What does it mean to be “blessed”? Sometimes we might say, “You do so well at school, you’re so blessed.” Or, “The new baby is so cute, you’re really blessed.” “What a blessing to have met you.” “It’s a blessing to travel.” What does it mean to be “blessed”?
In ancient Israel, being blessed often meant receiving a gift or benefit. For example, a dying father would “bless” his oldest son, giving them authority and property. For example, in the story of Jacob and Esau. Jacob dresses up has his hairy brother to trick Isaac, his aging father, to give him the blessing belonging to his older brother (Genesis 27).
In our gospel reading (Matthew 5:1–12) Jesus speaks words of blessing. He speaks the famous words known as the ‘Beatitudes.’ Through these words Jesus transfers gifts to his disciples. The Beatitudes are blessings.
Through the blessings, Jesus gives gifts that are expected and familiar: entry into God’s kingdom, comfort, inheritance, being filled, receiving mercy, seeing God, being called children of God. Notice that entry into God’s kingdom flank the blessings, one on each side.
So who receives these blessings? The first listeners might expect:
- “Blessed are those who follow the letter of the law and the traditions without fail” (like the Pharisees).
- “Blessed are those who separate themselves from the world so they remain pure and unblemished by sin” (like the Essenes).
- “Blessed are the devout who enthusiastically take any measure for their cause” (like the Zealots).
Today we might add:
- “Blessed are the rich and successful, who have material wealth.”
- “Blessed are those whose life goes according to plan.”
- “Blessed are the spirit-filled, who feel right with God.”
But Jesus turns these expectations on their head. The recipients of the blessings are totally unexpected!
- Blessed are the poor in spirit (empty, helpless, needy).
- Blessed are the poor in joy (mourn, tears of pain, broken-hearted).
- Blessed are the poor in power (meek, the little ones, oppressed).
- Blessed are the poor in righteousness (yearn for justice).
The blessings are for the poor. The supposed “failures” in the world. Broken people. The outcasts and underclass. Those who suffer.
These blessings form the entry point into the kingdom of God. Recall in Matthew chapter 4, Jesus begins to preach. “The kingdom of heaven (or the kingdom of God) is near.” Then Jesus calls his disciples, “Come! Follow me!” Now in Matthew chapter 5, Jesus goes up a mountainside, and sitting down, begins teaching his disciples. The whole ‘Sermon on the Mount’ — and the opening ‘Beatitudes’ in particular — are the entry point into the kingdom of God that Jesus is bringing near. By hearing the Beatitudes it’s like crossing over into a foreign kingdom, a new land. These words of blessing are like two stone lions or eagles at the gate of a property. We pass through them as we enter into God’s kingdom. To help us picture this, there is a scene in The Lord of the Rings, when the Fellowship pass through the ‘Gates of Argonath’ (also called ‘The pillars of the kings’). As they do so, they enter into a different kingdom.
Flanking this entry point into God’s kingdom are two pillars. The first pillar are the first four blessings (poor, mourn, meek, hunger/thirst). Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor, suffering, hurting, oppressed — they will enter the kingdom of God.” It’s important to realise that this first pillar is not something we must do, or even can do. Jesus does not mark out his kingdom by starting with commands or ethical demands. How does one “do” helplessness or broken-heartedness?! These happen to us. Trials and troubles come our way and knock us down, making us poor in spirit, joy, power, and righteousness. These first blessings are not spiritual conditions to fulfil that will earn God’s grace. Rather God’s grace is freely given to the helpless, those who cannot help themselves. So, as Jesus marks out his kingdom, he starts with sheer gift.
The second pillar are the next few blessings, moving from passive “suffers” to active “doers.”
- Blessed are the merciful (those who help the needy).
- Blessed are the pure in heart (those “clear” within their centre).
- Blessed are the peacemakers (those who strive to restore wholeness in every direction, in all relationships).
So Jesus firstly says, “Blessed are the suffering,” and then says, “Blessed are those who help the suffering.” God helps the helpless, so that they in turn they may help others. It’s like we are knocked to the ground, but Jesus picks us up and points us to help someone else who’s been knocked down. Like the saying, “Blessed to be a blessing.”
