus saying, "Who me? Are you talking to me?" Then he looked around, but in that room there was no one but Jesus and Nicodemus himself, so he stopped looking around. Then Jesus said, "Yes. You. I am talking to you. It is you who must be born again." In this way Nicodemus did not know that he was so impoverished that he is as good as a dead person. In short Mr. Nicodemus was blind to his helplessly fallen condition. 

In fact the problem of man's spiritual blindness is so prevalent that the prophet Jeremiah went to the point of saying in Jeremiah 17:9: "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" What does "beyond cure" mean? It means totally hopeless. One of my relatives died of stomach cancer about a year ago. She is my age. She looked healthy. She attended Daniel's wedding on April 23, 2002. Yet she did not know that she had cancer. By the time she saw a medical doctor, her cancer had gone so bad that upon opening her stomach, the situation was so bad that the doctor closed up her stomach, and sent her back home straight. Then in a month she died. From a spiritual standpoint, however, that was exactly the case with Mr. Nicodemus. And there are tons of people who are just like Mr. Nicodemus. They all think that they are just fine, when in fact they are in total depravity. And there are tons of people like this, even among the so-called "Christians!" 

But let us not be too pessimistic about this, for at the end of his remarks on the helpless condition of a fallen man in Jeremiah 18:9, Jeremiah added an important question: "Who can understand it?" "Who can understand it?" does not mean, "No one can understand it." Rather it means just what it asks, "Who can understand it?" Who then can understand it? The humble! What then does “the humble” mean? Humility has to do with a correct estimation of oneself, not in terms of how much money you have, what kind of car you are driving, or how intelligent you are but your spiritual self--the self as viewed not by you or even by other human beings, but by God; the self--not as you are taught to view yourself but as the Bible points out on who you really are and what you really are. 

How then can we have a correct self-assessment? In all humility, as we study the word of God with a noble heart, the word of God can help us see ourselves clearly. What is a noble heart? Missionary Philip Lee can tell you a little more about this. 

At least I can say that the disciples who came to Jesus to listen to his words had a noble heart which is humble enough to recognize their spiritual poverty, and thus they were willing to learn everything from Jesus. This is the first and perhaps the most important step for everyone to take to completely get out of a cursed condition and step into the blessedness of God. For this reason Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Let us note here that Jesus' proclamation here is not praise for the spiritual poverty but an exaltation not to be ashamed to admit your spiritual poverty. In fact, in Jesus' school of salvation, admitting one's spiritual poverty is not just an okay thing to do, but a must. This is so basic to our salvation that without first admitting your helplessly fallen condition, no one, not even Jesus, can do anything for that person's salvation. And the disciples sitting in front of Jesus cut the muster. They saw their need for Jesus. This is why in the first place they are called "the disciples" of Jesus, for the first meaning of the word “disciple” means the one who is willing to get help from the Lord Jesus. So I have this to ask you: "Do you think you are a sinner?" If your answer to these questions are all "Yes," you are blessed. 

Second, those who mourn (4)

Look at v. 4. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."  This passage puts two opposite ideas side by side: "mourning" and "comforting." The one who mourns refuses to be comforted. But Jesus says that if you mourn, you will be comforted. What a contrasting statement! 

What Jesus said here however is still backed up by what other Bible passages say. For example, Ecclesiastes 7:3 says, "Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart." James, Jesus' half brother, is more direct on this point than King Solomon, for he said in James 4:8-10. "Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." Here, three words are important: grieve, mourn, and wail! 

Viewed this way the statement saying, "Blessed are those who mourn" is Jesus' exaltation for all of his followers to take their sin problems seriously. Jesus came to solve our sin problem. But where the seriousness of man's sin problem is not seen, the need for the Savior is not appreciated. How serious is man's sin problem? It is absolutely serious, causing an absolute result, that is, death and then judgment and then another death which is eternal death. If you want to know more of the dreadful consequences of sin, you may wish to talk to the eight good news symposium speakers. Missionary Abraham Song reduced their program to a video tape and even a DVD. They are available for a very reasonable price. 

To mourn for the problem of sin is, however, very difficult in this generation, because in this postmodern society, morality has degenerated so much that they virtually got rid of the concept of sin. But when we study the Bible, virtually in every page we find the Lord God dealing with man's sin problem. For example, in Genesis 3, the Lord God chasing after Adam, who, after sinning, ran away from the Lord God and hid behind a tree. Why did the Lord God chase after him saying, "Adam! Where are you?" Was it because he did not know where Adam was hiding? No. He knew where he was. Remember? Even if Jonah ran away from the Lord and hid at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea Cruise, knowing exactly where he was hiding, the Lord God kept chasing after him! And the Lord ran after him even to the inside of the stomach of a big fish. Similarly the Lord looked for Adam, waiting for Adam to deal with his sin problem squarely by helping him to mourn for his sins, and even make confession of his sins! 

