Introduction
Now we enter into one of the great teaching sessions of the Lord Jesus. By the time Jesus finishes with this material at the end of chapter 7, Matthew is able to record, “When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one HAVING AUTHORITY, and not as their scribes.” The scribes (experts in the Law of Moses) were constantly quoting from one another, saying “this one says this” and “this one says that.” They were always trying to trump one another with quotations from the most eloquent and influential of their numbers. They were trying to find someone to agree with them. But Jesus didn’t do that. When He quoted, He quoted from the Word of God. When He spoke, He spoke with the authority of His Father. He didn’t look to men to support what He said. After all, He was the Word that became flesh. This is what captivated the people. And if people are going to be captivated today they must be captivated in the same way, by the Word of God. We needn’t look for others to prove our point. We needn’t stack up this pastor here and that pastor there as if to prove that what we are doing is the right thing. If the Word of God does not declare the truth and the Spirit of God does not commend the truth, then you can stack up all the pastors or teachers or doctors you want; you are just speaking empty words. But when the Word of God is commended in our hearts through the Holy Spirit then we don’t need the confirmation of men. I think this is the way King David felt when he wrote in Psalm 3, “I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about.” He had the Word of the Lord that he was king. It didn’t matter if the whole world was against him. Listen, when public opinion reigns against you because you stand on the Scripture, don’t give up one inch of ground. Don’t bother to listen to those who stack up their arguments against the truth. Stick with the clear teaching of Scripture and the commendation of the Holy Spirit. When you stay with the Word and speak the Word, people will be amazed because you are not deriving your authority from anyone else but God. Of course, their response may not be positive, but they will recognize that you do not speak like the world that looks for recognition from others. Stand with the Word of God and, though you may stand alone in the world, yet the Lord will stand with you. The apostle Paul had this testimony at his trial for being a Christian. In 2 Timothy 4:16-17 he said, “At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me… But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me.”
The Beatitudes are perhaps some of the most well-known verses of Scripture, right up there with John 3:16. Along with that I might say that they are probably some of the most misunderstood verses of Scripture. But if we follow the context of the chapters we see that this passage begins to explain Jesus’s primary message. Now in chapter 4, when He enters into His ministry, immediately Jesus begins to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” We see that these Beatitudes are related to the kingdom message because they start and end with the phrase “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” “Blessed are the poor in spirit, FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN… Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.” Now this device, in literary terms, is called an inclusio. We might call it bookends or a sandwich. It is an identical phrase or element that opens and closes a section. What this means for you and me, in order to understand this passage, is that Jesus is making references to those who will be in the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus’s message is about how to get into heaven. The kingdom of heaven is near, therefore if you are to get into heaven your entrance must be accompanied by repentance. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” What do you think is the first thing Jesus talks about when He starts to teach? He tells what repentance is and how by it you may have the kingdom of heaven as a present possession. That is what these Beatitudes are. The rest of the material in the Sermon on the Mount is to bring us to that repentance. This material is meant to strip away every false hope of self-righteousness we might possess.
As we begin to look at these verses I want us to note a couple of things. First, the kingdom of heaven is a present possession for those who repent and receive Jesus as Messiah. “Theirs IS the kingdom of heaven:” present tense. Those who are poor in spirit, those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Therefore the future tense in the rest of the verses (“they shall be comforted,” “they shall inherit”) does not bring into the picture any sense of uncertainty but merely provides the background for all the promises that will come to be for those who have the kingdom of God as their possession.
The second point is this: that which comes through repentance is given by God, not by men.
They shall be comforted… by God.
They shall inherit the earth… from God.
They shall be satisfied… by God.
They shall receive mercy… from God.
They shall see… God (because He allows them).
They shall be called sons of God… by God.
The third thing to notice is that these aspects of repentance have an order to them. Perhaps it is loose, but there is an order. Those who are poor in spirit find themselves mourning. Those who mourn and are comforted find that they can be gentle with others because God has dealt gently with them. However, it is a loose order because we cannot say exactly when these aspects will express themselves. We may not notice them operating in our lives or see them operating all the time.
I would also caution us from thinking that receiving the gift of eternal life is some sort of process. Though God might be working in our hearts for a period of time to bring us to that point to receive the kingdom of heaven, the gift of eternal life, actually receiving it comes when a person is born again. This is not a checklist for us to say, “Okay, what do I need to do next?” This is not something that need take weeks but a picture that is painted for us of the characteristics of repentance. This material is meant to bring us to lose all confidence in our self-righteousness and to put our confidence in the good news of this free and open door to the coming kingdom. It should cause us to call upon the true king for the mercy that He offers to all who come to Him in repentance and faith. The kingdom of heaven is for all who, having heard the message to “repent for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near,” actually receive it through repentance and faith in calling upon the Lord for salvation.
In other words, the Beatitudes focus on the gospel. This is so very clear from an event that takes place in Matthew 11. In prison, John the Baptist had become discouraged in his ministry and so he sent some of his disciples to Jesus to find out whether He really is the Messiah. Jesus says in verses 5-6, “The poor have the gospel preached to them. Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.” It is the poor in spirit who are able to hear and receive the gospel that brings eternal life. And it is these poor in spirit who are blessed because they do not take offense at Jesus being the Messiah. It is these whose repentance is genuine and who have as their present possession, the kingdom of heaven.
