The Beatitudes in Matthew’s Gospel are some of the most well-known and cherished words in all of Scripture. A big hit in Sunday school, there is no way you missed hearing about it. There are a total of eight of these found in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and they provide guidance for living a godly life.

Strangely, these beatitudes are countercultural, meaning, they are different from the accepted norms of the mainstream society. What we considered valuable in this world won’t even matter in heaven; the wealth of the world won’t have value in heaven and celebrations of this world are not going to be celebrated in heaven. Jesus did not just talk, He walked the talk. He is the greatest example we can follow.

To understand it better, let us go through Matthew 5: 1-12,

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

He said:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Being “poor in spirit” refers to our awareness of our dependence on God and our own frailties.

⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.

 In this, we are made aware of our need on God’s support and comfort while we endure loss and grief

⁵ Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.

Meekness is a readiness to submit to God’s plan and serve others in a kind and modest manner; it is not a sign of weakness.

⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.

 We are reminded of our need for God and his direction in our life as we hunger and thirst for all things righteous.

⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.

We emulate God’s kindness and grace by showing mercy to others.

⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.

Self-explanatory: The value of having a pure heart and mind is emphasized.

⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.

This serves as a reminder of the value of working toward peace and harmony in our interpersonal interactions. We reflect God’s own desire for harmony and peace as we strive for unity and understanding.

¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

We are reminded of the ultimate prize in heaven while we encounter adversity and tribulation for our faith.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Being broken is “not being blessed” in the worldly sense, but Jesus considers the broken blessed. I don’t know of the last time you were broken. But, following my father’s death, I went through a period of tremendous grief, brokenness and persecution. And thanks to that period, I can truly attest to the woman of faith I am today. I’ve been through many seasons of brokenness, but that was perhaps the deepest season of brokenness I’ve ever experienced. And believe me, there were days when I didn’t feel blessed, but in that brokenness, I went through some deep conditioning by the Holy Spirit. The brokenness led to mourning, then to meekness. In this world, meekness appears as weakness, but the word says, “they will inherit the earth.” I was mourning, and I learned how to be meek and in my meekness, I was hungering for more of God and His righteousness. I realized the kindness I had gotten from God, so I could be merciful, and God began eliminating the scar in my heart, which made it pure. I was able to choose peace despite the suffering and agony because God was doing a deep work in my heart.

Being broken is “not being blessed” in the worldly sense, but Jesus considers the broken blessed

God taught me through the life of Jesus that I can remain quiet and wait for Him to fight my battle; that I can be still and know that He is God. We see this in Jesus’ life. He was born into an impoverished family. His earthly father was a carpenter. Born in a manger, He did not have place to even lay his head. And He lived in the small town of Nazareth. “Can good thing come out of Nazareth?”–this was the question asked in John 1:46. So, Nazareth was evidently infamous for being listed in the book of bad towns. Jesus died a criminal’s death; people mocked Him, spat on Him and shamed Him in the most brutal way possible, yet, He went on the cross quietly. Jesus had, still has, and will always have the power to bring armies of angels and finish those people but He chose to be obedient to His Father and take up a brutal punishment for no crime of His.

There was brokenness at the Cross of Calvary, but that brokenness brought about wholeness–for you and me. Jesus, in his meekness, submitted to God’s big plan for humanity, and in turn bought freedom from the leash of sin for everyone on earth.

Having understood the beatitudes better, I have come to realise that we need to have an eternal perspective to truly absorb all that is written in Matthew 5:1-12. When we set our eyes on what God wants of us, we see the pieces of the puzzle falling into place. All the wealth, position, prestige and achievements of this world will amount to nothing in heaven but what holds is our meekness, our pure hearts, and most of all, our dependence on God. Know that, without the cross, there wouldn’t have been a resurrection. 

My prayer is that we will truly have an eternal perspective on everything that we do and accomplish in this life. And at the end, hear the Lord say: “Well done, my good and faithful servant!”

Consider this: This week, let us meditate on the kind of attitude that the Word of God wants us to have. What to BE:   B- Break the notions of what the world glorifies instead focus on glorifying the Lord in all that you do. It takes a lot of God in your life to get you mind fixed on the things above, so I urge you to be intentional about seeking Him and meditating on His Word.   E- Emulate Jesus in all that you do. Pause for a second or two before you leap into something, and the remember the famous acronym that was once printed on wrist bands: WWJD- What Would Jesus Do?