Unlike God's view on sin, however, man is persistent in trying to justify and compromise what the Bible calls sin. 

But thank God. By God's grace the disciples of Jesus had their moments of mourning for their sins. In the case of Simon Peter for example, the first thing he did as a disciple candidate of Jesus was to fall at Jesus' knees and say, "Go away from me Lord; I am a sinful man!" (Luke 5:8) Of course Simon was yet to be broken down further, and really mourn for his really lost condition. Indeed towards the end of Jesus' public ministry, Simon Peter denied Jesus three times. Then when the rooster crowed the third time, he remembered Jesus' word. He broke down and wept (Mk 14:72). And he did it at night. This was the moment of his real mourning. Nowhere in the four gospels except in the gospel of Mark can we find this statement. Mark's gospel was penned by the Apostle Mark, probably as was dictated by the Apostle Peter. And Simon Peter knew what he went through that night. From a spiritual standpoint, that night was the night of his own funeral service where it was he who died. In the past he was gay. But that night he refused to be comforted. In fact no one could comfort him. 

But thank God. He was still Jesus' disciple. Whose disciple? Yes. Jesus'. And Jesus is the only one who can comfort him, for seeing what is to come he says even to Simon Peter, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." From this passage, we learn that true comfort comes only after truly having moments of mourning for one's true picture, particularly one's total inability to save himself from his own sin. At first Simon Peter, for example, thought that he could follow Jesus even through fire, all according to his own integrity. But it turned out that he denied Jesus even before a slave girl. Is this the case applicable to Simon Peter alone or to everyone? So I have this to ask of you: "Do you admit that you cannot save yourself?" If the answer to this question is a resounding yes, the true moment of true comfort is waiting for you, for Jesus says, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted!" 

Third, the meek (5)

Look at v. 5. "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." One of the difficulties in following Jesus is that his teachings depart from what the world teaches so drastically that the call to live according to Jesus' teachings in this "dog-eat-dog" world comes to us as if it is a message to commit suicide. Actually this was what happened to Jesus. A few days ago I visited a dental clinic to get my teeth fixed up. The doctor asked me to be seated in a chair. He was ready to grind my teeth. It was the time for him to torture me. But before torturing me, knowing that I am a pastor, he said, "Can I ask you a question?" "What question?" I asked. "It is about the Bible" he said. "Oh, I am glad. Please ask me whatever questions you have in mind." Then he said, "Why did Simon Peter cut the "right" ear of Malchus, the high priest's servant?" I said, "There is no special meaning." See we fallen men do many things at random. But whatever Jesus does is different. He always does what has a special meaning or two and perhaps much more. Now, let us think about what Jesus said to Simon Peter who had just cut the right ear of Malchus. John 18:11 reads, "Jesus commanded Peter, ‘Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?’" Then Jesus touched the man's ear and healed him (Luke 22:51), thus fulfilling Moses' prophecy recorded in Leviticus 14:14-28. 

But the point here is that Jesus drank the cup. He did not even say any words of complaint. He willingly and joyfully drank the cup of dying on the cross. Simon Peter saw this as a sign of weakness. He thought that that was a noble way to commit suicide. To him suicide is suicide and no more. So eventually he denied Jesus three times and together with all the others he ran away. 

But still Jesus teaches us saying, "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth!" Here "the meek" refers to the kind and gentle, as kind and gentle and therefore as harmless as a lamb. Jesus is called "the lamb of God." And he died like a lamb. Speaking of his image as a lamb, the ultimate symbol of the meek, Isaiah 53:7 says, "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth." 

If your enemy comes to you with a butcher's knife, can you remain silent, doing nothing? If your husband strikes you, or if your wife insults you, can you still remain kind and gentle to her? When Mother Barry came, she said, "I wish that the U.S. would send missionaries to Iraq rather than sending soldiers!" In this dog-eat-dog world where the principle of the survival of the fittest rules, it is indeed difficult for us to go by what Jesus teaches. 

But still what Jesus says rings into our ears: "Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth." 

What then did Jesus mean by "inherit the earth"? It means what it says. The Bible says that the future belongs to the saints. The Lord God is in the long process of the "spiritual lawsuit against those who occupy the earth unlawfully" by which the Lord God wants to evict the world of all who are unrighteous. And in the Bible, the word "righteousness" means the one who does not build one's own kingdom according to one's own ideas, but rather one who submits oneself to the rule of God, and build the rule of God all in God's love and power. So, the meek means the one who trusts in the Lord, living not according to one's own might or strength but according to Jesus' loving kindness. 

"Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth." This then practically means that we must deny ourselves, take up our own cross, and then follow Jesus. The self-denial is however very different from self-assertion which is what the world teaches.  Yet as paradoxical as Jesus' teaching about the meek may seem, let us keep in mind that it is the meek who will ultimately inherit the earth. 

Fourth, those who thirst and hunger for righteousness (6)

Look at v. 6. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." This passage is Jesus' promise for true satisfaction coming from the disciples approaching Jesus with a right desire. 

