Introduction

As we begin this study of the Beatitudes that introduce the Sermon on the Mount, let me begin with this question: What is meant by the term Beatitude with reference to Matthew 5:3-11? It is an announcement or proclamation of blessing ("blessed are…"). The subject blessed is man and the idea is not "people are to be praised" which could be the meaning of "blessed." Instead what we have is "people are recipients of divine blessing." It helps to compare this passage with Ephesians 1:3 where we are told that God is blessed. That is, God is to be praised for a specific reason that relates directly to people being blessed: He is to be blessed as the fountain of every spiritual blessing. He is the blessed One because all who are blessed have received good things from the Father of every good gift (James 1:17).

Thus Jesus stands in the place of God the Father! And with unparalleled authority (cf. Matt. 7:28-29), He promises all kinds of spiritual blessings that flow ultimately from the relationship that people have to Him. We should carefully weigh the fact that the persecuted are blessed, Jesus says, "because of me" or "on my account" (v. 11), which is parallel with "for righteousness sake" (v. 10). Therefore, ultimately the blessings come to those who hunger and thirst for Christ (v. 6)! In effect, the spiritual blessings of Ephesians 1:3 are unpacked and itemized in the Beatitudes given by Christ. Or put the other way around, Paul in effect summarizes the Beatitude list of spiritual blessings when he speaks of "every spiritual blessing" (Eph. 1:3).

Therefore whenever we petition God’s blessing on others (may the Lord richly bless you; the Lord be with you and keep you, the Lord cause His face to shine upon you) we can become specific and petition the blessings enumerated by the Lord Jesus. At least we can have them in the back of our minds as representative blessings that we are seeking.

The blessings announced, promised, and bestowed by Christ per this list are the kingdom, comfort, the earth, satisfaction, mercy, seeing God, childship to God, and heaven (great reward in heaven). In another message on the Beatitudes I will concentrate on these blessings.

Today I want to concentrate on the person that is blessed. It is fairly obvious that Jesus is not talking about different classes of people when He speaks of the poor, the meek, the merciful, etc. but one person (one kind of person) in whom these things reside. I am calling it an obvious impression to conclude that Jesus is not talking about people with different gifts. He did not say, "Blessed are those who have this ability and blessed are those who have this other ability."

Now what is it that supports this obvious impression that one person is being discussed? That there is one person here is supported by at least two things: a) by the inseparability of the various qualities that mark the blessed person and b) by the hints given in the explanatory part of the Beatitudes (beginning with the word, "for" present throughout the series). Some aspects of this unity are clearer than others but as we go we will be able to extrapolate from the clearer to the less clear.

Initially, per this introduction, what we want to do is combine all the descriptions like slices of a pie and then back up, look at the entire pie, and give it a title. That title will identify the blessed person. So who is the poor, sorrowful, meek, hungry, merciful, pure, peacemaker that is persecuted? Reference is being made here to the child of God (v. 9) who is a child of the kingdom ("theirs is the kingdom," vs. 3, 10). And one more thing should be said, we have to remember that these things are spoken by Christ in the time of transition from the old covenant to the new covenant. John the Baptist is beginning to fade from the scene of redemptive history. John paved the way for the coming of the kingdom. Jesus continued on that way laying the groundwork for the kingdom in fulfillment, the new Israel, the new covenant people of God, and thus for the church. Simply put, the blessed person is ultimately the Christian who lives under the authority and headship of Christ. The eight qualities of the blessed person are marks of a Christian.

Now let’s consider how these qualities or marks fall into two categories. Once I state what the two categories are, you should be able to place four marks into one category and four into the other category. The two categories are the blessed person within himself before God and the blessed person in relation to others before God. As we place the marks in each category we will have to settle the question of the number of marks (are there seven, eight, or nine?).

To guide this process, we should notice that the subdivisions do not exactly correspond to the sequential unfolding of the verses: 3-7/8-12 does not work nor does 3-8/9-12. Immediately we can see why this is the case when we look at verses 7-8 where the sequence is interrupted (the verses do not fit into simple packages or blocks). Do you see why the flow of verses would almost work if verses 7 and 8 were reversed? Pure in heart (v. 8) goes with the inwardness of poor in spirit in the first section (v.3) but merciful (v. 7) goes with being a peacemaker in the second section (v. 9).

So what are the marks of the blessed person that describe him or her from within and where are they found in the text? They are: the poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who hunger and thirst, and the pure in heart (in vs. 3, 4, 6, 8).

The marks of the blessed person in relation to others are less cohesive. But I am claiming that there are four: being meek (v. 5), merciful (v. 7), a peacemaker (v. 9), and persecuted (vs. 10-12). The odd man out in the second category is being persecuted. We might wonder how this is a mark of a blessed person! However odd this may at first seem, it is clear that the "blessed’s" continue uninterrupted from verse 2 to verse 11 (cf. "blessed are those who…" vs. 4-9 is structurally the same as "blessed are those who-- are persecuted," v. 10). So we should not think of only seven marks excluding "those who are persecuted." This too is a mark of a blessed person.

