The Beatitudes, Part 2
How We Relate to Others
ASSIGNMENT: Read this lesson and Matthew 5: 7-10.
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.
The world tries to implement the attributes Jesus taught in the Beatitudes, like mercy and peacemaking, but without the power he has given his disciples. In the last lesson we began our discussion of the Beatitudes in which Jesus taught his disciples the real secret to contentment — starting with our relationship with God. This week, we will move forward in our discipleship study from the perspective of our part in relationships with others. We hear echoes of the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) in the Beatitudes. Humankind’s relationship with God is the focus of the first five of the Ten Commandments and the second five outline how God expects his people to treat others.
The Law proved to be impossible for Israel to obey. Only Jesus, who was God incarnate, could do it. Similarly, living the Beatitudes cannot be accomplished without the empowering of Christ’s Spirit. In the first Pentecost sermon preached, the apostle Peter explained what was required to receive the Holy Spirit. “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38 NIV). Only those who have received the Holy Spirit can meet Christ’s expectations.
The first four Beatitudes highlight the proper attitude of disciples before God and promise appropriate blessings on those who relate to him appropriately. The next three focus on relationships with others in which his disciples have the initiative.1. We also notice there is a direct correspondence between the first four and second four. Poverty of spirit corresponds with being merciful; mourning for sin and purity of heart, etc.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones posited the discipleship traits Jesus described are not the result of natural disposition. In other words, we are not born with the ability to do what Jesus asks of his disciples and if we think of them in such terms we will find them grossly unfair.2. The Sermon on the Mount is absolutely unworkable unless Jesus remakes us.3. His message is intended for those who are a “new creation” in him. Paul described it this way. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
Absent the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, we cannot measure up no matter how hard we try. But according to Oswald Chambers, it can be done.
The essential element in the life of a saint is simplicity, and Jesus Christ makes the motive of godliness gloriously simple: Be carefully careless about everything except your relationship to [God]. The motive of a disciple is to be well pleasing to God, but not at the expense of our relationship with him. The true blessedness of the saint is in determinedly making and keeping God first. Herein lies the disproportion between Jesus Christ’s principles and all other moral teaching: Jesus bases everything on God-realization, while other teachers base everything on self-realization.4.
God created us first and foremost to worship him. Far too many believers are missing God’s blessing, not because we avoid serving him, but because we have stopped worshipping him and spend our time trying to please him, thinking we must earn his love and grace. For many of us, accepting God’s grace as a sinner is easier than living it out. It is natural to want to live a life that pleases and glorifies God, but, as with most things that are inherently good, we have a tendency to distort it when we believe a lie from the father of all lies.
We have all heard Satan whisper that if we really want God’s favor we need to do more and, since that appeals to our “roll up our sleeves” cultural expectation, we move away from God. We focus on doing, rather than being, but with the best intentions. The better response is recognizing “that we live wholly by God’s grace and begin serving the Lord not in order to get things from him but just for him, for his own sake, just for who he is, for the joy of knowing him, delighting him, and becoming like him.”5. Dallas Willard is credited with saying, “Grace is not opposed to effort, but to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action.”
Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy. Arthur Pink called mercy “Compassion of the soul.”6. It inspires empathy, leading us to do something tangible in response to observed or perceived need. It is emotion in action. When our heart is touched by what we observe we are stirred to do something in response.
This was what Jesus demonstrated at the tomb of Lazarus. Even though he knew he would restore life to his friend and clarify Martha’s incomplete theology, he was initially moved by the sisters’ grief and wept in response to their suffering and the pain sin causes in a fallen world. But he did not just empathize with the pain of humankind, he gave himself to remove the power of sin and death over those who place faith in him.
As disciples we have been saved by grace for a purpose. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 28-10 | NIV) It is our responsibility to help others as we are able.
Pink asserted, “mercy is something more than a feeling: it is an operative principle. It not only stirs the heart, but it moves the hand to render help unto those in need;”7. His words reflect James 2:15-17. “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (NIV) James punctuated his question with, “But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.” (James 2:18 | NIV). It is difficult for people to hear the good news of Jesus over a growling stomach or teeth chattering in the cold. Jesus is always the answer, but he need not always be the first one we offer. “Mercy embraces both forgiveness for the guilty and compassion for the suffering and needy.”8
In addition to granting forgiveness and mercy to those who have hurt us, mercy includes the way we view and treat unbelievers. Our response to those who do not know Jesus as both lord and savior should not be one of condemnation. Nor should we try to cram our beliefs down someone’s throat. Rather, it should be a balanced mixture of empathy and sorrow. If you have been saved through faith in Jesus, you cannot help but acknowledge the mercy God has shown you. And if you truly appreciate what he has done, you will, of necessity, be merciful toward others.
