The Beatitudes...

My friend was asking me about these today, and I thought I would write a little...

He (Jesus) said:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

My friend was talking to me about an off-putting writer who was discussing these traits, and felt as though the woman was making the scripture more about her own opinions rather than the words of God.

Writing about other writings is tricky. You can easily be swept up in your own thoughts and opinions, rather than trying to see the original purpose and meaning behind them. This is a stumbling point, I'm sure, for many pastors who have the job of reading scripture, and not having the original author at your fingertips to ask questions. All we have are our opinions, and those of scholars and people in the ministry who have based their lives around understanding the scripture and making them tangible for others. It's a tough balance, and I wouldn't be very good with it simply because of my opinionated personality. 

What I know about the Beatitudes is that they were Jesus' words for the multitudes, trying to give them a platform on which to base their lives. He wanted people to realize that humility and grace is a choice you make on a moment by moment basis in life. It's difficult to walk in humility, meekness, peace, etc. when there are people around you who persecute. When life hands you a shit sandwich... when you'd rather slap someone across the face than be merciful. Focusing on Christ and what He taught is the only way to truly stand in these things, and find peace there.

I can say without hesitation that for me, these things have been beyond me in many ways, and it takes daily renewing of my faith and in my perspective on life and on others - by seeing people through Christ's eyes... I don't have the strength to do it all the time, but when I do, I realize the mercy and grace of Christ, and His love for all people. He blesses those who follow His guidelines for life. These are set apart from the 10 commandments. The 10 are black and white, right and wrong. These are in that big gray area in the middle... They can be applied in a lot more ways than the 10. They're in the thoughts we have... the words we say... the actions we take. These have depth. They go beyond our primary functions, and make us think about everything we do and say. 

In any case, they are words to live by. Daily - hourly - moment by moment. No one can master them all, but it's a choice in life to apply them to your walk on this earth... If you do, your rewards are clearly marked, and they are promises from God to each of us who do so.