Although the word "blessed" occurs nine times, we should not think of nine marks, but eight, because the last two blessed’s (vs. 10-12) have the same substance. It is difficult to separate verses 11 and 12 from each other in content (cf. blessed, v. 11 w/ rejoice, v. 12 and persecute, v. 11 w/ persecuted, v. 12) and verses 11-12 are united with verse 10 in content (cf. the words "blessed" and "persecute" in both). Therefore, there are eight qualities or marks of the blessed person cited by our Lord. And these marks can be subdivided into the four that describe him inwardly and the four that describe him outwardly.

This morning we shall consider the inward/Godward marks of the blessed person as he is in himself before God. We will do this with a concentration on purity of heart as foundational for the rest. Again, these are the marks of a Christian per the relevance of the Sermon to the then future new covenant people of God (i.e. to us, to you and me here today!).

1A. The blessed person is pure in heart (v. 8)

I think it is good to begin with verse 8 to set the tone of reflection and meditation on the four inward and God/ward marks of a Christian. As we will see, the other three grow out of this root. The purity in view is not moral or judicial purity; it is not specifically focused in this text on sexual conduct that is pure nor is the focus on the pure as the justified, cleansed, or forgiven (as in Jn. 15:3, you are clean through the word). Here to be pure in heart means to be open, and exposed before God, before His holiness and righteousness.

It is an attitude of heart (pure in heart) that is comparable to being poor in spirit (v. 3). In context this has to involve an attitude toward "righteousness" (vs. 6, 10), which is ultimately the perfect righteousness of God defined by God’s law and commandments (cf. Matt. 5:17-20, "Law…commandments…righteousness" needed to "enter the kingdom of heaven" and Matt. 6:33, "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness"). Actions are rooted in attitudes. So the attitude that a person has toward God, His righteousness, His law, and His authority is critical to our living and our being, to our character and our conduct. They say that attitude is everything; well, at least it is truly a key in both character and conduct.

This way of understanding purity of heart is similar to things stated by the apostle Paul regarding a Christian’s attitude toward the law. For example, love that issues from a pure heart is associated with a good conscience and sincere faith. This occurs in the context of instruction in the law by those who are insincere, argumentative, and ignorant (1 Tim. 1:3-7). In this connection, to be pure in heart is to be informed about the law of God and to face its full impact with a good conscience by faith in Christ Jesus our Savior and Lord (1 Tim. 1:1-2 w/ v. 5).

In terms of the Sermon, purity of heart is contrasted with the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees that was sadly insufficient for entry into the kingdom of God (Matt. 5:20). Their instruction that reflected a long rabbinic tradition needed repeated correction as shown in all the "but I says" of the Sermon.

Purity of heart is thus a remarkable quality because the truth of God’s law and righteousness is faced squarely. It is remarkable because this means that perfection is confronted head on. The blessed person is the person who faces the perfection of God without diluting it or watering it down. His goal then is to face up to God’s demands sincerely, bracing himself for their full impact. He must face what God requires and unflinchingly endure the revealing, perhaps scorching rays of divine light that shine upon him.

The pure in heart simply stand exposed before God not running, not evading, not mixing what God says with what man desires. It means to face God’s requirements of absolute holiness, to stand in the light rather than in the darkness. This is purity of heart: coming into the light. This attitude is amazing because God’s holy light exposes the impurities of attitude and conduct that follow the saint throughout his life. Nevertheless, he does not reduce the range of the laws applicability but seeks to lay hold of the law in its fullness. This is truly striking. If you look deep into the heart of the person blessed beyond measure by God in Christ what you find is a willingness to hear the voice of God and to submit to His sovereign rule. The heart is opposed to claims of autonomy, to being a law unto oneself. The blessed person, the Christian, is not hypocritical. He sees his life before God. He does not lower God’s standard or deny its applicability to his life. Perfection is his standard (cf. Matt. 5:48) but that austere fact in no way distorts his focus. He admits his sin as defined by the righteousness of God. He does not deny the laws applicability. The Pharisaical denial of the range of the laws applicability is illustrated by the question, "Who is my neighbor?" This question implies that there are some people who are not my neighbor and therefore outside of the range of righteous love.