Even so, we should be careful not to fall into the trap of some Christian humanitarian organizations that enthusiastically dig wells but fail to share the “living water.” If God has truly lifted us from the muddy pit and set our feet on solid ground, gratitude, alone, should make us desire to reach back and extend gospel truth to another—along with a strong arm of tangible assistance.
We don’t have to be Bible scholars or seminarians to testify to what Jesus has done for us. Jesus told the formerly demon-possessed man, who wanted to join his band of disciples, now dressed and in his right mind, “‘Return home and tell how much God has done for you.’ So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.” (Luke 8:39 | NIV).
To our detriment, the evangelical church has focused on certain sins and categories of sinners while forgetting sin is sin in God’s eyes. Lately we have allowed politics to influence what we do and what we say and how we say it. Our public discourse has become increasingly more worldly. We are all sinners. Rather than judging others, we should recall our own sins and thank God they have not been added to our account because of Jesus.
What right do we have to judge anyone for anything? In the words of a wise pastor, “My job is to preach the gospel. God’s job is to change lives.” We can confess our sins, be freed from sin’s penalty, and get a good night’s sleep; guilt-free sleep. Because God has been merciful to us, gratitude alone should lead us to show mercy to others by everything we say and do.. Our job as followers of Jesus is to love and leave the judging of the unrepentant to God.
Being merciful means scooting over and letting “whosoever will” sit next to us on the pew. It means extending grace to those we don’t like and loving the unlovable because of God’s love for us; and them. According to Lloyd Jones, “If I am not merciful there is only one explanation. I have never understood the grace and mercy of God; I am outside Christ; I am yet in my sins, and I am unforgiven.”9. Jesus commands us to “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36 | NIV)
James, the half-brother of Jesus, described the cost of being unmerciful. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2:12-13 | NIV) If we have not sought God’s forgiveness by throwing ourselves on his mercy, we have not received his grace and forgiveness. And, consequently will be unlikely to show mercy and forgiveness to others. As disciples, we have no choice, but to be merciful.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Later in the sermon from which today’s passage was taken, Jesus asserted, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21 | NIV). In that instance, of course, Jesus was talking about heavenly treasures and earthly money, but it could be almost anything. If our eyes and heart are not firmly set on Jesus they will be focused on a treasure that will not last. We must be diligent about not allowing any distraction or unconfessed sin to dilute our relationship with God.
Even good things, things God intends for us to have or do, can lead us away from him. Some people have said that they feel closer to God on the lake than they do in a church pew. And I believe them. But I would say to them in reply, either your hearts have not been changed by the Holy Spirit, or you have been attending the wrong church. Jesus united with and gave himself to the church, not the lake, soccer pitch, softball field or . . . You get the idea. Feeling close to God is not sufficient to enter his kingdom.
According to Scripture the heart is the center of our being; our personality, mind and will.10. After his sin, David cried out to God, “Create in me a pure heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10 | NIV) Being a disciple requires total surrender. We are either all in or completely out. We cannot purify our heart on our own. That only comes through Holy Spirit heart surgery.
Even after a lifetime of trying, without God’s intervention, the heart will be as black as it was when we began.11. The world has a way of drawing us back and it takes more than determination and white-knuckle, willpower to keep our hearts pure. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. Yet, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart.” (Psalm 24:3-4a | ESV) Clean hearts are only big enough for one God.
The heart of the Christian is made pure by the Holy Spirit’s work. That work, called sanctification, is a life-long process. Pink observed, “one of the most conclusive evidences that we do possess a pure heart is to be conscious of and burdened with the impurity which still indwells us.”12. This is how he described the process by which a pure heart is obtained.
The heart of the Christian is made pure by a fourfold operation of the Holy Spirit. First, by imparting a holy nature at the new birth. Second, by bestowing a saving faith which unites its possessor to a holy Christ. Third, by sprinkling him with the precious blood of Christ, which purges his conscience. Fourth, by a protracted process of sanctification so that we, through His aid, mortify the flesh and live unto God. In consequence thereof, the believer has a sincere desire and resolution not to sin against God in thought or word or deed, but to please Him in all things.13.
Only the Holy Spirit can give us a clean and pure heart. The apostle Paul called himself the “worst of sinners” and lamented, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24) What he said really hits home when we read it in the Message version of the Bible:
It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question? The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different” (Romans 7:21,24-25 MSG)
In his letter to the Corinthian church, Paul assured them (and us) with this, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13 | ESV)). The writer of James places the blame for temptation precisely where it belongs.
