This is the fifth post in a series titled “Messiah” adapted from a sermon series on the Gospel of Matthew preached at First Baptist Sulphur Springs, TX. This series follows an Advent sermon series you can watch here (click link).
The kingdom of heaven is right-side up even if it looks upside down to the world
The passage from the last post ended with this note:
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. – Matthew 4:23-25
This makes the start of the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:1-12, even more staggering to hearers. People healed of disease and demon-possession leads into “Blessed are the poor in spirit” and “blessed are those who mourn” and “blessed are those who are persecuted.”
You might be tempted to say that the beatitudes are upside down. In fact, I use to say that as well. But now I say the beatitudes are right-side up because the kingdom of heaven is right-side up even if it looks upside down to the world.
This passage gives a list of people who are blessed by God But is this the right group of people? Who would we consider to be those blessed by God?
In the eyes of the world:
Blessed are those who go out and take it.
Blessed are those who conquer the world.
Blessed are the movers and shakers.
Blessed are those who are famous.
In the eyes of the church:
Blessed are mega church pastors.
Blessed are those who pray and get what they want.
Blessed are those who memorize large portions of Scripture with ease.
Blessed are those free from addiction and failure.
We see something different here.
Kingdom people reflect King Jesus KingJesus.
The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ teaching recorded in Matthew 5-7, provides marching orders for followers of Jesus Christ. The Lord has already voiced the command, “Come, follow me.” Those who responded are given the title, “disciple.” In Matthew 5:1-2, “his disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.”
The word “disciple,” Mathetes, appears 262 times in the gospels and Acts. It is distributed in the following manner: Matthew (73x), Mark (46x), Luke (37x), John (78x), and Acts (28x). The word, prior to its use in the New Testament, had the simple definition of “learner” or “apprentice.” Imagine a recent college graduate – full of energy, with absolutely no experience. She accepts an internship to develop skills, learn the tricks of the trade, to be shaped by a mentor.
At the beginning of Matthew 5, the disciples gathered on the mountainside. The apprenticeship with King Jesus has begun. The apprenticeship begins with a discussion on the attitude of disciples:
Attitude toward God [5:3-6]:
The poor in spirit: the humble who lift up hopeful prayers
Those who mourn: the heartbroken who seek God for healing
The meek: those who show self-restraint and lean on God
Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: those who crave the will of God
Attitude toward others [5:7-12]:
Merciful
Pure in heart
Peacemakers
Persecuted (because of righteousness)
Jesus, in the first and last beatitude statements (verses 3 10), gives the same reason for blessedness – “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” These serve as bookends to connect all the statements together. Jesus is not describing eight different people who are blessed. Rather, he is describing eight interrelated qualities of a person walking in the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed” is not a reference to how we assess our own condition or how the world assesses our condition. Rather, it refers to how God assesses our condition. Whether you feel “blessed” is not the point. This is a reference to how God sees you. You might be poor in spirit or in mourning or meek or hungry for righteousness or merciful or pure in heart or a peacemaker or persecuted – but God sees you as blessed.
In Matthew 4:17, Jesus announced, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” The good news of Jesus is the explosive announcement that the long-awaited kingdom of heaven has broken into the world. Our response? Repent and walk in the kingdom.
In the beatitudes, Jesus is painting the picture of those who have allowed the right-side up nature of the kingdom to become a part of everyday life. Jesus himself embodied these characteristics for us.
Notice the beginning and end of verse 11: Blessed are you … because of me. The one who is blessed by God is Jesus and those who resemble Jesus are blessed. They resemble his attitude toward God. They resemble his attitude toward others. This results in rewards from heaven and, at times, persecution on earth. Why reward? We look like Jesus. Why persecution? We look like Jesus.
Conclusion
To be blessed is being an apprentice and growing to resemble your master. Imagine an apprentice at a blacksmith shop. After learning from her master the tricks of the trade, she beginnings to hammer out her first horseshoe. The first one is bad, but the second one is better. The third is even better. The fourth is even better. After time, when one sees the work of the apprentice it is easy to recognize who taught her. Kingdom people reflect King Jesus.
Do you reflect King Jesus or do you reflect the world?
Your goal tomorrow is not to attempt to be poor in spirit. Your goal tomorrow is not to seek out persecution. Rather, your goal is to seek out Jesus. When you find him, you might find a poor spirit. Embrace it. When you find him, you might find persecution. Embrace it.
Jeff Gravens 