I recall a Pharisee like example from the conduct of one of my sons irritating his brother who was trying to sleep in the backseat of the car. His mother and I both "commanded" him not to bother his brother. His response: "I am not bothering him, I’m tickling him." We thought then that he would become a lawyer. Never mind the fact of the irritation the other person may experience, righteous love is restricted and the range of the laws application is limited to show myself innocent. The pure in heart does not engage is such sophistry and rationalization. He does not explain the righteousness of the law away. He does not deny its relevance. He does not pour it into a small and fragile bottle of self-righteousness. The pure in heart face the whole law without flinching. They own up to its holiness and their ungodliness. Remarkably, this defines purity of heart! It says straightforwardly that the pure are those who willingly, openly, forthrightly place themselves before the perfect righteousness of God to have their impurities brought out before them in the pure light of day. They do not hide themselves from themselves. They do not wear a mask when they look into the mirror of God’s word; they look into the mirror to see what it reflects back to them of their true condition before God; they do not look past the figure in the mirror, they do not look down. Instead, they look directly and steadily ahead to see themselves in truth.

2A. Therefore the blessed person is poor, sorrowful, and hungry in regard to righteousness

1) He is poor in spirit

Being pure in heart and thereby exposed by the perfect righteousness of God, the blessed person is a sinner that recognizes his sinfulness. The Christian is in the first place a sinful person. To be poor is to be beggarly. The blessed person is poverty stricken; he is a beggar spiritually. He is poor in spirit. This is how he views himself. He cries out like the publican: Lord be merciful to me a sinner (Lk 18:13, "But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner’!"). He is the prodigal who returns to the Father saying, "I am not worthy to be your son." (Lk. 15:19, 21).

2) He is full of sorrow for his sin

He views himself a sinner but not glibly or light-heartedly. Rather, he mourns over his sin. He is sober and realistic about his sin. It is not: I do wrong and it is fun or "Sure I am a sinner, everyone does wrong, no one is perfect." This quality is a heartfelt seriousness about one’s sinful condition. Sometimes it may involve bitter weeping like Peter when the Lord looked him in the eye after the rooster crowed for the third time (Luke 22:61-62, And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, "Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times." And Peter went out and wept bitterly.). Eye to eye contact between Jesus and Peter was a call of a blessed man to mourning for his sinfulness. Peter’s sorrow over his sin is a sign that he is a blessed person. Marvelously, those stricken with a deep sense of their spiritual poverty, their poverty for righteousness, are the ones who are righteous. The pure in heart that are sorrowful as they view their sin are blessed.

3) The righteous person desires, with all his heart, to be righteous

He hungers and thirsts after righteousness. Interconnectedness and inseparability are indicated by the relationship between purity, being poor in spirit, mourning, and hungering. "Poor in spirit" refers to being conscious of one’s spiritual poverty, missing the mark as a sinner, and therefore to lacking righteousness. This is due to the exposure faced by the pure in heart. If this consciousness is genuine, then this same person will be sorrowful and regret his lack of righteousness. And this genuine sorrow will cause a hunger to be filled with the righteousness that he lacks. True acknowledgement of sin and true sorrow for sin will instill a turning away from sin in a pursuit of its opposite, righteousness. The circle is a constant: exposure to righteousness leads the blessed person to acknowledgment and sorrow for lacking righteousness, which stirs up his hunger and thirst for righteousness, and this in turn brings him back to full exposure before the perfect righteousness of God.

What a striking paradox. Those who stress their own worth and work to get to heaven fail to see their true sinfulness and they have no righteousness. They are not righteous before God. The truly righteous are those who have no worth or works by which to make claim on God. They sorrowfully acknowledge their poverty for goodness. Therefore they hunger and thirst for righteousness. Righteousness is viewed as something they need in order to live spiritually like food and drink is needed to live physically. It is a need that is constantly felt on a daily basis. The blessed person’s life is a life characterized by repentance. The Christian life is a repentant life.

If you think of yourself as a person worthy of heaven, one question is needed: "Where is your appetite for righteousness?" Those who have an outlook on themselves that is seasoned by a sense of spiritual poverty and godly sorrow characterized by effort, longing, and prayer for righteousness are blessed; unexpectedly the unrighteous are righteous. They have a craving of soul; they are spiritually thirsty. They want the food that only Christ can give and the drink that He alone can provide.

Conclusion

How can such a person be blessed? How can such a person be eleven-fold blessed with every spiritual blessing? He is blessed in this exposure because of the work of Christ in His saving death and resurrection. Although the Sermon does not expound on the details of His death and resurrection, it anticipates the kingdom that will come by the redeemer’s accomplishments. It anticipates the new wine of saving grace secured in the death and resurrection of Christ and it anticipates the righteousness of God that is thereby given to sinners.

When we keep the fact of the coming of the new wine in mind as we read the Sermon, then we know that the blessed person is the person who stands willingly and openly exposed before the righteousness of God. And he is the person who can so stand because the Preacher of this Sermon is none other than His Savior, the risen Lord Jesus Christ to whom he clings for dear life.