The Be-Attitudes
Matthew 5: 1 - 12
The Be - Attitudes
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he began to speak and taught them, saying:
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 receive 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 for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Imagine being handed a map to happiness.
Most of us would expect it to say: get stronger, richer, more respected, more in control.
Jesus climbs a hillside, sits down as a rabbi does when he teaches with authority, and gives a different map.
He calls blessed the poor in spirit, the mourning, the meek, the hungry, the persecuted.
The Beatitudes are not a to-do list for earning God's favor, and they are not a personality test.
They are a portrait of life in the kingdom of heaven, and they turn the world's values upside down.
Setting the Scene (v. 1-2)
Notice who Jesus is speaking to.
He sees the crowds, goes up the mountain, and his disciples come to him.
The sermon is first for those who have already begun to follow him.
He is not saying "be like this and then you can come."
He is describing what life looks like for people who have already been caught by grace.
Notice also the word blessed.
It does not mean "happy" in the shallow sense of a good mood.
It means deeply favored, spiritually well-off, in the right place with God, even when circumstances say otherwise.
1. Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit (v. 3)
The kingdom begins with bankruptcy.
To be poor in spirit is to admit we have nothing to offer God, no spiritual résumé to impress him.
The proud say, "I've got this."
The poor in spirit say, "Lord, I need you."
Every other beatitude grows from this root.
We cannot receive a kingdom with clenched fists.
Only empty hands can take a gift.
2. Blessed Are Those Who Mourn (v. 4)
Jesus is not praising sadness for its own sake.
He is blessing those who grieve honestly: over loss, over the brokenness of the world, over their own sin.
In a culture that says "move on" and "stay positive," Jesus says there is a mourning that leads to comfort, because God himself is the comforter.
Those who never grieve never receive comfort. Tears brought to God are never wasted.
3. Blessed Are the Meek (v. 5)
Meekness is not weakness.
It is strength under control, power surrendered to God.
The meek are not pushovers.
They simply do not need to grab, win, or dominate.
The world says the strong will inherit the earth.
Jesus says the meek will.
The one who trusts God to defend them can afford to be gentle.
4. Blessed Are Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness (v. 6)
Think of real hunger, the kind where you cannot think of anything else.
Jesus blesses those who long for God's justice and goodness that intensely, first in their own hearts and then in the world.
Notice the promise: they will be filled.
The tragedy is not an unsatisfied appetite for righteousness.
It is having no appetite at all.
5. Blessed Are the Merciful (v. 7)
Mercy is love that meets people in their need and in their failure.
And those who have received mercy become people who give it.
If we have truly grasped how much we have been forgiven, grudges become heavy things to carry.
6. Blessed Are the Pure in Heart (v. 8)
Purity here is about the heart, the inner center from which everything flows.
It means an undivided life, where what we are inside matches what we show outside.
And the promise is staggering: they will see God.
A heart set on him begins to perceive him.
7. Blessed Are the Peacemakers (v. 9)
Peacemakers are not peacekeepers who avoid conflict, nor peace-fakers who pretend nothing is wrong.
They are active, costly, reconciling people who step into broken places and work for healing.
Jesus says they are called children of God, because this is what their Father does.
He made peace with us through the cross.
8. Blessed Are the Persecuted (v. 10-12)
The final beatitude is the hardest.
Jesus says that living this way will cost us.
A life shaped by these values will clash with a world that runs on pride, power, and self-protection.
Yet even here the word is blessed, and Jesus adds, "Rejoice and be glad."
Not because suffering is good, but because we stand in a long line of prophets, and our reward is secure in heaven.
Notice also that the first and last beatitudes share the same promise: theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The whole portrait is held together by that kingdom.
Bringing It Together
Here is the good news.
If you read the Beatitudes as a checklist, you will either become proud or despair.
Who is poor in spirit, merciful, pure, and a peacemaker all the time?
But look at the One who is speaking.
Jesus is the poor in spirit, who emptied himself.
He is the one who mourned over Jerusalem, the meek king riding on a donkey, the one who hungered for his Father's will.
He showed perfect mercy, a pure heart, and the peace made through his blood, and he was persecuted all the way to the cross.
The Beatitudes are first a portrait of Jesus, and then a picture of what he is forming in us by his Spirit.
We do not climb up to this life.
We receive it.
Application
Where are you pretending to be strong?
Bring your emptiness to God.
That is where the kingdom begins.
What grief have you been avoiding?
Let him comfort you.
Whom do you need to forgive, or reconcile with?
Mercy and peacemaking start with a single step.
What are you hungry for?
Ask God to stir a deeper appetite for him than for anything else.