Jesus marks out the kingdom of God, and then throughout his life and death lives in the kingdom. Jesus embodies all these blessings:
- Jesus is poor in spirit — he emptied himself (Philippians 2:6–8); he poured himself out on the cross until nothing was left, giving up his spirit (Matthew 27:50) saying, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46).
- Jesus mourns — he had compassion on the helpless crowds (Matthew 9:36; 14:14; 15:32; 20:34), he wept (John 11:35).
- Jesus is meek — he entered Jerusalem meek and gentle, riding on a donkey (Matthew 21:4–5).
- Jesus thirsts for righteousness — on the cross he cries out, yearning for God, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46); he was physically and spiritually thirsty saying, “I thirst” (John 19:28).
- Jesus is merciful — on countless occasions he shows mercy to save the helpless; his very death on the cross is an act of God’s mercy to save you (Titus 3:5–6).
- Jesus is pure in heart — he is pure and his blood purifies you (1 John 1:7).
- Jesus is a peacemaker — Jesus makes you as at peace with God, as St Paul says, ‘we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Romans 5:1); Jesus yearns for peace and justice for the oppressed (Luke 4:16–19).
- Jesus is persecuted — when he walked the earth Jesus was insulted, mocked, whipped, tortured; today his church is stamped upon and scattered.
But as we’ve heard, the Beatitudes are not what we expect. Being “blessed” does not mean material or spiritual wealth. Being blessed is not something we can do or muster in our own strength. Rather, the blessings of God come through hardship, trials, trouble, weakness, and being helpless. And as Jesus blesses us in our weakness, as he picks us up, we in turn are called to bless others in need. The two pillars go hand-in-hand: we are knocked to the ground, but then Jesus lifts us up; he then points us to help pick up others.
As we walk through these pillars into the kingdom of God, we are entering a different kingdom. The land we are entering is strange in comparison.
- In God’s kingdom disciples can expect trouble, suffering, and hardship.
- In God’s kingdom we are challenged to look for blessing in the right places.
- In God’s kingdom we are transformed to help the helpless.
This week I was blessed. As we’ve heard, this means I had a troublesome and trying week. I met a gentlemen from a refugee background. He used to be a farmer in Syria. He once owned fertile, productive land. He had equipment and workers. But because of war, he was driven from his land. He had to run for his live, he and his family fleeing to Australia with basically nothing. He’s lost everything and is now starting from scratch. He’s trying his hardest to learn English, to find suitable work, struggling to understand how Centrelink works, how to find and apply for jobs. He’s attempting to piece together his broken heart and make a new life. He is poor in spirit, poor in joy, poor in power, yearning for justice. And here was Jesus, pointing for me to help him. This gentleman arrived on my doorstep, interrupting my schedule and plan for the week, putting extra strain on a full week. Yet my heart broke with his, and I silently wept with him. In the end, all I could do was pray, “Your kingdom come, on earth as in heaven.” Yet through the process I was blessed. I saw God in the face of this helpless, needy man.
Have you been knocked to the ground? Are you empty and helpless, broken-hearted, weeping tears of pain? Are you one of the little ones, trapped in the slow turning wheels of the system? If so, know that Jesus embodies these blessings. They are his, they belong to him, and he wants to give them to you. As Jesus speaks the Beatitudes, he is like a Father blessing his firstborn son with authority, property, and benefits. Jesus is present with you now. As he speaks, he transfers these gifts to you:
- Yours is the kingdom of heaven.
- You will be comforted.
- You will inherit the earth.
- You will be filled.
- You will be shown mercy.
- You will see God.
- You will be children of God.
- Yours is the kingdom of heaven.
If Jesus has already picked you up, I wonder who he will point out for you to help this coming week? Who in your family is he calling for you to make peace with? Is there someone at work, or a neighbour, who is empty and helpless? Is there a member here in our church community who needs comfort as they mourn, or in need of mercy or a friend?
I want to leave you with the words of a Franciscan blessing. These are the Beatitudes reworded, to help us hear these blessings in a new way. They are not the blessings we might expect.
May God bless you with … a restless discomfort,
about easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,
so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.
May God bless you with … holy anger,
at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.
May God bless you with … the gift of tears,
to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish,
so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.
May God bless you with … foolishness,
to believe that you really can make a difference in this world,
so that you are able, with God’s grace, to do what others claim cannot be done. Amen.
