Matthew 5:2–5

Matthew 5:2–5

And after opening His mouth, He was teaching them while saying, “Blessed are the humble by spirit, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.  Blessed are the ones who grieve, because they will be encouraged.  Blessed are the submitted, because they will inherit the earth.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

 Jesus begins what some have called His greatest sermon with the words, “Blessed are the humble.”  The people whom God blesses know their place.  They know their imperfections.  They know their weaknesses.  They know how to stand before God and humanity humbly.  They aren’t egotistical.  They aren’t selfish.  They understand who they are and what God desires for them.  Theirs is the kingdom of God.

Are you humble?  Do you know your place?  Do you live accordingly?  Is the kingdom yours?

Second Thought:

In this second Beatitude we hear about grieving.  Every single one of us knows something about grieving.  Every single one of us knows sorrow, sadness, or grief.  But look at the tense of the verb used to complete this Beatitude.  We will be encouraged.  Of course, I think that there is some part of this that happens in this world.  We do not grieve forever.  We are comforted and encouraged through our hope.  But I think the future of this verb is really speaking about the eternal.  While me may be encouraged a bit in this world, in the world to come we will be encouraged fully.  Isaiah 25:6-9 tells of a time when God will wipe away every tear.  In that eternal moment we will know true joy when every moment of our sadness is taken away.

What do you grieve in this life?  In what ways do you know encouragement regarding those things?  In what ways will the eternal time with God truly bring about encouragement?

Third Thought:

The third of the Beatitudes is perhaps one of my favorites because it contains one of my favorite Greek words: praus (πραΰς).  This is a word that describes a horse that is under reigns, bit, and bridle.  It is a horse that is receiving instruction from a higher power and obeying.  It is a powerful creature, but it is power under control.  People who live like this are to be blessed by God because they are submitted to Him.

Are you submitted to God?  Where are you strong in your submission?  Where are you weak in submission?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 5:6-8