The Beatitudes | Matthew 5:1- 12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he began to speak and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

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When I read The Beatitudes I am drawn to the words after the phrase “Blessed are the..”. A majority of these words have a negative connotation, “poor”, “mourn”, “meek”, etc. So often does society (and ourselves, if we are being honest) see the people that these words apply to as weak and less than, but this passage reminds me that God’s love will always win. Society may chastise us for not mourning the right way, for being too submissive, or for fighting for what is right, but God will always bless us, no matter how the world sees us. The last Beatitude in verse 11 solidifies this for me. No matter what others say about us, our worth is in God and God’s blessings.

Verses 6-10 remind me a lot of what is going on in the world today. We have people marching in protests, writing their representatives, organizing groups to keep the vulnerable safe, and so much more in an attempt to stop the evil. Yet, we still have people who say that what we are doing is wrong and that we must obey. When I look at these five verses I know that when I stand up to injustice and cry out for righteousness that I am doing the work of God. I know that when I vote and march for peace, that I am doing the work of God. I know that standing up for those who can’t is me doing the work of God.

When you read this passage I hope that you will see that your worth is not tied to what society thinks, or the dismissive thoughts you have about yourself, but rather in God because we are all children of God and that is enough to deserve love. I hope that when you feel tired and weary from standing up to injustices and the constant barrage of bad news that we are exposed to 24/7, that you know that you are doing the work of God. You are living out the message of Jesus and being the hands of God.

To end, I would like to encourage you to read these modern day beatitudes by Lutheran Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber. Pr. Bolz-Weber does an excellent job applying the essence of Matthew 5:1-11 in a way that applies to everything going on in our world today.

And remember:

Blessed are Pinecresters for we are a community that lives the faithful way.

Allison Vanisko

Linden Heights UMC | Parkville, MD

The Table | Towson University

2nd Year Camper