Matthew 5:3 The Pursuit of Blessedness Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.—Psalm 1:1 Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” were the inalienable rights .imagined by the writers of the United States’ Declaration of Independence. Christ offers life, liberty from the bondage of sin, and the pursuit of blessedness. Happiness is the emotional reaction to pleasant outside stimuli; blessedness is the feeling of bliss that results from inner tranquility. Happiness is reactive; blessedness is proactive. Happiness depends on what is done for us; blessedness is a product of what is done by us. The principle of happiness is found in Psalm 126:3, “The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad.” The principle of blessedness is found in our theme text and delineated in the beatitudes of Matthew 5:3-12. The Beatitudes The beatitudes consist of a series of conditional clauses. Wonderful rewards and promises are made, but only if stringent conditions are met. The conditions are not given in a random or haphazard order. They are carefully structured to form a veritable tower of conduct, each action being premised on the one before it. Notice the logical sequence of the conditions that claim the blessed promises:
The Foundation “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” There are two Greek words, which, with their cognates, are translated “poor” in the New Testament. Penes denotes a poor laborer who works for bare sustenance. Ptochos describes the poorest of the poor, one who is reduced to being a beggar to survive. Ptochos is the word Jesus used in the first beatitude. Thayer’s Lexicon elaborates on this word by broadening its definition to include lacks that include “influence, position, honor . . . destitute of Christian virtue and eternal riches.” He adds the concepts of helplessness, being powerless to accomplish an end. His definition concludes with the words “destitute of learning and intellectual culture which the schools afford.” It is not usually the learned and self-confident, but those who have a proper lack of self-esteem who, appreciating their own littleness and imperfections, look for assistance from a higher power. One has been heard to remark, “I do not have an inferiority complex, I am inferior.” This does not mean, however, that there is not a proper self-esteem. If the Christian is commanded to love his neighbor “as himself,” there must be a sense in which this love of self is proper. The proper attitude is to reflect that if God sees something in one to call him, then the individual must find and appreciate this same element in himself. It is not what we are, but what God can make of us that is worth appreciating and loving. Total lack of self-esteem is paralyzing; total trust in God to use us is energizing. Various support groups for individuals combating addictions recognize the principle of this first beatitude as the starting point for progress. First, recognize the need and then the inability to fulfill that need without the aid of a higher power. A term that encapsulates this basic requirement is humility. Humility in the Old Testament Before the Israelites could enter the promised land they needed to first learn this lesson of humility. It is in accord with this that we read: “Thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live” (Deuteronomy 8:2,3). By leading them in a meandering and ever- moving path through a hostile environment for forty years, God denied his chosen people adequate time in one spot to grow crops or provide good pasturage for their flocks, thus making them wholly dependant on him for life-sustaining food. In a similar vein, the Christian finds he lacks the resources to provide satisfying spiritual food, and must become dependent upon heaven-sent manna to grow spiritually. In fact, the present temporal condition of life on earth is called “the body of our humiliation” (Philippians 3:21, ASV). Isaiah 66:2 summarizes the Old Testament emphasis on humility. Rotherham translates the latter portion of the verse, “But for this one, will I look around, for him who is humbled and smitten in spirit, and so careth anxiously for my word.” Humility and Self Evaluation Humility causes one to neither think of self more highly nor more lowly than one ought to think, but to soberly consider oneself in the full light of one’s talents and abilities, and the need of God to realize the potential of these. W. L. Walker in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia expresses it in these words: “It by no means implies slavishness or servility; nor is it inconsistent with a right estimate of oneself, one’s gifts and calling of God, or with proper self-assertion when called for. But the habitual frame of mind of a child of God is that of one who feels not only that he owes all his natural gifts, etc., to God, but that he has been the object of undeserved redeeming love, and who regards himself as being not his own, but God’s in Christ. He cannot exalt himself, for he knows that he has nothing of himself. The humble mind is thus at the root of all other graces and virtues. Self-exaltation spoils everything. There can be no real love without humility. ‘Love,’ said Paul, ‘vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up’ (1 Corinthians 13:4). As Augustine said, humility is first, second, and third in Christianity.” Jesus is the prime example of humility. The Emphatic Diaglott interlinear translation of Matthew 11:29 correctly reads: “Take the yoke of me upon you, and be informed by me; for meek I am, and humble to the heart and you shall find a rest to the lives of you.” It was because the Master had such heart humility that he could ignore his own will and take on the yoke of the Father’s will and do it. “I delight to do thy will, O my God, yea thy law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8). “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise” (John 5:19). Humility in Inter-Personal Relations Not only is humility essential in understanding one’s relationship with God, it is also a helpful adjunct in inter-personal relations. The apostle Paul states, “let nothing be in the spirit of strife or vain glory, but, in lowliness of mind, each esteeming the other as more excellent than themselves; regarding not each his own qualities, but each those of others also. For let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:3-5, Darby Translation). Such an
attitude not only looks for the good in others but also prepares the mind for accepting
the lowest of services. “And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant
of all” (Mark 10:44). Jesus demonstrated this attitude with a practical parable:
“And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose
out the chief rooms; saying unto them, When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit
not down in the highest room; lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him; And he
that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with
shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest
room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then
shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever
exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be
exalted.”—Luke 14:7-11. Poor in Pocket Not Necessarily Poor in Spirit In the Luke account of the beatitudes (Luke 6:20) the words “in spirit” are omitted. Frequently it is moderate poverty that provides the most fertile ground for spiritual growth. “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are” (1 Corinthians 1:26-28).
Historically the Christian church has prospered most in spiritual matters when poor or persecuted in temporal ways. Shortly after the fall of Communism in Romania, one Romanian Christian remarked that they were surprised to still find true Christianity surviving the material prosperity of the West. Prosperity tends to foster independence and the lack of a feeling of need for God; poverty tends to emphasize the necessity for divine help. Self-sufficiency is not the best avenue to approach God.
However, such observations are only generalities. There were wealthy people—such as Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea and Chuza, the chief steward of Herod with his wife Joanna —who were among the disciples of Jesus. Similarly today, and throughout the age, some have been called and showed remarkable dedication that have more than enough of this world’s goods. Conversely, poverty does not necessarily mean spirituality. There are those who are poor in material things yet are not poor in spirit. The qualification of the first beatitude is one of the inmost self, not one of external circumstances. The Kingdom of Heaven Both the poor in spirit and the persecuted are promised the kingdom of heaven while the meek are pledged the inheritance of the earth (Matthew 5:3,10,5). There is no lack of harmony between these two statements. The lowliness of poverty and spirit and persecution is set in contrast with the heights of a heavenly reward. But meekness prepares the recipient of a kingdom with his Lord with the necessary lessons to administer a government over the earth. “Inheriting the earth” does not necessarily mean living there as one’s home, but possession of the dominion over the earth. “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). It is the responsibility of any follower of Christ to develop all of the qualities mentioned in the beatitudes, but first things come first, and there is no better starting place than true humility. “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6).
|