Devo - The Beatitudes

 July 10th, 2016 

Devotional

“The Gospel of Matthew: The Beatitudes” - Matthew 5: 1-17

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Monday: “Came to Him” - Matthew 5: 1-2

One of my choice phrases to end correspondences with is “Be blessed to be a blessing.” But the sentence and its sentiments are both tricky. It raises more questions for me then kind thoughts. What does it mean to be blessed? What does it mean to be a blessing to someone else?

Apparently the English language is just as confused about what to make of the word bless, having no less than fourteen different definitions for it including seemingly polar meanings including to give a benediction to (with the example being that of death) and to confer a sign of prosperity or happiness on. Other definitions include making the sign of the cross over someone in order to call on God for protection, to concentrate, to praise or glorify, and to invoke blessings upon. 

Now with all of the uncertainty of this loaded word we turn to today’s gospel passage. Often when we think of the Sermon on the Mount we mix in what we have been taught over the years about a similar passage in the gospel of Luke known as the sermon on the plain. While the sermon in Luke is full of woes as well as blessings, Matthew focuses solely on blessings. And while the sermon in Luke is preached to a great crowd, this passage is not. When Jesus saw the crowds he turned away going up the mountain. This was not so more people could see and hear his teachings. No, it was because he wanted a moment of intimacy with those closest to him, his disciples. When the small group had gathered and sat together, he began to teach them.

What does the word “bless” mean to you?

Prayer: God the Teacher, we thank you today for this important lesson you passed on to us through our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you that he took the time to be with his disciples and instruct them in your ways, instruct them about your Kingdom. Continue to teach us this day and always. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Blessed are those who Mourn” - Matthew 5: 3-4

In the intimacy of that moment, Jesus turned everything they had been taught through their upbringing in Jewish scripture and oral traditions. Blessed are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs in the Kingdom of Heaven. I can only imagine how absurd this sounded to those gathered at Jesus feet. In ancient Judaism there wasn’t a concept of the Kingdom of Heaven. There was God who created the Heavens, meaning the sky and everything beyond it, but the notion of God’s everlasting reign as something that people could be co-creators in just didn’t exist. Further, there would be questions surrounding the timing of this Kingdom of Heaven, for the concept of an afterlife, a Heaven that one goes to after perishing, wasn’t common. The best way to be blessed was to be wealthy and have many offspring, things that are tangible in the present moment, the now. And what is this poor in Spirit that Jesus speaks of? Generally those who are poor need to be taken care of by the community – how does that apply to the spirit?

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Well known amongst the Jewish community would be the story of Job that begs to ask why some people suffer and what God’s idea of comforting anyone is or should be? Who really wants to mourn? Especially when you only mourn when you loose something or someone truly dear to your heart. Is the pay off of being comforted really worth the pain of that which caused you to mourn?

What is Jesus trying to communicate when he said, blessed are the poor in spirit?

How can those who mourn be blessed?

Prayer:  Lord, we confess that the blessings of the Beatitudes are sometimes the very last things that we want. We don’t want to be poor in spirit or to mourn. Yet these times can become blessings when we turn them over to you. So we give this day into your hands and ask that you mold and shape it, as well as us, for your glory. Amen. 

Wednesday: “ Blessed are the Merciful” - Matthew 5: 5-7

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. In a society that is waiting for a Messiah, waiting for a conquering King that would rescue them from the oppressive rule of the Romans, what is the benefit of being meek? And who would want a meek King? Further you have this idea of inheritance – something that is bequeathed to you upon the death of someone else. Inheritances do not come suddenly, but after a long period of waiting – so how long must one wait to inherit the earth?

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. When you hunger and thirst for something – there is a process. What you crave is something that you want deep within, but something that has yet to be fulfilled. Like an inheritance, how long will you have to wait to be filled?

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive the mercy. Like being meek, one does not really want to be a person who receives mercy. To bestow mercy shows power – the ability to hold something over someone, but to receive mercy – to receive that which is not deserved, involves admitting that you did something wrong. Is this truly a blessing?

What do these particular blessings bring to mind for you? What makes them easy or difficult?

Prayer: Lord, your Kingdom is built on mercy, yet we do not seem to see enough of it in our daily lives. We live in a word that focuses on justice at best, vengeance at worst, forgetting about your forgiveness and mercy. Help us to embody these aspects of your kingdom in our lives. Amen. 

Thursday: “Blessed are the Peacemakers” - Matthew 5: 8-10

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Seeing God is not necessarily a good thing. Those who have seen God’s face will perish immediately. 

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Peace making has been called one of the most difficult task. This is not peace keeping; this is creating something that does not exist out of the chaos of dissent. The name Yahweh up until this point in history has not even been associated with peace; the name was recognized by surrounding peoples as a God of war. Throughout scriptures we have seen Israel fighting everyone for things ranging from conquest, to revenge, and family squabbles. Yet, peacemakers will be called the children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And there is the pesky reoccurring idea of the kingdom of heaven. Who really wants to be persecuted? What makes this statement even more humorous is that Jesus is speaking to the disciples who have been born out of the minority of the Jewish culture, persecuted by Roman rule and picked on by tribes that far out number then. The entire community is persecuted. And yet, Jesus is foretelling that there is more persecution to come. More sufferings to be taken on for God.

How can you embody being a peacemaker?

What does persecution for righteousness sake look like? How is this different from how we usually talk about persecution?

Prayer: Lord, help us seek your face. Call us your children. Use us to proclaim your Kingdom come. Thank you Lord, for giving us permission to reimagine our lives and see how you are using us every day to spread the good news of the gospel. Amen. 

Friday: “Blessed” - Matthew 5: 11-12

So are these blessings really what we think of for blessings? Are these things that we would wish upon those dear to us? Our family? Our children? Our friends? 

Yet these blessings, which would signal the least and the last of society, are things to be rejoiced over. That takes the entire idea of blessings even further – not only are you to accept this contrary way of life, but you are to recognize it as a blessing and rejoice in it. How strange! How seemingly impossible.

If you were a disciple hearing this message for the first time, how would you react? We’ve taken something so radical and have beaten it to the point of familiarity and sanitation. Jesus is telling the disciples to be radical people, living a way that will be recognized as not strange. It’s living in such a way that prompts questions from those around us. It is living intentionally in such a way that prepares the disciples for the more shocking blessing yet to come – the resurrection of Jesus Christ! 

After studying the Beatitudes this week, we return to the question from Monday: what does the word “bless” mean to you? How has your definition changed by studying the Beatitudes in the Gospel of Matthew?

Prayer: God, we are blessed by you in so many ways that we do not readily recognize. Thank you for teaching us through your Word, now use us to go into the world with your message. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “The Gospel of Mathew: Treasurers in Heaven” - Matthew 6: 7-21

Family Activity: Talk about something that happened that you didn’t think was very good, but turned out okay because of God. Would you consider this situation to be a blessing? Why or why not? How can we see God’s blessings in whatever we go through?