“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:13-15 | NIV).
“Grace is especially associated with men in their sins; mercy is especially associated with men in their misery.”14. In other words, while grace looks down on sin as a whole, mercy looks especially upon the miserable consequences of sin. This is the story of Nineveh in the book of Jonah. God saw the wickedness the people of that city were perpetrating on each other and commanded Jonah to go and preach against it. When Jonah finally, after receiving mercy from God himself, did what he was told, God spared the city. Even a small amount of repentance will move God, but the end result of saving us from sin is found in the word “from.” God expects us to repent or “turn away” from what we did, our old nature, and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in a new way of living, free of sin.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. It would be nice if Jesus was talking about standing in the street waving a sign proclaiming, “All Wars Must End.” But the simple fact is, Jesus knew wars would continue until his return. What he was really talking about was his disciples being oil on stormy relational waters. Meekness and peace-making are linked together. A peacemaker not only avoids trouble, he or she goes the extra mile to make peace. When possible, we should avoid needless contention and confrontation and tactfully strive to help others find common ground in disagreements.
Keeping our mouths shut by giving up our sinful desire to have the last word or “really let someone have it” is often a good start. We will discover in the next chapter that any negative response to a purely personal attack is unjustified. However, being a peacemaker should never include compromise or condoning sinful behavior.
Often silence is viewed by others as agreement. And the phrase “Go along to get along” does not mean we should do nothing when someone’s actions hurt others or when our Christian beliefs are attacked. We can and should respond in a measured fashion, but express our feelings with wisdom, humility and respect. As children of God, we are warriors of peace. Allowing hurtful words pass without a response is the disciples version of throwing him or herself on a grenade to save another.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The last Beatitude ends like the first with “ for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Bible scholars call this an “inclusio” because it indicates that everything in between the two identical phrases pertains to the same overall concept or idea. In this case “the kingdom of heaven,” which makes them kingdom norms.15.
Matthew is the only Gospel author who used the term “kingdom of heaven” to describe living God’s way as an example to a sinful world. It is absolute in heaven and has been growing on earth since the ministry of Jesus. It is already, but not yet and will not be completely established until Jesus returns. That is the purpose of the Sermon on the Mount; to provide a preview of coming heavenly attractions. And that draws the ire of the ruler of this present world who typically responds with persecution.
The Old Testament prophet Micah encapsulated it like this. “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8 | NIV). “If Christians were content with doing justly and loving mercy, and would cease walking humbly with God, they might go through the world, not only in peace, but with applause; but he that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”16. Arthur Pink continued by saying, “The wicked hate God’s holy image and those who bear it, His holy Truth and those who walk in it.”17.
Tertullian, an early church father who lived within 200 years of Jesus’s ministry, observed, “The blood of the martyrs became the seed of the church.” This does not mean that every Christian will necessarily suffer physical attack or persecution as evidence of true salvation. Although many Christians have affirmed their faith with their blood, many more have had to withstand social temptations, pressures, ostracism and ridicule while living a life for Christ. And those who speak out about Jesus really cause a ruckus. Lloyd- Jones observed, “Being righteous, practicing righteousness, really means being like the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefor they are blessed who are persecuted for being like him. What is more, those who are like him always will be persecuted.”18. This is where discipleship rubber really meets the road.
We must be careful, however, to remember Jesus was talking about persecution for righteousness’s sake; not because we do or say dumb things, like expressing political beliefs or prejudices we know will stir people up. There is a lot of talk in evangelicalism about persecution resulting from our moral stand on marriage, abortion, etc. Our positions on moral issues are deeply held and obviously reflect our worldview, but when we force our beliefs on another, we must expect some push-back. Push-back is not persecution.
Persecution of the righteous is happening all around us from simple things like a fourth grader being forced to remove the ashes from his forehead by his teacher on Ash Wednesday19. to the wholesale murder of Christians. On January 4, 2018, Newsweek ran a story by Cristina Maza20. with the headline, “Christian Persecution and Genocide is Worse Now Than “Any Time in History” Report Says.” Maza cited a study by a Roman Catholic organization, Aid to the Church in Need, which examined 13 countries and concluded, “Not only are Christians more persecuted than any other faith group, but ever-increasing numbers are experiencing the very worst forms of persecution.” The author went on to paraphrase the report with this observation, “… Saudi Arabia was the only country where the situation for Christians did not get worse, and that was only because the situation couldn’t get any worse than it already was.”