So then what are the characteristics of this repentance like that bring one to receive the kingdom of heaven as his or her present possession? What allows a person to declare, “Mine is the kingdom of heaven”?
I. The Morally Bankrupt
First, there is a changed attitude of the heart in a person who receives the kingdom of heaven. In verse 3 Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” We can describe these Jesus calls “poor in spirit” as the morally bankrupt. The poor in spirit are those who recognize that their righteousness before God is as filthy (ceremonially unclean) rags. Imagine presenting to God an offering of rags that are useless for any purpose but to be thrown into the trash and burned.
The poor in spirit feel the weight of their sin. They clearly feel that there is no goodness in themselves. When they read passages like Romans 3, they believe that God has accurately portrayed them. The words go right into their soul and cry, “Condemned.” Words like, “There is none righteous, not even one.” The poor in spirit do not argue with that. “There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good.” The poor in spirit acknowledge it. They don’t kick against such descriptions of themselves. They recognize that even their best attempts are filled with folly and shame; their noblest ideals fall short of the glory of God.
The poor in spirit do not dispute with the Holy Spirit over their sin. They readily admit it. They see themselves in Isaiah’s description of Israel’s spiritual condition in chapter 1:5-6: “The whole head is sick and the whole heart is faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head there is nothing sound in it, only bruises, welts and raw wounds.”
There is nothing in ourselves that we can find to recommend us to God. Our sinful condition is so grave that it reeks in the nostrils of God. The poor in spirit understand the condition of their moral bankruptcy. They don’t try to hide it by touting their good deeds. The apostle Paul said that Abraham might have reason to boast (because of his own good works) but then concludes BUT NOT BEFORE GOD. The poor in spirit does not boast of himself to God.
You are not repentant if you will not agree with God that your sinfulness separates you from Him.
II. The Seriously Sorrowful
And so what takes place in the heart of an individual who is assured of his moral bankruptcy? He mourns over his sin. “Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.” We might call these the seriously sorrowful. When a person understands that his standing before God is one of condemnation and that his own deeds cannot bring him closer to God, he will mourn over his sin and spiritually bankrupt condition. No person can comfort or assure him, saying, “Now, now, don’t weep over your sin. You are not as bad as all that. You are no worse than the next fellow.” This will not assuage the grief that one feels when the Holy Spirit has made known one’s true state before God. As a matter of fact, there is a curse for those who would try to make a person forget about his sin when it is has not truly been taken care of. Jeremiah calls out those who superficially healed the brokenness of the nation of Israel by saying, “Peace, peace,” when there was no peace. No, mere words cannot remove the sin of a person. Comforting words cannot lift the burden from a person’s back. He must be comforted by God, finding comfort and forgiveness in the gospel.
Sorrow over sin leads a person to both seek after and receive that truth that will bring forgiveness. In 2 Corinthians 7, Paul speaks of those in Corinth who were made sorrowful to repentance and describes the difference between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. In verse 9, Paul begins, “I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.”
Notice the difference. Godly sorrow seeks to find a way to legitimately clear oneself of guilt. Worldly sorrow results in regret that it is having to deal with this issue at all. Judas was of that mindset. Having betrayed his Lord, he first tried to return the money, and then in self-pity killed himself. But how can you legitimately clear yourself of the guilt of your sin?
This is the blessed condition of these people. Why are they blessed with the kingdom of heaven as their present possession? In Matthew 11:6 Jesus answers this question, “How can you receive the blessing of eternal life?” There He says, “Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.” Literally, “Blessed is everyone who does not stumble at Me.” Jesus is the point of decision. What you do with Jesus determines whether your repentance is genuine and whether you will be blessed with eternal life. Believing that Jesus is the Messiah, the only way to God, and that His death paid for your sin will bring you eternal life if you will but call upon Him. Yet it is here where many take offense at Jesus and His audacity to make such claims that He is the only way. If you don’t believe who He says He is, you will die in your sins. If you do not come to Him and call upon Him, you will die in your sins. Instead of a blessing it will be a curse. Instead of life, death. Instead of heaven, hell. How blessed is he who does not take offense at Jesus. Have you called upon Him to receive eternal life? Have you been blessed to say with the full assurance of the Holy Spirit, “Mine is the kingdom of heaven”? If not, what are you waiting for? What is preventing you from calling upon the name of the Lord right now in repentance and faith for eternal life?
III. The Willingly Led
The next characteristic of those who have as their present possession the kingdom of heaven is that they are the willingly led. Jesus says in verse 5, “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.” That word “gentle,” or “meek,” is not intended to reflect a shy, backward, weak personality. The word was used of horses which, having been trained, had their great power under the direction of their master. Meekness and gentleness is not weakness, but power under control.
We might call the gentle those who are willingly led. It is not that they could not break away, but that they have submitted themselves for the purpose of following. Who are these gentle ones? They have seen their morally bankrupt position before God, they have mourned over their sin and received forgiveness and eternal life, and they understand that God has treated them gently. So in turn they willingly submit themselves to His leadership. Having been treated gently by God, they become gentle in spirit.
It is interesting to recognize that since these have received the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the one comforting them in verse 4, they now are expressing gentleness as the fruit of the Spirit that Paul writes of in Galatians 5.
Repentant sinners who receive the righteousness of God ought to be submissive, willingly following the Lord Jesus Christ because they have taken His yoke upon themselves. They should be able to deal gently and patiently with others, for he who has been forgiven much loves much.