Prayer
The Be - Attitudes
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he began to speak and taught them, saying:
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 receive 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 for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Imagine being handed a map to happiness.
Most of us would expect it to say: get stronger, richer, more respected, more in control.
Jesus climbs a hillside, sits down as a rabbi does when he teaches with authority, and gives a different map.
He calls blessed the poor in spirit, the mourning, the meek, the hungry, the persecuted.
The Beatitudes are not a to-do list for earning God's favor, and they are not a personality test.
They are a portrait of life in the kingdom of heaven, and they turn the world's values upside down.
Setting the Scene (v. 1-2)
Notice who Jesus is speaking to.
He sees the crowds, goes up the mountain, and his disciples come to him.
The sermon is first for those who have already begun to follow him.
He is not saying "be like this and then you can come."
He is describing what life looks like for people who have already been caught by grace.
Notice also the word blessed.
It does not mean "happy" in the shallow sense of a good mood.
It means deeply favored, spiritually well-off, in the right place with God, even when circumstances say otherwise.
1. Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit (v. 3)
The kingdom begins with bankruptcy.
To be poor in spirit is to admit we have nothing to offer God, no spiritual résumé to impress him.
The proud say, "I've got this."
The poor in spirit say, "Lord, I need you."
Every other beatitude grows from this root.
We cannot receive a kingdom with clenched fists.
Only empty hands can take a gift.
2. Blessed Are Those Who Mourn (v. 4)
Jesus is not praising sadness for its own sake.
He is blessing those who grieve honestly: over loss, over the brokenness of the world, over their own sin.
In a culture that says "move on" and "stay positive," Jesus says there is a mourning that leads to comfort, because God himself is the comforter.
Those who never grieve never receive comfort. Tears brought to God are never wasted.
3. Blessed Are the Meek (v. 5)
Meekness is not weakness.
It is strength under control, power surrendered to God.
The meek are not pushovers.
They simply do not need to grab, win, or dominate.
The world says the strong will inherit the earth.
Jesus says the meek will.
The one who trusts God to defend them can afford to be gentle.
4. Blessed Are Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness (v. 6)
Think of real hunger, the kind where you cannot think of anything else.
Jesus blesses those who long for God's justice and goodness that intensely, first in their own hearts and then in the world.
Notice the promise: they will be filled.
The tragedy is not an unsatisfied appetite for righteousness.
It is having no appetite at all.
5. Blessed Are the Merciful (v. 7)
Mercy is love that meets people in their need and in their failure.
And those who have received mercy become people who give it.
If we have truly grasped how much we have been forgiven, grudges become heavy things to carry.
6. Blessed Are the Pure in Heart (v. 8)
Purity here is about the heart, the inner center from which everything flows.
It means an undivided life, where what we are inside matches what we show outside.
And the promise is staggering: they will see God.
A heart set on him begins to perceive him.
7. Blessed Are the Peacemakers (v. 9)
Peacemakers are not peacekeepers who avoid conflict, nor peace-fakers who pretend nothing is wrong.
They are active, costly, reconciling people who step into broken places and work for healing.
Jesus says they are called children of God, because this is what their Father does.
He made peace with us through the cross.
8. Blessed Are the Persecuted (v. 10-12)
The final beatitude is the hardest.
Jesus says that living this way will cost us.
A life shaped by these values will clash with a world that runs on pride, power, and self-protection.
Yet even here the word is blessed, and Jesus adds, "Rejoice and be glad."
Not because suffering is good, but because we stand in a long line of prophets, and our reward is secure in heaven.
Notice also that the first and last beatitudes share the same promise: theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The whole portrait is held together by that kingdom.
Bringing It Together
Here is the good news.
If you read the Beatitudes as a checklist, you will either become proud or despair.
Who is poor in spirit, merciful, pure, and a peacemaker all the time?
But look at the One who is speaking.
Jesus is the poor in spirit, who emptied himself.
He is the one who mourned over Jerusalem, the meek king riding on a donkey, the one who hungered for his Father's will.
He showed perfect mercy, a pure heart, and the peace made through his blood, and he was persecuted all the way to the cross.
The Beatitudes are first a portrait of Jesus, and then a picture of what he is forming in us by his Spirit.
We do not climb up to this life.
We receive it.
Application
Where are you pretending to be strong?
Bring your emptiness to God.
That is where the kingdom begins.
What grief have you been avoiding?
Let him comfort you.
Whom do you need to forgive, or reconcile with?
Mercy and peacemaking start with a single step.
What are you hungry for?
Ask God to stir a deeper appetite for him than for anything else.
Prayer
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