V. 2 says that the disciples came to him (i.e., Jesus.) Here the word "him" is significant, because it refers to Jesus' person. The crowds might have come to Jesus for something else other than the fellowship with Jesus himself. Indeed the previous chapter where Jesus healed many suggests that the crowds came to Jesus for Jesus' healing power. They came to get their diseases healed. Indeed why you come to Jesus makes a huge difference. 

Jesus saw that the disciples came to Jesus to seek Jesus himself. What will happen to those who seek Jesus himself? Sooner or later, one thing will happen for sure: they will discover who Jesus really is. Who then is Jesus? One thing is certain: He is good. He is truly good. Again Jesus' half brother James says in James 1:17, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." Then in John 10:30 Jesus says, "I and the Father are one." This means that every good and perfect gift is from Jesus himself. Wow! This is really fabulous. 

Knowing the Lord's absolute goodness is the key to hungering and thirsting for righteousness, for ultimately by the righteousness Jesus meant himself! Didn't I say, "I love Seolongtang Soup?" But if you eat too much physical food like Seolongtang Soup, you get sick and tired of it, so you do not want to go even near it. But, this is not so with Jesus, our ultimate spiritual food. The more we get to know him, the more we thirst and hunger for it, not because he makes us thirstier or hungrier, but we like the deep satisfaction that comes from the spiritual kitchen of our Lord Jesus so much that we would like to have it more. After all, unlike the way our body is built up, our soul and spirit has limitless need. It has been said that the Lord created two universes – a universe inside and a universe outside. And the two are exactly of the same size. The scientists say that the universe is an open system meaning it can expand and is expanding without limit. Likewise, our internal world, the world of our soul, has infinite need for what is good, which is the Lord. 

Let us notice that the Lord Jesus used two words: thirst and hunger. Thirst is for drink. Hunger is for bread. Just as our body needs water and bread, our soul needs spiritual milk and spiritual bread, which is Jesus. Speaking of this truth Jesus says in John 6:54-56, "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day...Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him." The disciples are perfectly happy precisely for the reason that they came to Jesus in full commitment to following Jesus.

Fifth, the merciful (7) 

Look at v. 7. "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." It has been said, "Whatever goes around comes around." And the fact is that we all need mercy. What does “mercy” mean? We can understand its meaning when we think about its antonym. What is its antonym? Surprisingly it is cruelty. And everyone wants others to treat themselves with mercy, not with cruelty. But Jesus' promise here teaches us that mercy is not something we beg from others. Rather as we are merciful to others, others will be merciful to us. Lately I thought one brother of mine was too cruel to me. So I said, "Just as you need mercy so also I need mercy. So please be merciful to me." But when I thought about it, in the first place I was not merciful to him. So he could not show me mercy. Then I thought about why I was not merciful to even my brother. Then I recognized that I did not remember how merciful Jesus has been on me. May God have mercy on me, so I would never forget what kind of a great sinner I still am, and yet how merciful he has been, so I would know how to be merciful to others. 

Sixth, the pure in heart (8)

Look at v. 8. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." This passage is also very surprising, because the Bible says that no one can see God and live. But here Jesus says otherwise. Who then can see God? The pure in heart. But doesn't the Bible say that man's heart is deceitful above all things? So no one is pure in heart. But not so with the disciples. In fact it is precisely for our total inability to make our hearts absolutely pure that God sent Jesus. And the disciples have access to Jesus' power to keep their hearts pure. Then, they can see God! What a heart-throbbing promise is this!

Seventh, the peacemakers and the persecuted (9-12)

The rest of the Bible passage under the subject of the Beatitudes is one and the same. We can in fact divide the beatitude into three parts: vs. 1-2 is an introduction; vs. 3-8 discusses sainthood; and vs. 9-12 discusses apostleship. So while what we covered in vs. 3-8 has to do with God's sanctifying work inside of us, vs. 9-12 talk about additional blessing, that is, saints in action. 

How are they in action? They are in action by positively living a life as a peacemaker. Here peace-making means positively preaching the gospel in words and actions. It is to live as a Bible teacher and as a shepherd. Notice here the word "make". The word “make” suggests a lot of efforts. 

In the past the disciples lived as peace breakers. But they now can live as peacemakers, making peace between God and men. Then they can be called "sons of God!" Sons of God! Wow! What a glorious title! What a glorious privilege! But this belongs to the peacemakers. 

Let us then read vs. 9-12. "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." This passage helps us to see persecutions from a different perspective: they are opportunities for us to fathom the depth of joy. "Rejoice and be glad!" This is really true. Each time we overcome temptations or persecutions, joy becomes perfectly real. This indicates that no matter what happens--even the trials and difficulties we face in Jesus for the sake of Jesus and for his gospel--we are blessed and blessed thoroughly. 

One word: blessed are you. 

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