A January 10, 2018, piece in Christianity Today listed 50 countries where it was most dangerous to follow Jesus. Its author, Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra,21. asserted, “Approximately 215 million Christians now experience high, very high, or extreme levels of persecution; that means 1 in 12 Christians live where Christianity is “illegal, forbidden, or punished,” according to Open Doors researchers.”
On January 7, 2019, Caleb Parke22. of Fox News reported, “Release International, a U.K.-based charity that helps support persecuted Christians around the world and a partner organization of Voice of the Martyrs, warns that this year, particularly in China, India, and Nigeria, persecution against Christians is rising.” Persecution is bad and we can only expect it to get worse, even here. In the face of persecution Jesus left us with these words of hope and promise. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (john 16:33 | NIV).
The world tries to implement what Jesus taught in the Beatitudes, but without the power he has given his disciples. Persecution is where we best demonstrate Beatitude behavior. Jesus expects us to point to him as the only cure for what ails society, including the world’s desire to lash out at believers.
Lack of persecution in some form may be a barometer of how genuine our Christian walk really is. Not everyone liked Jesus. In fact most hated him. Consequently, he promised his followers, “You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22 | NIV). If everybody likes you, you might ask yourself what it is that makes you different from Jesus and consider changing it. D. Martin Lloyd-Jones warns, “If you try to imitate Christ the world will praise you; if you become Christlike it will hate you.”23. Are you walking, talking and acting like Jesus?
Discussion
- What surprised or challenged you most in today’s lesson?
- Is it wrong to do things for the sole purpose of receiving God’s blessings?
- Have you ever tried to be a peacemaker? How did that go?
- Has another person ever extended mercy to you? What did that look like?
- When is it hard for you to extend grace to another?
- Have you experienced persecution for your faith?
- What has God done for you and who in your circle needs to hear about it?
- Have you ever been tempted to substitute doing for God with being with (worshipping) God? How did you get back on track?
- How do you reconcile the apparent contradiction between grace and works?
- Have you ever battled sin’s temptations like the apostle Paul? What gave you strength to stand against temptation.
Footnotes:
[1] Charles H. Talbert, Matthew, Paideia: Commentaries on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010 ) 77, Kindle.
[2] D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1959-1960), 83.
[3] Oswald Chambers, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount: God’s Character and the Believer’s Conduct, (Grand Rapids: Discovery House, 1995) Locations 292-294, Kindle.
[4] Ibid., Locations 207-210, Kindle.
[5] Timothy Keller, The Prodigal Prophet, (New York: Penguin Publishing Group) Kindle Edition, 110.
[6] A. W. Pink, An Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount, Arthur Pink Collection, Book 22, Faithful Classics (Prisbrary Publishing, 2012), Locations 517-518, Kindle.
[7] Ibid., Locations 535-536, Kindle.
[8] D. A. Carson, Matthew, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), Locations 6223-6224, Kindle.
[9] Ibid., 89.
[10] Ibid., 93.
[11] Ibid., 98.
[12] Pink, Locations 586-588, Kindle.
[13] Ibid., Locations 600-604, Kindle.
[14] Lloyd-Jones, Location 1410, Kindle.
[15] Ibid., Locations 6162-6164, Kindle.
[16] Pink, Locations 738, 740, Kindle.
[17] Ibid., Location 747, Kindle.
[18] Lloyd-Jones, Location 1942, Kindle.
[19] Dakin Andone, CNN website, A 4th-grader’s teacher made him wash off his ashes after Mass on Ash Wednesday,” March 8, 2019, http://www.cnn.com/2019/03/08/us/4th-grader-ash-wednesday-trnd/index.html, accessed March 11, 2019.
[20] Christina Maza, Newsweek, January 4, 2018, “Christian Persecution and Genocide is Worse Now Than “Any Time in History Report Says,” Newsweek, January 4, 2018, http://www.newsweek.com/christian-persecution-genocide-worse-ever-770462, accessed February 20, 2019.
[21] Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra, “The Top 50 Countries Where Its Most Dangerous to Follow Jesus,” Christianity Today, January 10, 2018, http://www.christianitytoday.com/news/ 2018/january/top-50-christian-persecution-open-doors-world-watch-list.html, accessed February 20, 2019.
[22] Caleb Parke, “Christian Persecution Set to Rise ‘Sharply’ in 2019 Group Warns,” Fox News, January 7, 2019, http://www.foxnews.com/world/christian-group-warns-of-sharply-rising-persecution-in-these-countries-in-2019, accessed February 20, 2019.
[23] Lloyd-Jones, Location 1997, Kindle.
Revised: 12/7/2022